Contents
What are trace elements
In the body there are several types of biologically significant chemical elements with different “specific gravity”. For example, macronutrients are the most significant, from several tens of grams (chlorine, magnesium) to kilograms (oxygen, carbon). Trace elements are characterized by a low content – from a few grams to a few milligrams. There are quite a lot of them: iron, copper, zinc, manganese, silicon, iodine, etc. There are ultramicroelements, the content of which is even less. Among them are chromium, selenium, cobalt.
List of trace elements in the human body
Absolutely necessary for life (or essential) bioelements in the body are 15: calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, copper, cobalt, chlorine, iodine, phosphorus, sulfur, molybdenum and selenium. There are conditionally necessary elements that are required for the normal functioning of the body, but in the absence can be replaced. For example, fluorine.
The value of trace elements
We list just a few of the most important functions of each trace element, although in fact the list of their “good deeds” is many times longer.
| Calcium | Participates in the formation of bones and teeth, the work of muscles and blood vessels. |
| Sodium | Regulator of acid-base and water balance, affects blood pressure. |
| potassium | Participates in maintaining acid-base and water balance, is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle function. |
| Magnesium | Necessary for the normal functioning of the heart, nervous system and muscles, as well as for protein synthesis. |
| Manganese | Essential for strong bones and healthy skin. |
| Zinc | It is necessary for the full functioning of the immune, nervous and reproductive systems, the gastrointestinal tract. |
| Hardware | Affects the level of hemoglobin, ensures the delivery of oxygen to the tissues. |
| Copper | Participates in the formation of collagen and red blood cells. |
| Cobalt | Participates in the absorption of iron, the processes of hematopoiesis, regulation of the functions of the nervous system. |
| Chlorine | It is necessary for the regulation of water-salt metabolism, the work of the gastrointestinal tract. |
| Iodine | Essential for normal thyroid function |
| Phosphorus | It is necessary for the health of bones, teeth and muscles, the functioning of the brain. |
| Sulfur | Participates in the production of insulin, which regulates blood sugar, collagen and keratin, that is, affects the condition of the skin, hair and nails. |
| Molybdenum | Necessary for maintaining potency, metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. |
| Selenium | Helps in strengthening the immune system, preventing cancer and cardiovascular disease. |
Daily intake of trace elements
– If the diet is balanced, in the daily diet there is a sufficient amount of vegetables, fruits, dairy products, fish, meat, then we get our norm of trace elements from food. You can supplement the diet with certain vitamins, multivitamins. This is useful, and will not lead to an excess of trace elements with reasonable use.
But in some regions there is a deficiency of certain trace elements in the soil, which leads to their deficiency in products. For example, in the European part of Russia there is little iodine or selenium. Here already a balanced diet is not enough, and additional sources of iodine and selenium are required. We additionally get them as part of products enriched with certain trace elements, such as iodine.
How to identify a micronutrient deficiency
– The gold standard for determining the content of trace elements in the body – by hair. In this case, blood or urine is not informative enough, since the amount of microelements in them is constantly changing at the moment. For example, if you ate something salty the day before, this will be one indicator, and if the food was not salty, another. And in the hair they will be in some stable amount.
It’s quite dangerous to make a diagnosis for yourself like “I don’t have enough iron” for some reason and prescribe drugs to eliminate the deficiency. Because the manifestations of micronutrient deficiencies are quite non-specific. A person may complain of weakness, but do not immediately write it off as a deficiency of some microelements. You must first look for a more compelling reason, see a doctor. After all, the same weakness can be, for example, a manifestation of an oncological neoplasm.
Popular questions and answers
What is the danger of micronutrient deficiencies?
What is the danger of an excess of trace elements?
If you take large amounts of vitamin D (over 4000 IU), this can lead to calcium retention in the renal tubules and the formation of urolithiasis. Calcium itself, even if consumed in large quantities, will not harm, since it has low bioavailability.
Excessive intake of chlorides, that is, salt, can lead to sad consequences – this is fluid retention in the body, which increases blood pressure and increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
Can trace elements be taken with vitamins?
Do foods actually contain a lot of trace elements?
Zinc is abundant in seafood, red fish, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
But the lack of iron cannot be replenished with a balanced diet, although it is contained in sufficient quantities in products of animal and vegetable origin (beef, cabbage, legumes, pumpkin, etc.), since it is poorly absorbed. With iron deficiency anemia, you will have to take iron-containing preparations for several months.
In general, to get the proper amount of trace elements, you need to eat more varied. At the end of the 19th century, people ate about 200 foods, now only 30. For a more complete diet, you need to include more and more new foods in your diet.