Notes on Metals, Nonmetals, and Dietary Minerals

Metals and Nonmetals

  • This section will likely cover the roles of various minerals in the human diet.

Dietary Minerals and the Human Body

  • Dietary minerals are essential for various bodily functions.
  • Minerals are categorized into major minerals and trace minerals based on the amount required by the body.
  • The dividing line between major and trace minerals is 5 grams.
    • A 5-gram amount is about a level teaspoon of material.

Major Minerals

  • Major minerals are those required in amounts greater than 5 grams.
  • Examples of major minerals and their approximate amounts in the body:
    • Calcium: 1240 g
    • Phosphorus: 650 g
    • Potassium: 230 g
    • Sulfur: 160 g
    • Chlorine: 100 g
    • Sodium: 100 g
    • Magnesium: 30 g

Trace Minerals

  • Trace minerals are required in amounts less than 5 grams.
  • There are more than a dozen trace minerals.
  • The six trace minerals that occur in the greatest amount are:
    • Iron: 2.6 g
    • Zinc: 2.2 g
    • Copper: 0.1 g
    • Manganese: 0.02 g
    • Iodine: 0.02 g
    • Selenium: 0.02 g