**Group 1: Essential Chemical Elements for Humans**
– Nineteen chemical elements support human biochemical processes
– Oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen make up about 96% of body weight
– Calcium accounts for 1.5% of body weight, mainly in bones and teeth
– Phosphorus makes up about 1% of body weight
– Major minerals like potassium, sodium, and magnesium together make up 0.85% of body weight
**Group 2: Dietary Nutrition and Mineral Sources**
– Dietitians recommend obtaining minerals from specific foods
– Minerals can be naturally present or added to foods
– Dietary supplements can provide various chemical elements
– Focus on chemical elements supports metabolic reactions
– Appropriate intake levels of chemical elements are crucial for optimal health
**Group 3: Bioavailability, Absorption, and Safety**
– Minerals must be soluble or readily extractable for absorption
– Plants obtain minerals from the soil
– Larger organisms may consume soil or mineral resources
– Minerals move up the food chain from plants to animals
– Safety concerns include the gap between recommended daily intake and safe upper limits (ULs)
**Group 4: Dietary Sources and Importance of Major Minerals**
– Sodium is essential for ATP coregulation
– Calcium is crucial for muscle and bone health
– Phosphorus is a component of bones and cells
– Copper is a required cofactor for certain enzymes
– Iodine is necessary for thyroid hormone synthesis
**Group 5: Mineral Ecology and Research**
– Animals and microorganisms use diverse ions for biomineralization
– Bacteria and fungi play crucial roles in mineral nutrient recycling
– Mineral nutrients cycle through marine food chains
– Scientific research topics include lithium, bromine, molybdenum, selenium, and strontium
– Uncertainty exists around the essentiality of trace elements like arsenic and lead
In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element. Some "minerals" are essential for life, most are not.Minerals are one of the four groups of essential nutrients, the others of which are vitamins, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids. The five major minerals in the human body are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium. The remaining elements are called "trace elements". The generally accepted trace elements are iron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, iodine, and selenium; there is some evidence that there may be more.
Four elements comprise 96% of the human body by weight: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen) (CHON). These elements are usually not included in lists of nutrient minerals. They are sometimes referred to as macrominerals. The minor minerals (also called trace elements) compose the remainder and are usually the focus of discussions of minerals in the diet.
Plants obtain minerals from soil. Plants are ingested by animals, thus moving minerals up the food chain. Larger organisms may also consume soil (geophagia) or use mineral resources, such as salt licks, to obtain minerals.
Finally, although mineral and elements are in many ways synonymous, minerals are only bioavailable to the extent that they can be absorbed. To be absorbed, minerals either must be soluble or readily extractable by the consuming organism. For example, molybdenum is an essential mineral, but metallic molybdenum has no nutritional benefit. Many molybdates are sources of molybdenum.