This document discusses the roles of various minerals in the human body. It describes calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, chloride, and sulfur. The key points are:
- Minerals perform vital functions and are essential for normal growth, maintenance, and existence of the body.
- Calcium is most abundant and found mainly in bones and teeth. It is involved in bone/tooth development, muscle contraction, blood coagulation, and many enzyme activations.
- Magnesium is the second most prevalent intracellular cation and involved in enzyme activation and neuromuscular function.
- Phosphorus is mainly found intracellularly in all cells and involved in energy metabolism and bone/tooth formation.
3. INTRODUCTION
• Minerals are essential for the normal growth and
maintenance of the body.
• Minerals perform several vital functions which are
absolutely essential for the very existence of the
organism.
• Major elements or macrominerals: daily requirement is
more than 100 mg
• Microminerals or trace elements: requirement of certain
minerals is less than 100 mg/day.
4.
5. CALCIUM
• Calcium is the most abundant among the minerals in the
body.
• Total calcium in the human body is about 1 to 1.5 kg.
• 99% of which is seen in bone and 1% in extracellular
fluid.
6. BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONS OF CALCIUM
• Development of bones and teeth.
• Muscle contraction.
• Blood coagulation.
• Nerve transmission.
• Membrane integrity and permeability.
• Activation of enzymes.
• Calmodulin mediated action of Ca+2.
• Calcium as intracellular messenger.
• Release of hormones.
• Secretory processes.
• Action on heart.
7. MAGNESIUM
• Magnesium is the fourth most abundant cation in the body
and second most prevalent intracellular cation.
• Magnesium is mainly seen in intracellular fluid.
• Total body magnesium is about 25g, 60% of which is
complexed with calcium in bone.
• One-third of skeletal magnesium is exchangeable with
serum.
8. • Mg+2 is the activator of many enzymes requiring ATP.
Eg; Alkaline phosphatase, hexokinase, fructokinase etc…
• Neuromuscular irritability is lowered by magnesium.
• Insulin-dependent uptake of glucose is reduced in
magnesium deficiency.
• Magnesium supplementation improves glucose tolerance.
BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONS OF MAGNESIUM
9. PHOSPHORUS
• Total body phosphate is about 1 kg; 80% of which is seen
in bone and teeth and 10% in muscles.
• Phosphate is mainly an intracellular ion and is seen in all
cells.
11. SODIUM
• Sodium is the chief cation of the extracellular fluid.
• About 50% of body sodium is present in the bones, 4O%
in the extracellular fluid and the remaining (10%) in the
soft tissues.
12. BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONS OF SODIUM
• Sodium regulates the body's acid-base balance.
• Sodium is required for the maintenance of osmotic
pressure and fluid balance.
• It is necessary for the normal muscle irritability and cell
permeability.
• Sodium is involved in the intestinal absorption of glucose,
galactose and amino acids.
• It is necessary for initiating and maintaining heart beat
13. POTASSIUM
• Potassium is the principal intracellular cation.
• Total body potassium is about 3500mEq, out of which
75% is in skeletal muscle.
• It maintains intracellular osmotic pressure.
14. BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONS OF POTASSIUM
• Potassium maintains intracellular osmotic pressure.
• It is required for the regulation of acid-base balance and
water balance in the cells.
• The enzyme pyruvate kinase is dependent on K+ for
optimal activity.
• Potassium is required for the transmission of nerve
impulse.
• Adequate intracellular concentration K+ is necessary for
proper biosynthesis of proteins by ribosomes.
• Extracellular K+ influences cardiac muscle activity.
15. CHLORINE
• Chlorine is a constituent of sodium chloride.
• Chloride concentration in plasma is 96-106 mEq/L and in
CSF, it is about 125 mEq/L.
• Chloride concentration in CSF is higher than any other body
fluids.
• Chloride is important in the formation of hydrochloric acid
in gastric juice.
16. BIOCHEMICAL FUNCTIONS OF CHLORINE
• Chloride is involved in the regulation of acid-base
equilibrium, fluid balance and osmotic pressure.
• Chloride is necessary for the formation of HCI in the gastric
juice.
• Chloride shift involves the active participation of Cl-.
• The enzyme salivary amylase is activated by chloride.
17. SULPHUR
• Proteins contain about 1% sulfur by weight.
• Source of sulfates is mainly amino acids cysteine and
methionine.
