Minerals are important for your body to stay healthy. Your body uses minerals for many different jobs, including building bones, making hormones and regulating your heartbeat.
There are two kinds of minerals: macrominerals and trace minerals. Macrominerals are minerals your body needs in larger amounts. They include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur. Your body needs just small amounts of trace minerals. These include iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium.
The best way to get the minerals your body needs is by eating a wide variety of foods. In some cases, your doctor may recommend a mineral supplement.
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Vitamins and Minerals: What You Should Know(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/otc-center/otc-medicines/863.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/otc-center/otc-medicines/863.printerview.html
- Arthritis Today's 2005 Vitamin Guide: Minerals(Arthritis Foundation) - http://www.arthritis.org/resources/arthritistoday/2005_archives/2005_09_10/Vitamin_Mineral_Guide/minerals.asp
- Dietary Supplements Labels Database(National Library of Medicine) - http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov/
- Dietary Supplements: Nutrition in a Pill?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/supplements/NU00198/METHOD=print
- Excess Use of Denture Cream Tied to Nerve Damage(09/05/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_68945.html
- Chelation Therapy(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Chelation_Therapy.asp
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Minerals: What They Do and Where to Get Them(Texas Heart Institute) - http://texasheart.org/HIC/Topics/HSmart/mineral1.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics_Esp/HSmart/miner_sp.cfm
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Trace Elements: What They Do and Where to Get Them(Texas Heart Institute) - http://texasheart.org/HIC/Topics/HSmart/trace1.cfm
Also available in Spanish http://texasheart.org/HIC/Topics_Esp/HSmart/trace_sp.cfm
- About Iron(Iron Disorders Institute) - http://www.irondisorders.org/Disorders/about.asp
- Cesium Chloride(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Cesium_Chloride.asp?sitearea=ETO
- Chromium(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/chromium.asp
- Copper(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Copper.asp
- Germanium(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Germanium.asp
- Iron(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/iron.asp
- Magnesium(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp
- Molybdenum(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Molybdenum.asp?sitearea=ETO
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Potassium(American Heart Association) - http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4680
Also available in Spanish http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3042046
- Selenium(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/selenium.asp
- Zinc(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/cc/zinc.html
- Zinc(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Zinc.asp
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Iron-Deficiency Anemia(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/ida.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/medicos/ida_esp.html
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Minerals(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Minerals%22
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Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT): Questions and Answers(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Prevention/SELECT
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Prevention/SELECT-spanish
- Article: Serum zinc, selenium and copper in priest subjects. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18672606&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Selenium status of term infants fed selenium-supplemented formula in a... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18614726&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: A case-control study of the relation between plasma selenium and... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18588552&tool=MedlinePlus
- Minerals -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=minerals[majr]+AND+nutrition+physiology[mh]+NOT+(vitamins[majr]+OR+calcium,dietary[majr]+OR+dietary+supplements[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Nutrition Professional(American Dietetic Association) - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4874_ENU_HTML.htm
- Nutrient Lists(Dept. of Agriculture) - Links to PDF - http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition - http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/
- Food and Nutrition Information Center - http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/
- FDA Law Enforcers Protect Consumers' Health(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/oci072307.html
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Iron and Your Child(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/iron.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/nutricion/iron_esp.html
- Minerals(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/minerals.html
- Mineral Chart(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/misc/mineral_chart.html
- Vitamins and Minerals(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vitamins_minerals.html
- Iron Needs for Women(American Dietetic Association) - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/SID-5303FFEA-32E724A8/ada/hs.xsl/home_4425_ENU_HTML.htm
- Antioxidants - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html
- Calcium - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/calcium.html
- Dietary Supplements - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietarysupplements.html
- Fluid and Electrolyte Balance - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fluidandelectrolytebalance.html
- Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nutrition.html
- Vitamins - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitamins.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Minerals is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/