ESSENTIAL MINERALS AND BODY COMPOSITION

ESSENTIAL MINERALS AND THE BODY COMPOSITION

Composition of the human body and approximate relative amounts in the body are as follows:

Table: Composition of Human Body
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Elements…...%..........AA, g
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Oxygen….....65.0...45, 500.00
Carbon….....18.0... 12, 600.00
Hydrogen....10.0.....7, 000.00
Nitrogen…....3.0..... 2, 100.00
Calcium…......1.5..... 1, 050.00
Phosphorus...1.0........ 700.00
Potassium.... 0.35...... 245.00
Sulfur……..... 0.25 ......175.0000
Sodium…...... 0.15...... 105.00
Chlorine… .....0.15 ......105.00
Magnesium... 0.05....... 35.00
Iron……… ......0.004........3.00
Manganese.... 0.0003 .....0.20
Copper…........0.0002..... 0.10
Iodine……...... 0.00004... 0.03
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Footnote: AA, g=Approximate Amount in a 70-Kg.Man, g=grams

Various other elements are also present in traces; these are sometimes called as a group the trace elements such as cobalt, selenium, aluminum, fluorine, lithium, bromine, arsenic lead, molybdenum, vanadium.
The oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen usually named organic elements consist of 96 % of body weight, and other elements is about 4 % consist of calcium, carbon…iodine and trace elements named inorganic elements or minerals.
The minerals are essential because minerals cannot be made in the body and must be obtained in our diet. The daily requirements of minerals required by the body can be obtained from a well balanced diet.
About 90 per cent of the total oxygen of the animal and human body, and about 70 per cent of the total hydrogen are present together in the form of water, which makes up roughly two thirds of the total body weight.

The minerals or the ash content of the adult body is about 4 % of body weight, 83 % of which is in the skeleton and 10 % in the muscle.
The important electro-positive elements are potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium; the electro-negative, phosphorus, sulfur and chlorine; the important inorganic complexes iron and iodine.
Next subtopic: List of Essential Minerals by Function...