A deficiency of micronutrients, or trace minerals, affects over two billion people across the world.
Trace minerals are critical to our body’s functions. While macronutrients like sodium and calcium are important, it’s easy to forget these lesser-known minerals.
From iron to zinc, trace minerals provide a variety of health benefits. Read on to understand five amazing benefits of trace minerals.
Boosting Energy
Most of us only need a few hundred milligrams of trace minerals per day. However, depending on your diet, you may not meet this requirement.
This can lead to chronic fatigue. Many micronutrients such as boron and iodine help with energy levels.
When your body lacks the nutrients it needs, it goes into “starvation” mode in which it conserves energy any way it can. Minerals like iodine produce benefits that support your thyroid and maximize energy production in the body.
Toxin Removal
Selenium and molybdenum are two trace minerals critical to detoxification.
Any minerals that work to clean out dead cells and improve liver and kidney function can help remove toxins. Find these minerals in grains, meats, and leafy greens.
Be careful if you chose to increase the intake of these minerals as too much can also lead to imbalance. Check this nutrient calculator to see how much of each mineral you need.
Increased Metabolism
Any trace minerals that aid in glucose processing, thyroid function, or protein synthesis also increase metabolism. Some of these minerals include chromium, iodine, and magnesium.
Chromium stabilizes glucose levels while magnesium aids with protein functioning. You can find these nutrients in foods such as whole grains, seeds, and nuts.
All trace minerals are needed to create necessary enzymes and regulate the body’s processes that in turn help metabolism.
Immune Strength
If you’ve ever read about the health benefits of zinc, then you know how important it is to your body’s immune system.
Zinc strengthens the immune system and heals wounds. It’s such a powerful micronutrient that you can even take zinc supplements to help get over a cold.
A few other minerals that also help your immune strength include bromium, iron, and selenium.
Physical and Mental Health
Trace minerals help with everything from bone strength to depression.
Fluoride strengthens your teeth. Iron forms lean muscle. Lithium regulates emotions and mood.
Why do you think the main ingredient in toothpaste is fluoride, or that lithium can treat bipolar disorder? Several studies argue that trace minerals can even prevent cancer and diabetes.
Whether trace minerals prevent cancer is up for debate, but the fact remains that they are essential to our physical and mental health.
Benefits of Trace Minerals: The Bottom Line
Chronic fatigue? Catch the cold more often than others? Or, maybe your family has a history of osteoporosis.
The bottom line is that the benefits of trace minerals are widespread. If you think you would benefit from more trace minerals in your diet, look into eating more foods containing them or taking supplements. Whether you want to improve your metabolism or lower your blood pressure, these micronutrients can boost your health.
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