Free Health Dissertations - Running Head: Toxic Nutritional Micro Minerals Toxic Nutritional Micro
Running Head: Toxic Nutritional Micro Minerals
Toxic Nutritional Micro Minerals
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1. Disturbed intestinal absorption of minerals
If there is too little or too much of one reaction of mineral, all other minerals are affected, starting a chain reaction of imbalances and illnesses. The essential major minerals are: Calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulfur. The essential micro minerals are: chromium, cobalt, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc. Our chemistry and physics teachers were wrong when they told us that the elements in the periodic table could not be transformed into each other without a nuclear reactor operating on them. The enzymes in our bodies, and in the bodies of chickens, fish, etc., are quite capable of transforming one element into another, gently, without that nuclear explosion. Potassium, sodium, iron, copper, calcium, is being switched around inside the bodies of living creatures. Nitrogen is sometimes transformed into carbon monoxide. Chickens are capable of making their own calcium, out of other elements, in order to make eggshells. (Ballentine, 1978)
Worms in the intestines absorb nutrients, so infection may result in malnutrition and mineral deficiency. They absorb iron in abundance so an infected person may be anemic (iron-deficient). People with worms commonly look pale and undernourished even though their appetite increases. Eating a lot does not help, however, because the worms absorb nutrients, leaving the person still hungry. Allergy to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley causes the intestines to flatten and many of the villae to disappear. This interferes with adsorption of nutrients so that these people often suffer from lack of iron, B12, folic acid, calcium, and many other nutrients.
2. The presence in foods of binding agents that effect mineral availability.
Checking a chart for calcium-rich foods can be deceiving because the calcium in some foods is not highly bio-available. This is the case with many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes that naturally contain substances such as oxalate, phytate, and fiber that bind calcium and interfere with its absorption. The impressive 348 mg of calcium in one cup of rhubarb, for instance, is not bio-available because of rhubarb's high oxalic acid content. Average consumption of these foods should not pose a problem, though overindulgence should be avoided. Diets high in fiber can interfere with calcium absorption because fiber binds with minerals in the intestines and keeps them from being absorbed. According to a study cited in Vegetarian Journal, dietary fiber intakes of 35 gm or less are not believed to have a significant impact on mineral absorption. Protein, sugar, and fat intakes also influence calcium requirements.
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