The Importance of Minerals to Health

We've all heard about the importance of a balanced diet and the good sense of taking a multi-vitamin supplement everyday.  Many people though do not realize the incredible importance of getting enough of the essential minerals.  It is not uncommon to hear about vitamins and minerals together but when most people read or think about maintaining optimum health; the emphasis seems to fall on the vitamins. 

Minerals are essential to maintaining good health.  They help our body absorb and use vitamins and act as catalysts for a number of chemical processes.  Our bodies can manufacture a number of vitamins but  minerals cannot be made in by our cells.  We must obtain all the minerals we need from our diet or through supplementation.

Minerals are classified in two categories: bulk minerals and trace minerals.  Bulk mineral are those minerals that make up parts of our body such as bones and teeth.  These minerals are need by the body in greater amounts and include calcium.  Trace minerals also have important functions in the body but are needed in much smaller amounts.  For a long time, scientists didn't even believe that trace minerals were necessary and that there was no negative impact to a lack of trace minerals.  That has been proven to not be true as trace minerals help the body in numerous ways including metabolism, functioning of the nervous system and many others.

Minerals are also important for the balance they maintain in our body.  Our bodies are approximately 70% water.  It's important though that the fluids in our body be correctly balance.  They cannot be too acidic nor too alkaline.  Minerals help maintain both the balance in how much water our body holds but also maintain the acidity and alkalinity of the fluids.

A number of our body's processes are electrical.  Electrical charges in the body help our nervous system relay messages from our brain, help transport nutrients through the body and help our muscles function.  Minerals are essential because their molecules carry positive and negative electrical charges.  Without minerals, the fluids in our body would not conduct those electrical impulses. 

We need a variety of both bulk and trace minerals to guarantee optimum health.  This is because minerals work in concert with one another rather than by themselves.  Selenium helps iodine perform its functions.  Magnesium helps the body use calcium.  Boron helps in the utilization of both magnesium and calcium.  It's important to get the correct amount of the whole array of minerals.

While we can get a lot of minerals from our food, each person absorbs minerals differently.  Subtle differences in digestive system, blood stream and other factors can affect how easily minerals are absorbed and used.  Aging also reduces the body's ability to absorb and use minerals.  It is also crucial that the minerals be in a form that can readily be used by the body.  The best form is water soluble.  This makes liquid, ionic mineral supplements an ideal way to maintain good health by getting the correct amount of minerals.