MIGHTY MINERALS

PLUS

I feel a metaphor coming on…

equals

Think of your body as a house.

VITAMINS

Are the tiny little maids and butlers, scurrying about to turn on the lights and make sure that the window are closed to keep the heat from escaping.

MINERALS

Minerals are more sturdy stuff, the mortar and bricks that strengthen the frame of the house and the current that keeps the lights running.

What are Minerals?

Once again, I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!

Minerals are ELEMENTS, substances composed of only one kind of atom.

They are INORGANIC.

They occur naturally in nonliving things such as rocks and metal ores.

Two Categories

MAJOR MINERALS

Your body stores varying amounts of minerals, but keeps about 1/6 of an ounce of each of the major minerals and principal electrolytes on hand.

TRACE ELEMENTS

Present in much, much smaller amounts… that’s why they’re called trace.

Major Mineral: Calcium

When you step on the scale in the morning, you can assume that about three pounds of your body weight is calcium, most of it packed into your bones and teeth.

Eat your milk, dairy products, fish, dark green leafy vegetables please.

Other Major Minerals

• Phosphorous: strong bones and teeth

• Magnesium: make body tissues, especially bone

Electrolytes

The major minerals sodium, potassium, and chlorine are called ELECTROLYTES.

What Do Electrolytes Do?

Your body maintains its fluid balance through the action of ELECTROLYTES.

These are mineral compounds that, when dissolved in water, become electrically charged particles called ions.

What Else?

• Electrolytes are present in the human body, and the balance of the electrolytes in our bodies is essential for normal function of our cells and our organs.

Electrolytes: We Love The Things You Do…..

• Help to maintain a healthy fluid balance in the body.

• Help to maintain a normal acid-base balance in the blood making them vital to life.

• Work together in a "pump" system to help transport glucose and amino acids in the body.

Can too much water harm someone?

The answer is "Yes." If a person consumes several gallons of

water in a short period of time, it could upset the normal fluid/electrolyte balance in the body. The same result can occur if someone is sweating profusely, but re-hydrating only with water.

Both of these circumstances can be fatal, but both are extremely rare.

Trace Elements: Iron

No! Not that Kind of Iron!

Iron Transports Oxygen in Red Blood Cells

This Kind of Iron! Best food sources of iron are organ meats (liver, heart, kidneys), red meat, egg yolks, wheat germs, and oysters.

Ummm…I’m sorry, but ewww!

ZINC: Another Trace Element

Zinc protects nerve and brain tissue, bolsters the immune system and is essential for healthy growth.

The largest quantities of zinc in the MALE body are in the testes.

Men need zinc to produce healthy, viable sperm.

Trace Element: Iodine

• Iodine helps to make thyroid hormones, and is needed for normal growth and development.

• Seafood and plants grown near the ocean. But we get most of our iodine from plain table salt with iodine added.

• Surprisingly, we get a lot of iodine from milk because the machines it is processed and stored in are cleaned with iodine-based disinfectants.

Not Enough Iodine?

A moderate iodine deficiency leads to a goiter (a swollen thyroid gland). A more severe deficiency early in life may cause a form of mental and physical retardation called cretinism.

Other EXCITING Trace Elements

Include such stars as: Selenium, Copper (anti-oxidant), Maganese, Flouride, Chromium, Molybdenum.

No, you do not need to memorize all these for the test!

Wait, I’ve Actually Heard of One of Those Trace Elements!

FLOURIDE• Except for the common cold, dental cavities are

the most common human medical problem.• Fluoride combines with other minerals in teeth

and makes the minerals harder to dissolve.• More than 50% of the people in the United

States have access to fluoridated public water supplies.

• The result is a lifelong 50% to 70% reduction in cavities.

A Raging Controversy

While many people believe the levels of flouride put into drinking water to be safe, some people fear health problems such as a connection with bone cancer.

Passions run high. At a council meeting in January in Watsonville, an anti-fluoridation activist held up a sign alluding to Nazis.

People who drink only bottled water sometimes do not get enough flouride.

Mineral Deficiency

While a balanced diet will usually provide adequate amounts of major and trace minerals.

There are a few to watch out for…

We already know about zinc (low amounts = temporary male infertility)

And iodine (you can probably still picture what a goiter looks like).

Calcium Deficiency

In children, calcium is needed to make a child’s bones and teeth grow strong and straight.

Older women sometimes take calcium supplements (and also special osteoporosis medi- cation) to prevent osteoporosis (weakening of the bones)

Iron Deficiency = Anemia

• Without enough iron, your body can’t make the hemoglobin required to carry energy-sustaining oxygen to every tissue.

• People often feel tired and weak and look pale.

• Anemia sometimes results from heavy menstrual periods in teen girls and women.

Anemia can be serious…

But check with your doctor before loading up on iron supplements; it is possible to have iron overload which also has major health risks.

And now for Something Completely Different

Sorry…I just Can’t Help Myself…

THE END!!!