DIETARY MINERALS

DIETARY MINERALS

Minerals act as building stones to all the cells in our bodies. They function as 'cofactors' in the metabolism of the products in the body. If additional catalysts like minerals and vitamins were not present, the reactions for most of the bodily metabolisms would proceed so slowly that they would become ineffective. Minerals also help to maintain the alkaline level in the body to balance the reaction of the acidic food we consume. Although most are present in the average diet, these minerals may not always be ingested in quantities sufficient to satisfy our metabolic needs, especially during growth, stress, trauma, blood loss and in certain diseases. Thus additional supplements may become necessary in certain conditions like pregnancy, lactation, menstruation, hyperthyroidism, infectious diseases, tissue wasting diseases, etc.
I'll post some more about the sources of minerals.