Carnitine is so crucial for human function that it should be deemed a vitamin rather than an amino acid. While many books describe it as an amino acid, it exhibits properties more like a vitamin, meaning that it is essential to life. In fact, Ensminger`s nutrition encyclopedia describes it as vitamin-like. Deficiency is common in vegetarians, because this substance is …
Learn About Tryptophan
Tryptophan is an amino acid, which is essential to the function of all cells and organs. It is found primarily in foods of animal origin. Thus, vegetarians are at a high risk for the deficiency. The symptoms of tryptophan deficiency are similar to those of niacin deficiency, because tryptophan and niacin are similar biochemically.
Learn About Digestive Enzymes
Digestive enzymes are required for nutrient absorption. The nutrients must be digested from the foods before they can be absorbed. In other words, a lack of enzymes may induce a wide range of nutritional deficiencies. Enzyme deficiency may also lead to swelling, infection, inflammation, and pain.
Learn About Zinc
Zinc deficiency is epidemic in the Western world. Food processing destroys this mineral. Fad diets, including vegetarian and macrobiotic diets, are notorious for inducing the deficiency. Zinc is required for the health of the immune system, hormone system, bones/joints, and for cellular healing mechanisms.
Learn About Sodium
Sodium deficiency is more common than excess, since millions of individuals are on salt restricted diets. What’s more, salt is quickly lost from the body. A salt wasting syndrome exists, where individuals lose salt faster than they consume it.
Learn About Selenium
Selenium is difficult mineral to procure. It is found in large amounts in only a few foods. Plus, its availability in food or water is largely dependent upon the region in which an individual lives. Certain regions of the earth contain little or no selenium in the soil, and this is where the deficiency is epidemic. Stress and the consumption …
Learn About Potassium
This mineral is required for hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body. Every cell in the body, including brain cells, is utterly dependent upon it. Potassium deficiency is common, largely because it is readily depleted by food processing. It is also destroyed by drugs, particularly diuretics. Laxatives also aggressively deplete it.
Learn About Phosphorus
Like calcium and magnesium, phosphorus is one of the major minerals in the body. By itself it accounts for nearly 1/4th of the body’s mineral content. Most of the phosphorus in the body is found in the bones and teeth. However, it serves a crucial function in energy production for all cells, since high-energy bonds within cells are made from …
Learn About Manganese
Manganese is an important trace mineral, particularly for the health of the skeleton. It also supports the health of the heart and arteries, improving arterial strength and elasticity. A lack of it leads to joint, cartilage, or ligament degeneration as well as bone loss. The mineral is difficult to absorb, and it is easily destroyed by food processing. Thus, the …
Learn About Magnesium
This mineral is required for hundreds of enzymatic reactions throughout the body. Every cell in the body, including brain cells, is dependent upon it. In particular, it is of primary importance for the health of the bones, joints, and muscles. The deficiency is exceptionally common, because this mineral is highly vulnerable to being destroyed by food processing. It is found …