|
You woke up feeling great. You hit the gym early. Today was
the day for your most brutal training session ever.
But something went wrong. You added 10 pounds on your bench
and failed at the sticking point. Getting through those extra
reps was extra hard. After your shower, your muscles still
ached. Instead of feeling exhilarated, you felt tired and
discouraged that you didn’t meet your goals.
It could have been just an off day, but it could be something
else. Maybe something’s missing from your training diet.
Trace elements are the “micronutrients” your body
requires in very small doses. They help your heart to beat,
your muscles to grow. Without them, your body won’t
function properly. And it’s easy to miss out on one
or more vital trace elements, even if you’re careful
to eat a “balanced” diet.
Much has been written about the importance of the dietary
minerals calcium potassium and iron, but it’s only recently
that researchers have brought to our attention the long-term
effects of calcium deficiency, especially in women (osteoporosis).
A deficiency of iron takes less time to show itself (anemia),
whereas potassium deficiencies show up suddenly and dramatically.
Now selenium (once known only as a deadly poison) has been
introduced into our health vocabulary. Preliminary studies
show that it may protect both animals and humans against some
forms of cancer. More and more, scientists are discovering
that physical manifestations such as premature aging, baldness,
diabetes-type reactions and weakened bone mass may be attributable
to a deficiency in one or several of these “micronutrients,”
They play a subtle part in the body’s metabolism, but
not because of their caloric value.
The earth’s crust is constantly being depleted of these
essential minerals both by natural and man-made forces, and
foods rich in trace elements are depleted even more by processing.
Also, sources such as iodized salt (iodine) and high-cholesterol
foods like red meat and eggs (rich in chromium and zinc) are
disappearing from our diets. So how can we be sure of getting
what we need and in the right balance for optimum health?
The quickest way is to take the right mineral supplement.
Here’s a list of some of the trace elements and major
minerals that should be in your mineral supplement, along
with a discussion of why they’re important to you:
CALCIUM - Most calcium in the human body
is found in the bones and teeth. We now know that our need
for calcium extends far beyond our formative years. Twenty
percent of an adult’s hone calcium (2-3 pounds) is reabsorbed
and replaced every year. Calcium participates in all muscle
contractions, is vital to the functioning of nerve cells and
enzyme activity and is responsible for transmission of impulses
from nerves to muscles. Calcium should be combined in a two-to-one
ratio with magnesium. Taking in more magnesium than calcium
leads to anesthesia, e.g., magnesium concentration is high
in hibernating animals.
MAGNESIUM - This essential mineral regulates
body heat, the contraction of muscles and the synthesis of
body protein. It is necessary for calcium and Vitamin C metabolism
as well as for phosphorus, sodium and potassium. It is important
for converting blood sugar into energy. If you live in a hard
water area, you’re getting more magnesium than calcium
in your water.
SELENIUM - Until 1956 selenium was listed
only as a poison in textbooks, so it came as a surprise when
the late Klaus Schwartz discovered it was an essential nutritional
factor in preventing the death of liver cells in rats. In
further experiments he discovered that sub toxic amounts in
the drinking water or diet of breast-cancer prone mice caused
a dramatic reduction of tumors. It was later found that in
certain areas of the US where the soil (and thus the vegetation)
is known to be low in selenium, more women die of breast cancer.
It is also believed to protect against heart disease, muscular
dystrophy, premature aging and immune incompetence.
There is also much evidence to indicate a relationship between
the nutritional need for selenium and that for Vitamin E.
Lack of either causes muscular dystrophy in many animals and
severe edema (water retention) in chicks. Men appear to have
a greater need for selenium, since almost half their body’s
supply concentrates in the testicles and portions of the seminal
ducts adjacent to the prostate gland. This element is also
lost in the semen. Scientists believe that Vitamin E acts
as an antioxidant for selenium. This element has a wide window
of use in that dietary intakes of selenium vary widely throughout
the world (28-325 micrograms per day) with no indication of
toxicity or deficiency. However, diets containing less than
30 micrograms per day are associated with cardiac degeneration
among children living in certain parts of China.
IRON - This is one of the most abundant elements
in the earth’s crust. Seventy percent of the 3-5 grams
of iron present in the human body is located in the red blood
cells: in hemoglobin (an oxygen carrier in red blood cells),
in myoglobin (a stored form of oxygen in muscles), in transferrin
(a principal carrier of iron in blood) and ferritin (mainly
a storage form of iron). Once in the body, it is carefully
conserved, and the 9 billion red blood cells broken down daily
yield 20-25 mg of iron, which is all reused or stored. There
are many excellent food sources for iron — liver (especially
pork), egg yolks and beef. Unfortunately, these foods are
also high in cholesterol and should be eaten sparingly.
Some nutritional studies have found that vegetarians have
no more iron-deficiency anemia than meat eaters. One possible
explanation for this is that Vitamin C enhances absorption
of iron in foods and vegetarians often consume more Vitamin
C than meat eaters. In addition to Vitamin C, copper, cobalt
(found in Vitamin B12), and manganese are necessary to assimilate
iron. Iron is necessary for proper metabolism of B vitamins.
CHROMIUM - In 1959 it was established that
animals deficient in chromium grow poorly and have a reduced
lifespan. These animals also showed a low glucose tolerance,
a response similar to a diabetic’s insulin deficiency.
The American diet contains only small quantities of chromium,
according to one study, and that is poorly absorbed. This
may reflect our taste for refined foods. Food processing and
refining remove up to 80% of chromium from some foods. Unrefined
cereals, grains, fats and sugar are good chromium sources.
Chromium deficiency is a suspected factor in arteriosclerosis
and diabetes, especially among the elderly, who retain the
lowest amount of chromium. In fact, once past adolescence,
our bodies retain less and less chromium as we age. A high
carbohydrate intake may predispose an athlete to a deficiency
due to urinary excretion of chromium after carbo-loading.
Supplements, including chelated zinc, seem to substitute well
for deficient chromium.
MANGANESE - This is very important in the
regulation of enzymes that are active in the mitochondrion,
the ‘powerhouse” of the cell, where ATP is produced.
Deficiencies can result in ovarian and testicular degeneration,
shortening and bowing of legs and other skeletal abnormalities.
Manganese is also necessary to form thyroxin, the principal
hormone of the thyroid gland. Having the correct balance in
your system helps eliminate fatigue, improve memory, reduce
nervous irritability and aid in muscle reflexes. Toxicity
is rare, except from industrial sources. Large intakes of
calcium and phosphorus will inhibit manganese absorption.
ZINC - Excessive sweating can cause a loss
of as much as 3 mg of zinc per day. Most foods either lose
zinc during processing, or never contain sufficient amounts
due to nutrient-poor soil. Also, health conscious people who
have reduced their intake of animal products may not be getting
enough zinc in vegetable and plant foods, which are lesser
sources than animal foods. Zinc governs a wide variety of
body functions. Many enzymes that prevent buildup of lactic
acid (the ‘fatigue acids’) in muscles require
zinc for their action. It helps in the formation of insulin.
It exerts a normalizing effect on the prostate, and is important
in the development of all reproductive organs. New studies
show its importance in brain function, and there is strong
evidence that it’s required for the synthesis of DNA.
More zinc is needed when protein and phosphorus intakes are
high.
COPPER - A strict vegetarian is more likely
to be deficient in this mineral than someone who eats meat
and shellfish. The adult human body contains about 75 mg and
has an approximate daily turnover of 2%. Depending on the
dietary source and amount, 25-40% of copper consumed is absorbed.
It is essential for the utilization of Vitamin C and for the
amino acid tyrosine, the pigmenting factor for hair and skin.
Like some other essential trace elements, it is present as
an environmental pollutant in cigarettes, birth-control pills
and automobile emisions. Other environmental pollutants, such
as cadmium, decrease copper absorption. Toxicity is rare,
but an excess may cause lower zinc levels, insomnia, hair
loss, irregular menses and depression. Severe deficiency can
disrupt the building of connective tissue, cause weakened
bones and even rupture the heart.
POTASSIUM - Potassium works with sodium to
regulate the body’s water balance and normalize heart
rhythms. It has been suggested that people today may suffer
a chronic deficiency of potassium as a result of food processing
and boiling of vegetables. Since potassium is lost in sweat,
active people should be particularly aware of signs indicating
a potassium deficiency, such as frequent muscle cramping.
People whose sodium-potassium balance is off will suffer nerve
and muscle dysfunction and possibly irregular heartbeats.
People who consume large amounts of coffee, alcohol and sugar
are likely to have low potassium levels. Also, if blood sugar
is low there is not only a loss of potassium, but water retention
as well.
IODINE - Two-thirds of the body’s iodine
is found in the thyroid gland. In ancient Greece, iodine-rich
seaweed was used in the cure of goiter, a malfunction of the
thyroid gland caused by iodine deficiency. During Napoleon’s
reign, iodine was discovered by mistake while chemists produced
saltpeter from sea kelp to make gunpowder for blockaded France
in her battle with Britain. Besides goiter, a deficiency of
iodine can produce slow mental reaction, weight gain and energy
loss due to thyroid malfunction. Americans who have reduced
their salt intake should be careful to supplement their diets
with iodine in other forms.
SILICON - If you thought silicon was used
only in computer chips, you’re probably not alone. It
has only recently (1972) been demonstrated that silicon is
essential for growth and development of higher animals, especially
as it relates to mineralization and calcification of bone
tissue. It is present in low amounts in the internal organs
of mammals, and makes up 0.01% of the skin, cartilage and
ligaments. People on low-silicon diets have skin, bone and
arterial damage.
FLUORINE - Has a stabilizing effect on bones
and teeth, although too much can discolor the teeth.
COBALT - Vitamin B12 needs cobalt to carry
out its biochemical functions. Iron may be antagonistic to
cobalt absorption and a proper ratio between them must he
maintained.
MOLYBDENUM - This is one of the few heavy
elements known to be essential to life. It aids in carbohydrate
and fat metabolism and is a vital part of the enzyme responsible
for iron utilization as well as those enzymes involved in
tissue oxidation. In China, esophageal cancer was found to
be highest in areas where molybdenum levels in food and water
were lowest. High environmental molybdenum exposure was also
associated with a low dental caries (cavities) rate in children.
NICKEL - Animals deficient in this essential
trace element display severe tissue damage in liver cells.
Chicks deprived of nickel grow poorly and have thickened legs
and dermatitis.
VANADIUM - A probable function is its role
in the formation of vanadochromes or oxygen carriers, as well
as its ability to inhibit cholesterol synthesis and dental
caries by stimulating mineralization of the teeth.
TIN - Not known to be an essential nutrient,
tin has demonstrated positive growth effects at levels of
0.5-2 parts per million in the diet. It may have a very subtle
but important effect on growth in early infancy. Tin doesn’t
show up in newborn rats immediately after birth, but it becomes
detectable a few hours later. It is believed to be present
in colostrum, the remarkably nutritious first fluid secreted
by mammals for a few days after the birth of their young.
ARSENIC - You probably know this highly toxic
metal as a popular murder weapon in mystery stories. But rats
who were fed an arsenic-poor diet developed rough fur, fragile
red blood cells and enlarged spleens containing too much iron.
As of August 2004, there was conclusive evidence that arsenic,
molybdenum and nickel are essential nutrients. The evidence
for vanadium is less strong. The practical importance of these
elements in nutrition is uncertain, because their metabolism,
biological functions and nutritional requirements have not
yet been conclusively studied. A severe deficiency of these
elements in the typical American diet seems unlikely On the
basis of present knowledge, cadmium and tin are probably not
essential nutrients.
Related Articles
The Importance
of Trace Minerals
What Can Amino
Acids Do For Me?
What is NO2 - Nitric
Oxide?
| Popular Products! |
CellMass
BSN new breed of Esterified creatine has arrived! A creatine.. |
|
Creatine
Serum
'No-maintenance' formula in the convenient liquid
form Creatine Serum. The only stable creatine on the market,
due..
|
|
 ALRI Venom Hyperdrive 3.0
ALRI Venom Hyperdrive 3.0 is a supplement designed for adults age 21 or over only. This is a product |
|
