HPE-2110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Dental Caries, Abdominal Pain, Fluoride
Document Summary
Minerals are inorganic substances that are critical to many enzyme functions in the body. Approximately twenty-five minerals have important roles in bodily functions. Minerals are contained in all cells and are concentrated in hard parts of the body nails, teeth, and bones and are crucial to maintaining water balance and the acid-base balance. Minerals are essential components of respiratory pigments, enzymes, and enzyme systems, while also regulating muscular and nervous tissue excitability, blood clotting, and normal heart rhythm. Two groups of minerals are necessary in an individual"s diet: macrominerals and microminerals: macrominerals are the seven minerals the body needs in relatively large quantities (100 mg or more each day). These seven minerals are: calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. In most cases, these minerals can be acquired by eating a variety of foods each day: while microminerals are essential to healthy living, they are needed in smaller quantities (less than 100 mg per day) than macrominerals.