What is trace minerals

Pure water is the universal solvent and is hungry to pick up minerals from mountains, rocks, and soil. Plants pick up minerals from the soil and as they decay, they release minerals into the water. In addition, as vegetables are cultivated and harvested, they take the minerals they have absorbed from the soil. Thus minerals are continually being depleted from the soil.

As the soils have become depleted the oceans have become enriched. As water evaporates from the seas, it evaporates as pure water and leaves the minerals behind. One amazing repository of minerals is the Great Salt Lake, in Utah. As the water evaporates, it leaves the minerals behind. This inland sea is between six to ten times more concentrated than seawater.

Forrest Nielson with the USDA explained that the more likely one was to find a mineral in seawater, the more likely that the mineral would be safe and essential for human health. Life has always been closely associated with the seas.

Water only flows downhill and carries with it vital nutrients. Worried about trace mineral deficiency? The oceans and the Great Salt Lake have been called a smorgasbord for minerals trace minerals. Humans have done a good job multiplying but not replenishing. Ever think about how in the Bible, the Lord commanded Adam and Eve to multiply and replenish the Earth?

Humans have now done a pretty good job of multiplying, but have done a poor job of replenishing the Earth. One consequence of careless stewardship of the Earth is disease, some caused by trace mineral deficiencies.

Related article: Magnesium Deficiency — Needs for Magnesium not met in most people. Find below a list of trace minerals, their functions, and common foods that contain them. Why Trace Minerals are Important for Health. What are trace minerals and where can I find them? Trace Minerals: Chromium is that helps insulin regulate glucose blood sugar levels and can be found in liver, whole grains, nuts, and cheeses.

Copper aids in the formation of bone and cartilage and helps the body use iron properly. Copper can be found in beef, organ meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans. Fluoride aids in the formation of bones and teeth and helps prevent tooth decay.

It can be found in fish, some teas, and water that is either naturally fluoridated or has added fluoride. It is important not to exceed the recommended daily allowance for fluoride. Ceruloplasmin is a protein in the blood that carries copper and is a traditional marker for copper status.

Testing either a random urine collection or a hour urine collection may be useful to assess copper overload, but test validity is subject to interindividual variability. The concentration of copper in liver may also provide information on copper status and is especially useful when related serum or urine assessments are inconclusive.

Levels of copper in liver are increased in Wilson disease. Testing in red blood cells RBCs may be useful for exposure monitoring or investigation, but this testing is not recommended for clinical diagnosis of copper deficiency or overload. Copper concentrations in erythrocytes reflect the intracellular stores and general homeostasis of copper.

Iodine is an essential nutritional element for proper thyroid function and development. Deficiency can cause goiter in adults and brain damage and mental retardation in children and fetuses. Excess iodine is typically excreted from the body, so toxic levels are usually a result of drugs, radioactive iodine uptake tests, and iodine-containing sterilizers.

Goitrous hypothyroidism , delayed growth, weight gain, fatigue, weakness. Hyperthyroidism , thyroid gland malignancies, abdominal pain, diarrhea , fever. Individuals with signs of either deficiency or excess iodine should be considered for testing. Dysfunction of the thyroid gland is a principle indicator. The majority of excess iodine is excreted in urine, making urine iodine testing ideal for determining nutritional status, especially across populations.

Because iodine intake varies from day to day, hour urine testing is a more accurate measure and preferred over random urine testing; however, the accuracy of hour urine testing is affected by low protein intake and high creatinine output. Serum testing is recommended for determining iodine excess and monitoring overload in patients on iodine-containing medications. Iron is distributed throughout the body, mainly into hemoglobin and also ferritin and hemosiderin, and transferred from organ to organ by a complex called transferrin.

Iron deficiency occurs more frequently than any other micronutrient deficiency. Signs and symptoms of iron deficiency anemia appear when body stores are depleted.

Acute toxicity is characterized by constipation, vomiting, and diarrhea and is more likely to occur in children. Chronic toxicity is most likely a result of hereditary hemochromatosis. Constipation, diarrhea , nausea, hemochromatosis.

Individuals with signs of either iron deficiency or excess should be considered for testing. The most common indicator of deficiency is anemia and its corresponding symptoms:. Hemochromatosis is characterized by the classic triad of symptoms:. Several laboratory testing options are available to help identify iron deficiency or overload. For testing and monitoring of iron overload as a result of hemochromatosis, see the ARUP Consult Hemochromatosis topic.

A serum iron measurement indicates the amount of iron bound to serum transferrin and does not include iron contained in serum as free hemoglobin. Serum iron concentrations are often decreased in patients with iron deficiency anemia as well as in those with inflammatory disorders; however, concentrations naturally decrease throughout the day, so results require careful interpretation.

Levels are elevated in patients with iron-loading disorders and after iron intake. Total iron-binding capacity is a measurement of the greatest amount of iron that transferrin can bind. In patients with iron deficiency, transferrin saturation, determined by the ratio of plasma iron to total iron-binding capacity, is low because synthesis increases to maximize iron delivery.

Serum transferrin may be a better biomarker than iron-binding capacity because it is not affected by inflammatory diseases, which can yield false-negative results. Soluble transferrin receptor testing can distinguish between iron deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease and can identify iron deficiency anemia in patients with inflammatory conditions in whom ferritin is increased.

The soluble transferrin receptor test result is also a useful marker because it corresponds more closely with the depletion and normalization of iron stores. Serum ferritin is an acute phase reactant, and concentrations are affected by inflammation, alcohol use, and obesity. However, in the absence of inflammation, measurement of serum ferritin is the most powerful test for iron deficiency.

Erythrocyte zinc protoporphyrin is an indicator of abnormal heme synthesis and is helpful in primary screening for basic iron deficiency; in combination with soluble transferrin receptor testing, it is particularly useful for monitoring iron supplement therapy.

Liver tissue testing can be useful to confirm hepatic iron overload, particularly in individuals with hemochromatosis and no common HFE gene variants, but less invasive iron testing should be used as an initial approach to diagnosis. Similarly, bone marrow staining can be used to assess iron status by examining the amount of hemosiderin in the reticulum cells.

Lead poisoning or lead toxicity generally occurs either in childhood or because of occupational exposure. Lead exposure in children can result in critical conditions, including brain damage, nervous system damage, developmental delay, and hearing and speech problems. In adults, lead exposure can cause adverse reproductive outcomes in women, hypertension, renal damage, and cognitive dysfunction.

Lead poisoning can also disturb heme synthesis and cause symptoms similar to those of porphyrin disorders, including abdominal pain, nausea, and rapid heart rate.

Aminolevulinic acid, erythrocyte porphyrin, and zinc protoporphyrin can be used as biomarkers to differentiate a lead poisoning effect. Testing is appropriate for adults with a risk of exposure, known exposure, or suspected occupational exposure. Children at greater risk include those who are younger than 6 years and those who live in older housing; children of some racial and ethnic groups are also at higher risk. The best way to measure lead exposure is with a venous blood lead test. Blood from capillaries is recommended for routine testing in pediatric populations.

A safe blood lead level BLL has not been identified for children. Source: CDC, Urine lead testing may be useful to assess chronic lead exposure or in monitoring chelation therapy, but blood is the preferred specimen for routine lead exposure testing.

The CDC recommends that all children should have one BLL test performed between 12 and 24 months; Medicaid-enrolled children are required to be tested at 12 months and at 24 months.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends risk assessment or screenings as appropriate at 6, 9, 12, and 18 months and annually from years of age. The U. Preventive Services Task Force USPSTF found insufficient evidence to recommend or discourage screening of elevated blood lead levels in asymptomatic pregnant women and asymptomatic children younger than 6 years of age. Symptomatic magnesium deficiency is rare, but people with gastrointestinal disease, type 2 DM , and alcohol dependence are at risk for magnesium inadequacy.

Insufficient levels are associated with high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and migraines. The kidneys eliminate any excess dietary magnesium in urine, but the use of supplements, notably laxatives and antacids that contain magnesium, can cause toxicity, resulting in low blood pressure, nausea, urine retention, and possible cardiac arrest.

Hypermagnesemia refers to an abnormally high level of magnesium, specifically in serum. In clinical practice, it is most often caused by treatment for preeclampsia or eclampsia in pregnant women.

Hypermagnesemia can also occur in patients with renal failure, milk-alkali syndrome, or tumor lysis syndrome. Hypomagnesemia is common in hospitalized patients and in patients with acute or chronic illness. Lack of appetite, fatigue and weakness, vomiting leading to muscle cramps, seizures, coronary spasms. Testing for magnesium status should be performed in conjunction with a clinical assessment. Indications for magnesium testing include:.

Serum magnesium concentration is the most common and available method to measure magnesium status; it is preferred for routine screening. It does not, however, correlate with total body stores or concentrations in tissue. Erythrocyte measurements may be useful to assess tissue stores of magnesium, but no test alone is considered satisfactory to assess magnesium status. Urine measurements may provide information on magnesium status, but no test alone is considered satisfactory to assess status.

Manganese is an essential trace element found in most foods, but excess can cause brain damage. Manganese is often used in pesticides and steel manufacturing and as a fuel additive. Occupational exposure poses a risk for nervous system damage, neurologic effects such as bradykinesia slow movement , and lung irritation. Manganism neurotoxic condition characterized by tremors, abnormal gait, and facial muscle spasms. Individuals with a known or suspected source of exposure and corresponding symptoms should be tested for manganese exposure.

Most laboratory testing is limited in measuring past exposure, given that manganese is excreted from the body within days. Both whole blood testing and erythrocyte testing may be useful as reasonable indicators of recent, active manganese exposure and modest indicators to identify exposed and nonexposed individuals. Whole blood is recommended for monitoring potential manganese accumulation from total parenteral nutrition. However, erythrocyte testing is preferred for detecting long-term, low-dose manganese exposure.

Although whole blood tests yield more accurate results than plasma or serum tests, some patients with normal whole blood manganese levels have abnormal magnetic resonance images.

Serum and plasma tests are believed to assess dietary manganese intake but typically indicate only dramatic variations in intake. Serum testing is not recommended for the assessment of manganese body stores. Urine testing has limited utility for determining manganese exposure; it is most reliable only for severe depletion. Mercury has three forms: organic mercury compounds which accumulate in the food chain , inorganic mercury compounds, and elemental mercury.

All three forms can accumulate in the kidneys, brain, and central nervous system. Symptoms of toxicity depend on the form, route of exposure, and duration of exposure and include changes in skin pigmentation, headaches, nausea and vomiting, and thrombocytopenia. Mercury has several industrial applications, including use in thermometers, dental fillings, and vaccines. Acute: headaches, vomiting, dyspnea, chest pain, fever, impaired pulmonary function, papular erythema.

Chronic: tremors, gingivitis, erethism, headache, short-term memory loss, anorexia, paresthesia, dysarthria, visual field constriction, blindness, hearing impairment. Individuals with a known or suspected source of exposure and corresponding symptoms should be tested for mercury exposure.

Fish consumption can elevate total whole blood mercury concentrations. An elevated whole blood or urinary mercury concentration is diagnostic for mercury exposure. A study involving data from the CDC, the U. Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists took into account both occupational exposure and food ingestion and suggested a blood mercury limit of Urinary mercury levels predominantly reflect acute or chronic elemental or inorganic mercury exposure but not organic mercury exposure; organic mercury is eliminated in the stool and not in urine.

A hour urine specimen is preferred for testing. Urine is especially useful for monitoring chelation therapy. Because mercury accumulates in the kidneys, mercury-urine concentrations may also be a better indicator of kidney burden than concentrations in blood or hair.

Blood can be used to evaluate exposure to mercury of any form. Both dietary and nonoccupational exposure to organic mercury may contribute to an elevated total mercury result. The blood mercury concentration predominantly reflects recent exposure and is most useful in the diagnosis of acute poisoning, given that mercury has a half-life in blood of 3 days.

Food is the most common source of nickel exposure, but exposure can also occur from handling nickel-containing coins, jewelry, and electronic devices. Higher-level exposure can occur from contact with nickel-processing industries. Nickel carbonyl, used in petroleum refining, is a highly toxic chemical.

Symptoms of occupational exposure include chronic bronchitis, reduced lung function, inability to oxygenate blood, and lesions on organs. Soluble nickel compounds are more easily detected by testing than are less soluble compounds.

Aids in iron absorption, increases hormonal activity, involved in lipid and glucose metabolism, improves bone strength.

Measurement of nickel is not recommended in asymptomatic individuals or individuals with a low likelihood of exposure. Selenium is a required element for antioxidant balance, thyroid hormones, and immunity ; however, excess can cause selenosis, which is characterized by nerve damage. The range for normal selenium levels is small.

Selenium is used in the electronics and glass industries and as a pigment. Cardiomyopathy and heart failure Keshan disease , striated muscle degeneration, deforming arthritis Kashin-Bek disease. Individuals with signs or symptoms of either selenium deficiency or overload should be considered for selenium status testing.

Patients who have had bariatric surgery are at an increased risk for symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. Urine selenium is the preferred indicator of selenium status, given that excess selenium is excreted in urine. Because selenium is transported to the organs in plasma and increases quickly with intake, plasma or serum is used most often to evaluate short-term dietary consumption. Erythrocyte testing is most appropriate to assess selenium tissue stores, but urine testing is preferred to evaluate deficiency or toxicity.

Thallium has no physiologic function in humans. Most thallium exposure is a result of food consumption, cigarette smoking, or workplace inhalation. Thallium is used in electronic devices and for semiconductors. Individuals with a known or suspected source of exposure and corresponding symptoms should be tested for thallium exposure.

Blood may be an indicator of recent, acute exposure, but thallium does not stay in the blood long and is quickly distributed to body tissues. Zinc is present in air, soil, water, and all foods, as well as many commercial products. In small quantities, it is an essential nutritional element for metabolism, immunity, and the cell life cycle; in large quantities, it can cause abdominal pain from acute exposure or secondary hypocupremia from chronic exposure.

Zinc overload can also suppress the absorption of copper. Growth retardation, alopecia, dermatitis, diarrhea , failure to thrive, congenital malformations. There is no clear indication for zinc status assessment ; however, individuals with signs or symptoms of either zinc deficiency particularly slow growth in children or overload can be considered for zinc status testing.

Serum zinc is the most frequently used biomarker for zinc status, particularly acute deficiency. However, serum testing is limited in its ability to detect marginal deficiency and is affected by daily fluctuations of zinc and inflammation caused by other diseases.

Urine zinc is an insensitive biomarker, but it may be helpful as an indicator of acute toxicity. Urinary excretion correlates to body stores. Testing in RBCs has limited utility as an indicator of deficiency. Zinc concentrations in erythrocytes reflect the intracellular stores and general homeostasis of zinc.

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