Minerals are necessary for the normal functioning of the body’s cells.
The body needs relatively large quantities of
These minerals are called macrominerals. Bone, muscle, heart, and brain function depends on these minerals.
The body needs small quantities of
These minerals are called trace minerals
Both macrominerals and trace minerals are harmful if too much is ingested.
Minerals are an essential part of a healthy diet. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA)—the amount most healthy people need each day to remain healthy—has been determined for most minerals. People who have a disorder may need more or less than this amount.
Consuming too little or too much of certain minerals can cause a nutritional disorder. People who eat a balanced diet containing a variety of foods are unlikely to develop a nutritional disorder or a major mineral deficiency, except sometimes for iodine, iron, or zinc. However, people who follow restrictive diets may not consume enough of a particular mineral (or vitamin). For example, vegetarians, including those who eat eggs and dairy products, are at risk of iron deficiency. Infants are more likely to develop deficiencies because they are growing rapidly (thus requiring larger amounts of nutrients for their size than adults).
Consuming large amounts (megadoses) of mineral supplements without medical supervision may have harmful (toxic) effects.
Electrolytes
Some minerals—especially the macrominerals—are important as electrolytes. The body uses electrolytes to help regulate nerve and muscle function and to maintain acid-base balance and water balance. If the balance of electrolytes is disturbed, disorders can develop.
Diagnosis
Often blood or urine tests
Doctors can detect many common nutritional disorders or an electrolyte imbalance by measuring the levels of minerals in a sample of blood or urine.
Minerals
Mineral | Good Sources | Main Functions | Recommended Dietary Allowance for Adults* |
|---|---|---|---|
Milk and milk products, meat, fish eaten with the bones (such as sardines), eggs, and fortified cereal products | Required for the formation of bone and teeth, for blood clotting, for normal muscle function, for the normal functioning of many enzymes, and for normal heart rhythm | 1,000 milligrams 1,200 milligrams for women over 50 and men over 70. | |
Chloride | Salt, beef, pork, sardines, cheese, green olives, corn bread, potato chips, sauerkraut, and processed or canned foods (usually as salt) | Involved in electrolyte balance | 1,000 milligrams |
Liver, processed meats, whole-grain cereals, and nuts | Enables insulin to function (insulin controls blood sugar levels) Helps in the processing (metabolism) and storage of carbohydrates, protein, and fat | 35 micrograms for men aged 50 and younger 25 micrograms for women aged 50 and younger 30 micrograms for men over 50 20 micrograms for women over 50 | |
Organ meats, shellfish, cocoa, mushrooms, nuts, dried legumes, dried fruits, peas, tomato products, and whole-grain cereals | Is a component of many enzymes that are necessary for energy production, for antioxidant action†, and for formation of red blood cells, bone, and connective tissue | 900 micrograms | |
Seafood, tea, and fluoridated water | Required for the formation of bone and teeth | 3 milligrams for women 4 milligrams for men | |
Seafood, iodized salt, eggs, yogurt, milk, and drinking water (in amounts that vary by the iodine content of local soil) | Required for the formation of thyroid hormones | 150 micrograms | |
As heme‡ iron: Beef, poultry, fish, kidneys, and liver As nonheme iron: Soybean flour, beans, molasses, spinach, clams, and fortified grains and cereals | Required for the formation of many enzymes in the body Heme iron is an important component of muscle cells and of hemoglobin, which enables red blood cells to carry oxygen and deliver it to the body's tissues | 8 milligrams for women over 50 and for men 18 milligrams for women aged 50 and younger (premenopause) 27 milligrams for pregnant women 9 milligrams for breastfeeding women | |
Leafy green vegetables, nuts, cereal grains, beans, and tomato products | Required for the formation of bone and teeth, for normal nerve and muscle function, and for the activation of enzymes | 320 milligrams for women 420 milligrams for men | |
Whole-grain cereals, pineapple, nuts, tea, beans, and tomato products | Required for the formation of bone and the formation and activation of certain enzymes | 2.3 milligrams for men 1.8 milligrams for women | |
Molybdenum | Milk, legumes, whole-grain breads and cereals, and dark green vegetables | Required for metabolism of nitrogen, the activation of certain enzymes, and normal cell function Helps break down sulfites (present in foods naturally and added as preservatives) | 45 micrograms |
Dairy products, meat, poultry, fish, cereals, nuts, and legumes | Required for the formation of bone and teeth and for energy production Used to form nucleic acids, including DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | 700 milligrams | |
Required for normal nerve and muscle function Involved in electrolyte balance | 3.4 grams for men 2.6 grams for women | ||
Required for thyroid gland function | 55 micrograms | ||
Salt, beef, pork, sardines, cheese, green olives, corn bread, potato chips, sauerkraut, and processed or canned foods (usually as salt) | Required for normal nerve and muscle function Helps the body maintain a normal electrolyte and fluid balance | 1,500 milligrams | |
Meat, liver, oysters, seafood, peanuts, fortified cereals, and whole grains (depending on the zinc content of soil where grains were grown) | Used to form many enzymes and insulin Required for healthy skin, healing of wounds, and growth | 11 milligrams for men and 8 milligrams for women | |
* Recommended dietary allowances for minerals and other nutrients are periodically published by The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences–National Research Council and the United States Department of Agriculture. These allowances are intended to meet the needs of healthy people and may vary for pregnant women and children. | |||
† Antioxidants protect cells against damage due to reactive by-products of normal cell activity called free radicals. | |||
‡ Heme iron is iron that is attached to heme. Heme is a molecule that is a building block in the formation of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells). The body absorbs heme iron better than nonheme iron. | |||
More Information
The following English-language resources may be useful. Please note that THE MANUAL is not responsible for the content of these resources.
United States Department of Agriculture: Micronutrients: This web site contains general information about vitamins and minerals, including information on supplements.
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): This web site provides detailed recommended dietary allowances and adequate intakes for nutrients. It includes this information for pregnant and breastfeeding women in different age groups.
