Pharmaceutical products and dietary supplements promotional materials always mention the importance of having a lot of minerals and salts in our bodies for improved functioning. Although it is not recommended to self-medicate, a lot of people will start taking vitamins and minerals without talking to their physician or having a set of medical investigations done first.
Truth is that we couldn’t properly sleep, breathe, relax and have other types of functions (normal blood pressure and regulated heartbeat) present in our bodies if it weren’t for certain minerals (calcium, magnesium potassium, zinc). However, as it is all good substances, you can still experience side effects if some of the values in your organism are over the limit.
The Main Essential Minerals For Your Body
There are five main categories of minerals:
- Calcium, needed for strong bones and teeth. It also supports the proper function of your blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and hormones;
- Iron, an important part of hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen to your tissues. Iron deficiency causes anemia and feeling weak;
- Magnesium, a deficiency in magnesium determines numbness, fatigue weakness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and even tingling;
- Potassium, a mineral that functions as an electrolyte. It’s required for muscle contraction, proper heart function, and the transmission of nerve signals. It’s also needed by a few enzymes, including one that helps your body turn carbohydrates into energy;
- Zinc, important for proper growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence. Zinc deficiency can cause loss of appetite, taste, or smell. Decreased function of the immune system and slowed growth are other symptoms.
Phosphorus and other chemical elements are also present and contribute to certain processes but are not equally important.
The History Of Studies on Water’s Qualities
Consideration of the characteristics of water as determinants of disease risk is not a new idea. To quote Hippocrate, the great founder of medicine: “We must also consider the qualities of the waters, for as they differ from one to another in taste and weight, so also do they differ much in their qualities”. Indeed, the science of epidemiology traces its origin to the 19th-century work of John Snow, the man who mapped the incidence of cholera in London, showing it to be much higher in areas supplied with a particular water source.
According to a complex study by the World Health Organization regarding nutrients in drinking water, low mineral intake from foods and water are common in many parts of the world, although not necessarily in the US.
Although dozens of geographical studies have been conducted on minerals in drinking water and their relationships to various diseases, the daily intake and the status of deficiency as well as their health consequences are still largely unknown.
Today, sub-clinical deficiencies of iron, zinc, and calcium prevail in the developed and developing world. People preoccupied with their health and looking to control their daily intake of minerals can invest in a water filtering system available on WatereStore.ca. The fact that we use water for food processing as well as hydration, makes water filtering an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.
The Importance of Minerals for the Human Body
Believe it, or not, in around 20 years of consumption, your body will start to assimilate and deposit some of the minerals that are normally found in drinking water in places such as skin, hair, and even internal organs. This fact is completely true and unfortunately, even healthy individuals can develop problems in the long term, if they don’t take any measures.
One thing besides filtering the drinking water and controlling their water sources as responsibly and thoroughly as possible is to go to frequent kidney medical investigations and to drink as many liquids as possible (including tea, juices, coffee).
When Minerals Become Too Much of a Good Thing?
The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) and Adequate Intakes (AIs) for minerals and trace elements are generous. They were established by a large number of people and can vary from an individual to another. Every substance that is present in a higher amount than normal in the human body will trigger side effects and can even prove toxic or deadly.
For example, megadoses of magnesium appear safe for healthy people, but if you have kidney disease, the magnesium overload can cause weak muscles, breathing difficulty, irregular heartbeat, and/or cardiac arrest (your heart stops beating suddenly). So they might be carefully monitored next time you decide to buy the anti-fatigue magnesium-based dietary supplement.
Final Thoughts
Minerals are vital for the well-being and the good maintenance of our bodies and will easily improve one’s lifestyle if you pay the proper amount of care to this aspect of your daily diet. The continuous pollution of the water streams and rivers as well as the improper cleaning of municipal water that is the main source of drinking water leaves the individual exposed to countless risks and abnormal levels of minerals.
This sad reality, combined with the fact that we eat so much processed food or food that contains a lot of salt and other substances that will transform during the digestive process makes the whole issue of whether minerals are beneficial or not for the human body extra-controversial.
Once again, individual responsibility and being informed about the standard dietary allowances will prove of great help in staying away from complications derived from megadoses of minerals in one’s body. If the whole business of counting and measuring micro-nutrients in your meals and snacks becomes too complicated to handle on your own, there is definitely a great idea to ask for help from a dietician, or at least use some type of guidance.
There are thousands of apps, food journals, online resources available for anyone who is committed to improving their lifestyle and general health and nutrition is one great place to start. It actually counts for more than 70% percent of our efforts to building a lean figure, losing weight, and leading a healthy life in general. Physical activity on the other hand counts for only 30% of the amount of effort one pays to improve the nutrition and overall level of fitness.
