| Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, which are omnipresent in organic molecules. They can be either bulk minerals (required in relatively large amounts) or trace minerals (required only in minute amounts).
These can be naturally occurring in food or added in elemental or mineral form, such as calcium carbonate or sodium chloride. Some of these additives come from natural sources such as ground oyster shells. Sometimes minerals are added to the diet separately from food, as vitamin and mineral supplements, and from dirt(!), called pica or geophagy.
Appropriate intake levels of each dietary mineral must be sustained to maintain physical health. Excessive intake of a dietary mineral may either lead to illness directly or indirectly because of the competitive nature between mineral levels in the body. For example, large doses of zinc are not really harmful unto themselves, but will lead to a harmful copper deficiency (unless compensated for, as in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study).
Soils in different geographic areas contain varying quantities of minerals. Bulk Minerals In human nutrition, the dietary bulk mineral elements (RDA > 200 mg/day) are (in alphabetical order):
Calcium
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Potassium
Sodium
Sulfur Trace Minerals The most important trace mineral elements (RDA < 200 mg/day) are (again, in alphabetical order):
Chromium
Cobalt
Copper
Fluorine
Iodine
Iron
Manganese
Molybdenum
Selenium
Zinc
Iodine is required in larger quantities than the other trace minerals in this list and is sometimes counted with the bulk minerals. Sodium is not generally found in dietary supplements, despite being needed in large quantities, because the mineral is so common in food. This list is not an endorsement of the need of any of these minerals as dietary supplements. Other Minerals Many other minerals have been suggested as required in human nutrition, in varying quantities. Standards of evidence vary for different elements, and not all have been definitively established as essential to human nutrition. Common candidates include (elements for which convincing scientific evidence is lacking are marked as suspect):
Bismuth (suspect)
Boron
Nickel
Rubidium (suspect)
Silicon
Tellurium (suspect)
Titanium (suspect)
Tungsten (some organisms use tungsten rather than molybdenum)
Vanadium
Various other elements found in food supplies may vary from holding no known nutritional value (such as silver) to being toxic (such as mercury).
A large body of research suggests that humans often can benefit from mineral supplementation. (Go to ConsumerLab for brand reviews.) This is especially true for humans consuming a low variety of foods. Vitamins and minerals are interdependent, requiring the presence of one another for full benefit; taking a multivitamin without minerals is not nearly as effective as taking one with minerals. Extensive university research also demonstrates that the most bioavailable form of supplemental mineral is the chelated mineral (one that is bonded to a specific-size amino acid).
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| Mineral | Actions | Sources | Possible Effects of Taking Too Much | Calcium | Important role in forming bones and teeth; helps with blood clotting, and muscle and nerve function | Salmon, sardines, milk, cheese, yogurt, calcium-set tofu, Chinese cabbage, kale, broccoli | Kidney stones; faulty kidney function; high blood levels of calcium; calcium deposits in soft tissue; decreased absorption of iron, zinc and magnesium | Iodine | Part of the thyroid hormones; prevents goiter and a birth defect called infantile myxedema | Iodized salt, seafood,
kelp | Elevated level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) NOTE: You may be at greater risk of side effects from iodine if you have had iodine deficiency before, or if you have autoimmune thyroid disease or a nodular goiter. | Iron | Part of hemoglobin; helps your blood carry oxygen to your body’s tissues and muscles; needed to make energy; supports immune system health; prevents one type of anemia | Meat, fish, poultry,
lentils, beans, fortified breads and cereals | Upset stomach; constipation; diarrhea; dark stools; decreased absorption of zinc, calcium and copper. NOTE: Blood transfusions and chromatosis (a genetic disorder also known as “iron overload”) put you at higher risk for serious problems from taking too much iron. | Magnesium | Helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function; sustains regular heartbeat; keeps bones strong; helps your body produce energy | Meats, seafood, milk, cheese, yogurt, green leafy vegetables, bran
cereal, nuts | Diarrhea; nausea; appetite loss; muscle weakness; trouble breathing; low blood pressure; irregular heartbeat; mental changes; kidney failure
NOTE: Some laxatives contain magnesium. Using these laxatives and using supplements may increase your risk of serious problems from taking too much magnesium.
| Phosphorus | Needed for healthy bones; helps your body produce energy | Milk, yogurt, cheese, peas, meat, fish, eggs, some cereals and breads | Decreased absorption of calcium; at high levels, can join with calcium in the blood and form calcium deposits in soft tissue and also lead to porous bones | | Potassium | Important in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in the body and in allowing muscle contraction and sending of nerve impulses | Orange juice, potatoes, bananas, soybeans, avocados, apricots, pomegranates, parsnips and turnips | People with kidney disease are advised to avoid large quantities of dietary potassium, since the buildup of blood concentrations of potassium may trigger fatal cardiac arrhythmia. | Zinc | Supports your immune system; needed for wound healing and tissue repair; maintains your sense of taste and smell; helps digestion; supports normal reproduction, growth and development | Red meats, liver,
oysters, certain
seafood, milk products, eggs, beans, nuts, whole grains, fortified
cereals | Decreased absorption of iron and copper; reduced immune
function; reduced levels of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) — also called the “good cholesterol" |
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