This topic contains a solution. Click here to go to the answer

Author Question: What are the major minerals, and what roles do the major minerals play in the human ... (Read 217 times)

vicotolentino

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 552
What are the major minerals, and what roles do the major minerals play in the human body?

Question 2

How are minerals classified, and what common characteristics do major minerals share?



Related Topics

Need homework help now?

Ask unlimited questions for free

Ask a Question
Marked as best answer by a Subject Expert

gcook

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 343
Answer to Question 1

Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, and potassium are major minerals. Major minerals have both structural and functional roles. Examples of structural roles: calcium and phosphorus provide strength and structure to skeleton. Functional roles: sodium, chloride, and potassium are essential for maintaining fluid balance in and outside of the cell. Minerals also function in chemical reactions (calcium as a cofactor), energy metabolism (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium), nerve function and muscle contraction (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, and potassium), and immune function (sodium and chloride).

Answer to Question 2

Essential minerals are classified by how much you need as major or trace minerals. Major minerals are needed in amounts >100 mg per day and are found in seafood, meat, and dairy products (some are also obtained from fruit, vegetables, and legumes). Absorption of some minerals is not regulated and decreases with age. Bioavailability of others is influenced by genetics, nutritional status, and interactions with other components in food. The primary site of absorption is the small intestine. Major minerals circulate directly from the GI tract to the liver and are transported via the blood. Blood levels are regulated by the small intestine at the time of absorption and by the kidneys at the time of excretion.




gcook

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 343

 

Did you know?

A seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to reduce the chances you will get seasonal influenza and spread it to others.

Did you know?

Elderly adults are living longer, and causes of death are shifting. At the same time, autopsy rates are at or near their lowest in history.

Did you know?

The use of salicylates dates back 2,500 years to Hippocrates’s recommendation of willow bark (from which a salicylate is derived) as an aid to the pains of childbirth. However, overdosage of salicylates can harm body fluids, electrolytes, the CNS, the GI tract, the ears, the lungs, the blood, the liver, and the kidneys and cause coma or death.

Did you know?

According to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, lung disease is the third leading killer in the United States, responsible for one in seven deaths. It is the leading cause of death among infants under the age of one year.

Did you know?

In 1886, William Bates reported on the discovery of a substance produced by the adrenal gland that turned out to be epinephrine (adrenaline). In 1904, this drug was first artificially synthesized by Friedrich Stolz.

For a complete list of videos, visit our video library