Mineral Metabolism: Macronutrients and Importance

The below mentioned article provides a short note on the Mineral Metabolism:- 1. Introduction to Minerals 2. Principal Mineral Elements (Macronutrients) 3. Trace Elements 4. Physiological Importance.

Introduction to Minerals:

The mineral elements present in the animal body is supplied by the diet. In poor diets consumed by a large majority in India and other developing coun­tries, there occurs commonly the deficiencies of calcium and iron. Iodine deficiency occurs in peo­ple living in certain hilly tracts in India and in some other countries, where the soil and water are defi­cient in iodine.

In tropical countries, addition of sodium chloride in the diet is of great importance, because of the loss of NaCl in sweat. The deficien­cies of other minerals do not occur normally in av­erage diets. The mineral elements can be classified as prin­cipal elements (macronutrients) and trace elements.

Principal Mineral Elements (Macronutrients):

Seven Essential Elements:

Calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, sulphur and chlo­rine.

a. Sodium, potassium and chlorine are in­volved mainly in the maintenance of acid- base balance and osmotic control of water metabolism.

b. Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium as constituents of bones and teeth.

c. Phosphorus as constituent of body cells of soft tissues, such as muscles, liver, etc.

d. Sulphur in cysteine and methionine, thia­mine, biotin, lipoic acid and CoA.

Trace Mineral Elements:

These elements are present in living tissues in small amounts. They are subdivided into three groups- Essential, possibly essential and nonessential.

a. Essential Trace Elements (Micronutrients):

Iron, iodine, copper, zinc, manganese, co­balt, molybdenum, selenium, chromium and fluorine.

b. Possibly Essential Trace Elements:

Nickel, tin, vanadium and silicon.

c. Nonessential Trace Elements:

Aluminium, boron, germanium, cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury.

Physiological Importance of Various Minerals:

a. Iodine is required for thyroxine formation.

b. Iron and copper are required for hemoglo­bin formation.

c. Zinc is a constituent of carbonic anhydrase and insulin.

d. Cobalt is a constituent of vitamin B₁₂.

The ratio of one element to the other in the tissues is of physiological importance e.g., normal ossification demands a proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus.