Learn about the minerals your body needs
The vital processes in the body depend on different minerals, and their deficiency may lead to an imbalance in these processes and the emergence of symptoms that may be dangerous. What are the minerals that the body needs?
Here are the most important minerals that the body needs in the following article:
Minerals that the body needs
Essential minerals in the body, including:
1. Sodium
Sodium mineral helps maintain the balance between water and minerals in the body, and it also has a role in regulating muscle relaxation and contraction and helping to conduct nerve impulses. They are obtained from most of the foods we eat, such as baked goods, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables.
2. Potassium
Potassium maintains blood pressure and fluid levels within cells and helps with muscle contraction.
Healthy adult men need about 3,000 milligrams of potassium per day, while women need 2,300 milligrams less, which can be obtained from leafy greens, dairy products, beans, and other foods.
3. Calcium
Calcium's benefits are often linked to supporting bone and dental health, but it also contributes to other functions, such as blood clotting, muscle contraction, heart rate regulation, and nerve conduction.
The average daily intake for women aged 19-50 and men aged 19-70 is 1,000 milligrams, which can be obtained from milk products, leafy vegetables, grains, and other foods.
4. Magnesium
Magnesium helps regulate blood pressure, is involved in many muscle and nerve functions, and plays a role in the interaction of at least 300 enzymes in the body.
Adult women need about 310 milligrams of magnesium per day, while men need 400 milligrams, and this number increases slightly after age 30.
Magnesium is found in high amounts in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, and more.
5. Phosphorous
It enters the phosphorus in many important biological processes in the body, such as energy production, activation of Alazimat, and the formation of the DNA of cells, and enters in building bones and teeth.
Healthy adults need 700 milligrams of phosphorous per day, which can be found in seeds, grains, dairy products, cheese, fish, chicken, and other foods.
6. Chlorine
Chlorine works with sodium and potassium to regulate fluids in the body and adjust stomach acidity and is available in table salt, vegetables, seaweed, lettuce, olives, and more.
The body between 14-50 years old needs about 2.3 grams of chlorine daily.
Other minerals that the body needs
There are many minerals that the body needs in very small quantities, but this does not diminish their importance and their multiple benefits, and these minerals include:
Lack of minerals the body needs
Here are the main causes of mineral deficiency and the symptoms that accompany it:
1. Sodium
Hyponatremia is rare in healthy people and is often associated with health problems such as severe diarrhea, kidney failure, liver failure, a disorder of thyroid hormones or antidiuretic hormone, and Addison's syndrome.
It may also be associated with taking certain medications, such as diuretics, some antidepressants, and some analgesics.
Here are the main symptoms that appear in the event of a sodium deficiency: fatigue, headache, nausea and vomiting, muscle cramps, fainting, nervous convulsions, and coma in severe cases.
2. Potassium
Potassium deficiency occurs in many cases, such as vomiting, diarrhea, taking diuretic drugs, taking laxatives, kidney disease, mental eating disorders, and many others accompanied by symptoms including fatigue, muscle weakness or spasm, numbness in the limbs, heart rate disorder, and fainting. Or cardiac arrest in cases of severe deficiency.
3. Calcium
Calcium deficiency is associated with many causes, including vitamin D deficiency, which helps calcium absorption, thyroid problems, chronic kidney disease, and others.
Symptoms may appear, such as tension, nervous agitation and lethargy, chest pain, numbness of the extremities, nervous spasms, muscle spasms, and osteoporosis in the long term.
4. Magnesium
Magnesium deficiency rarely occurs in healthy people. It is often associated with certain disease states, such as diabetes, digestive disorders, and it can also occur due to excessive drinking of alcohol or taking certain medications, which leads to the emergence of the following symptoms: nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, muscle spasms, irregular heartbeats, nervous convulsions, and numbness or tingling in the extremities.
5. Phosphorous
Phosphorous deficiency occurs due to certain diseases, including kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and diabetic ketoacidosis. It may also cause many symptoms, including loss of appetite, bone pain, muscle weakness, rickets, osteomalacia, and ataxia.
6. Chlorine
Hypochloremia occurs when the body loses a large amount of fluid through vomiting, diarrhea, or heavy sweating, and it may also occur due to taking some diuretic medications.