Sodium is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth. The sodium atom is most comfortable when it gives up an electron. Thus, sodium in foods as well as in the body will have a positive charge (Na+). Sodium involves in electrical events of body with chloride and potassium as electrolytes. Anew, an electrolyte is a substance that when dissolved into a body of water will increase the speed of the electrical conduction of the water. Sodium is a mineral that occurs naturally in foods, such as celery, beets, and milk, or is added during manufacturing or processing. While sodium…
Author: Emily
Similar to sodium, potassium atoms are most comfortable when they concede an electron and exist as a positively charged atom (K+). Potassium is one of the most important electrolytes in human body fluid; it is concentrated in the fluids inside of cells while sodium exists mainly outside of cells. The symbol for potassium is a K because of its Latin name (kalium). Potassium is a mineral that is found in many foods, especially vegetables. It is most abundant in green leafy vegetables. But potassium is also found in meat, chicken, and fish, as well as many fruits. Potassium is believed…
Next to calcium, phosphorus is the most abundant mineral in the body. Calcium and phosphorus work together to keep bones and teeth strong. About 85 percent of the body’s phosphorus is stored in the bones and teeth. Phosphorus found in food or in body is usually in form of phosphate (PO4). Still, phosphorus and phosphate are used interchangeably. Similar to calcium, phosphate bears a strong charge; only in this case it is negative. Calcium and phosphate accordingly interact with each other in bone and teeth because of their strong, opposite charges. Approximately 85 percent of the phosphorus found in the…
Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral. Magnesium is most comfortable in nature when it gives up two electrons and takes on a double positive charge (Mg2+). It is the fourth most common mineral found in the human body. Half of the magnesium in the body can be found in the bones. Almost all of the rest is in the body’s organs and tissues, with only 1 percent of the total in the blood. There are mechanisms to keep the blood level of magnesium constant. This is important because magnesium is involved in at least 300 biochemical reactions. In general terms,…
Calcium is a naturally occurring most popular mineral that is an essential component of the human body. Calcium is about 40 percent of total body mineral weight and about 1.5 percent of total body weight. It is absolutely necessary in order for all the systems of the body to function properly. Furthermore, calcium tends to be portrayed as a hero for protecting the human body from osteoporosis. However, most people really do not understand how calcium functions. Calcium is found in foods and the body as an atom with a +2 charge (Ca++ or Ca2+). Calcium atoms, therefore, are most…
Also known as folic acid, folacin, vitamin B9, and pteroylglutamic acid, folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the name given to the synthetic form of folate. It was identified some 70 years ago as a substance that could prevent anemia during pregnancy. The name folate, as well as the other names associated with this vitamin (folacin and folic acid), suggests its food sources. Folium is Latin for foliage or forage. Folate was ultimately extracted from spinach leaves, and its chemical structure identified. Helping the body make healthy new cells, folate plays an…
Also known as pyridoxine, vitamin B6 helps the body convert food into fuel, which is needed to produce energy. Like other B vitamins, vitamin B6 is needed to metabolize fats and proteins and to have healthy skin, hair, eyes, and liver. Vitamin B6 is integral to the proper functioning of the nervous system. The body requires vitamin B6 to carry signals from nerve cell to nerve cell, and it needs the vitamin for normal brain development and functioning. The body uses vitamin B6 to make certain hormones, such as serotonin and norepinephrine, which influence mood. Working with vitamins B12 and…
Also known as pantothenic acid, vitamin B5 enables people to transfer fats, carbohydrates, and proteins into sources of energy. The body needs vitamin B5 to make hormones and red blood cells, and vitamin B5 supports the body’s immune system and helps the nervous system function properly. The digestive tract requires vitamin B5 to function, and vitamin B5 strengthens other vitamins, especially vitamin B2. Like the other B vitamins, vitamin B5 is water soluble; it is not stored in the body. While the actual amount of vitamin B5 varies from food to food, vitamin B5 is found in almost all foods.…
Also known as thiamin or thiamine, vitamin B1, was identified in the 1930s and was one of the first substances to be classified as a vitamin. Along with the other water-soluble vitamins (except vitamin C and choline), thiamin is a B-complex vitamin. The most salient role of B-complex vitamins is their involvement in energy metabolism. One of its primary functions is to help release energy from carbohydrate. Its coenzyme form, thiamin pyrophosphate (TPP), participates in reactions in which carbon dioxide (CO2) is released. Such reactions are particularly important in the body’s ATP-producing energy pathways, which involve the breakdown of carbohydrates…
Named after the German word for blood clotting (koagulation), vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, which is stored in fat tissue and the liver that helps the body make proteins needed for normal blood clotting. Vitamin K also termed as Quinone, is a general name for a few related compounds that possess vitamin K activity. Vitamin K has three forms: Phylloquinone, Menaquinone and Menadione. Phylloquinone is the form of vitamin K found naturally in plants; menaquinones are the form of vitamin K derived from bacteria; and menadione, which is not natural, is the synthetic (laboratory derived) form of vitamin K…