This document provides information on minerals, including their classification and major minerals. It discusses the functions of minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride and magnesium. It also covers trace minerals such as iron, iodine, zinc and fluoride. For each mineral, it lists key food sources, functions in the body, and potential deficiencies or toxicities if intake is inadequate or excessive. The purpose is to describe the essential minerals needed by the body and consequences of not getting enough or too much of each mineral.

1. MINERALS

2. Minerals
Inorganic element needed by the body for the
following functions:
 Build tissues
 Regulate body fluids
 Assist in body functions
 Help form body structures
Remains as ash when food is burned

3. Classification of Minerals
• Major minerals
- required in amounts greater than
100mg a day
- sometimes called “macrominerals”
• Trace minerals
- required in the diet in amounts lesser
than 100mg a day
- sometimes called “microminerals”

4. • Ions – electrically charged atoms resulting from
chemical reaction
anions –negatively charged
cations – positively charged
• Mineral salts dissolve in water -> break into
separate ions -> electrolytes

5. MAJOR MINERALS
NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Calcium (Ca2+)
Milk, cheese,
sardines, salmon,
some dark green
leafy vegetables
Development of
bones and teeth
Transmission of
nerve impulses
Blood clotting
Normal heart action
Normal muscle
activity
Osteoporosis
Osteomalacia
Rickets
Tetany
Retarded growth
Poor tooth and
bone formation

6. Osteoporosis - means “porous bones”
- characterized by low bone density or mass
(reduced amount of bone tissue) and fragile bones

7. Rickets - softening of bones in children potentially leading to
fractures and deformity
Osteomalacia - bones lose calcium and become softer and may
deform

8. Tetany - involuntary contraction of muscles

9. NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Phosphorus (P) Milk, cheese, lean
meat, poultry, fish,
whole-grain cereals,
legumes, nuts
Development of
bones and teeth
Maintains normal
pH of the blood
Constituent of all
body cells
CHO, CHON and fat
metabolism
Poor tooth and
bone formation
Weakness
Anorexia
General malaise

10. NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/ TOXICITY
Potassium (K+
) Oranges, bananas,
dried fruits,
vegetables,
legumes, milk,
cereals, meat
Contraction of
muscles
Maintenance of
fluid balance
Transmission of
nerve impulses
Regular heart
rhythm
Cell metabolism
Deficiency:
hypokalemia
muscle
weakness
confusion
abnormal
heartbeat
Toxicity:
hyperkalemia
potentially
life-threatening
irregular
heartbeats

11. NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Sodium
(Na+
)
Table salt, beef, eggs,
poultry, milk, cheese,
Soy sauce,
moderate amounts in
breads and
vegetables,
large amounts in
processed foods
Maintenance of fluid
balance
Transmission of nerve
impulses
Acid-base balance
Muscle contraction
Deficiency:
nausea
exhaustion
muscle cramps
Toxicity:
hypertension
edema

12. edema

13. NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Chloride (Cl-
) Table salt, eggs,
seafood, milk
Gastric acidity
Regulates acid-base
balance in the body
Maintains fluid and
electrolyte balance
Formation of
hydrochloric acid
Imbalance in gastric
acidity
Imbalance in blood
pH
Nausea
Exhaustion

14. NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Magnesium (Mg2+
) Green, leafy
vegetables
Whole grains,
avocados, nuts,
milk, legumes,
bananas, nuts,
seafood, chocolate,
cocoa
Nerve transmission
Synthesis of ATP
Activation of
metabolic enzymes
Muscle activity
Constituent of
bones, muscles, and
RBCs
Normally unknown
Mental, emotional
and muscle
disorders

15. Trace Minerals
NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/ TOXICITY
Iron (Fe+
) Muscle meat
Poultry
Shellfish
Liver
Legumes
Dried fruits
Whole grain or
enriches breads and
cereals
Dark green and
leafy vegetables
Molasses
Transports oxygen
and CO2
Hemoglobin
formation
Component of cellular
enzymes essential for
energy production
Deficiency:
iron deficiency
anemia

16. Symptoms:
• Weakness/ Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Loss of weight
• Pallor
• Coldness of hands
and feet

17. Cretinism Goiter
Myxedema
NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Iodine (I-
) Iodized salt
seafood
Regulation of basal
metabolic rate
Goiter
Cretinism
Myxedema

18. NAME FOOD SOURCES FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/
TOXICITY
Zinc (Zn+
) Seafood, esp. oysters
Liver
Eggs
Milk
Wheat bran
legumes
Formation of
collagen
Wound healing
Taste acuity
Essential for growth
Immune reactions
Dwarfism
Anemia
Loss of appetite
Skin changes
Impaired wound
healing
Decreased taste
acuity

19. dwarfism

20. Skin lesions

21. NAME FOOD
SOURCES
FUNCTIONS DEFICIENCY/ TOXICITY
Fluoride
(F-
)
Fluoridated
water
Seafood
Increases resistance to tooth
decay
Component of bones and
teeth
Deficiency:
Tooth decay
Possibly
osteoporosis
Toxicity:
Fluorosis
- discoloration of
teeth or mottling

22. Tooth decay
Fluorosis