Minerals Terms

Water deficiency, that is dehydration, is one of the most common of all deficiencies. It occurs particularly in the elderly and in infants. It is also common in individuals suffering from chronic diseases and in those taking multiple medications.

Taurine is a difficult nutrient to procure in the diet. Plus, it is readily destroyed by toxic chemicals as well as drugs. Individuals suffering from cardiac disease usually have a significant need for taurine.

Coenzyme Q-10 is a key nutrient for cellular energy transport. It catalyzes the transfer of electrons and is needed for this purpose by every cell and organ in the body. A lack of it is associated with prematuring aging and degenerative disease. The gums are an obvious region which reveal the deficiency, since a lack of this substance leads to …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …