Water, macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) and food contain minerals.
Minerals are substances which are essential to our bodies.Often simply called minerals, these elements obtained from the earth are essential to ensure that our body functions properly, and they are involved in many of the body's chemical reactions. They are classified in two categories: major minerals and trace elements.
Major minerals or macroelements are calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium. They are called "major" because they form a large part of body content; a healthy adult man, for example contains more than 1 kg of calcium in his skeletal structure.
Trace elements include iron, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, copper and selenium. They are called "trace elements" because they are found in very small quantities in the body, but these tiny amounts are adequate for the body's functional requirements.
Daily mineral requirements vary from one person to another depending on many factors: gender and age, physical and intellectual activities, state of health, physiological status (growth, pregnancy, breast-feeding, menopause), dietary habits and stress levels.
Mineral elements account for about 4% of body weight, but are involved in a wide range of important functions:
Some of them are vital in themselves, such as iron which is an essential constituent of haemoglobin, responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood.