List of Minerals

List of Minerals - Definition & Role

Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by our body (and other living organisms) to maintain optimal health.

They play a number of critical roles in our metabolsim.

Note that the use of the term "mineral" here is different from the usage of the same term in geological science.

Dietitians say that minerals are best supplied by ingesting specific foods rich in specific minerals of interest.

Thus, according to said nutritional experts, our dialy mineral requirements can be met simply with a conventional balanced diet.

However, sometimes minerals are ingested through taking mineral dietary supplements because not everyone maintains a proper diet.

Sixteen minerals are required to support human biochemical processes by serving structural and functional roles as well as electrolytes.

A distinction is drawn between minerals that are macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are nutrients required in large quatities. Micronutrients are dietary minerals needed throughout life in very small quantities (less than 100 micrograms/day).

To give you an idea of the different need our body has for macronutrients and micronutrients we can cite a simple example: a 150 pound human (~70 kg) contains 1.0kg of calcium, but only 3mg of cobalt.