Solgar Mineral Supplements
Do you eat 6 ounces of grains, 3-5 servings of vegetables, 2-4 servings of fruit, 2-3 servings of milk or dairy, and 2-3 servings of meat or protein-rich foods a day? Probably not. Yet that is the only way to get sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals into your diet. Most people focus their efforts on getting the recommend daily allowance of vitamins, but minerals tend to get neglected. Is it that minerals are more difficult to find in everyday foods, or could it be that most people are simply unaware of mineral benefits?
Most people know that calcium helps build strong bones and teeth, or at least that's what you tell your kids. It is true that calcium is needed most during childhood and adolescence. Since a child's bones are soft and change from a more cartilage-based bone to a strong adult bone, kids and teens need more calcium than adults. Once bones stop growing, calcium can no longer be absorbed. Kids who do not receive adequate calcium or vitamin D can develop rickets, which is a disease that causes a child's bones to be soft and can lead to fractures or deformities. Adults need calcium as well, but for slightly different reasons. While calcium helps build strong bones for children, calcium helps maintain bone strength in adults. As adults, particularly women, grow older, our bones loose calcium and can thin and become brittle. Osteoporosis is a disease that can lead to bone fractures. This disease tends to be more common in post-menopausal women.
Calcium is one of the more popular minerals and seems to get the most attention, but other minerals can be just as important. Magnesium helps our body absorb calcium and helps keep bones strong. Magnesium also helps steady the heart rhythm. Magnesium is so important that a lack of it could cause your heart to stop beating. Some heart arrhythmias and other related conditions are caused by a magnesium-deficiency. The body needs magnesium to help muscles and nerves to function properly. Nerves are used to stimulate the muscles in the heart to contract at just the right time. A magnesium-deficiency can makes this pattern of nerve and muscle stimulation irregular and inconsistent.
Another mineral that helps regulate the heart is potassium. Potassium helps control the muscles and nervous function, which helps to regulate your heartbeat. It also helps maintain your body's water balance in the blood and tissues. Potassium can help decrease high blood pressure in patients who are potassium deficient. Potassium works as an electrolyte and helps to maintain proper kidney function.
Iron is a mineral that helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. Iron assists with the formation of hemoglobin and helps maintain proper liver function. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, which occurs when there is a decrease amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood. Women tend to be more iron-deficient than men because they loose twice as much iron due to monthly periods.
Zinc is another important mineral that helps maintain a strong immunity and can heal wounds. Zinc can be found in cold-lozenges that helps decrease a cold's duration. It is very important to maintain proper levels of zinc every day since zinc cannot be stored in the body.
Since these minerals are such an important aspect of every day body functions, they should be consumed at the daily recommended allowance. But how do you know if you've consumed enough? You could be sure to maintain a strict diet that consists of the foods I mentioned above, or you could take mineral supplements through Solgar brand.