NUTR SCI 332 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Signal Transduction, Manganese, Genetic Variation
Macrominerals
• Minerals are all ELEMENTS
• Trace elements: need in TINY amounts
o Iron
o Zinc
o Copper
o Manganese
o Iodine
o Selenium
• Major minerals: need on larger scale
o Calcium
o Phosphorous
o Potassium
o Sulfur
o Sodium
o Chloride
o Magnesium
• General roles of minerals
o Electrolyte
o Structure
o Component of prosthetic group such as heme
o Signal transduction
o Cofactor role
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Food sources
• Factors affecting mineral content of foods
o Genetic variation of animals and plants
o Mineral content of animal feed and medications for animals
o Mineral content of soil and water for plants
o Cooking utensils (e.g. cast iron pan can increase iron content in
food)
o Food processing (strips food of minerals)
o Fortification (add minerals back in)
• Bioavailability of minerals: the rate and extent to which a nutrient is
absorbed and used
o Efficiency of digestion and time of transit
o Genetic variations
o Nutritional status of the individual
o Aging (generally lose bioavailability over time, maybe due to
decreased secretion of gastric acid and less absorption)
o Method of food preparation
o Other nutrients consumed at the same time (nutrient-nutrient
interactions)
• Mechanisms to maintain balance
o Mierals are ot epeded/destroed durig iologial
processes
o Required in diets due to variable efficiency in recycling
o Bioavailability
o Transition metals (like iron) can be reactive and/or toxic if not
bound to specialized proteins
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