Contrast the properties of minerals with those of vitamins

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Unlike the organic vitamins, which are easily destroyed, minerals are inorganic elements that always retain their chemical identity. Once minerals enter the body, they remain there until excreted; they cannot be changed into anything else.

The minerals also differ from the vitamins in the amounts the body can absorb and in the extent to which they must be specially handled. Some minerals, such as potassium, are easily absorbed into the blood, transported freely, and readily excreted by the kidneys, much like the water-soluble vitamins. Other minerals, such as calcium, are more like fat-soluble vitamins in that they must have carriers to be absorbed and transported. And, like some of the fat-soluble vitamins, minerals consumed in excess can be toxic.

The bioavailability of minerals varies. Some foods contain binders that combine chemically with minerals, preventing their absorption and carrying them out of the body with other wastes. Examples of binders include phytates, which are found primarily in legumes, seeds, nuts, and grains, and oxalates, which are present in rhubarb, beet greens, sweet potatoes, and spinach, among other vegetables. These foods contain more minerals than the body actually receives for use.

The presence or absence of one vitamin can affect another's absorption, metabolism, and excretion. The same is true of the minerals. The interactions between sodium and calcium, for example, cause both to be excreted when sodium intakes are high. Phosphorus binds with magnesium in the GI tract, so magnesium absorption is limited when phosphorus intakes are high.