There are not enough microelements in the body. Experts told us what microelements are missing for longevity in different regions of Russia

Microelements are vital substances

Microelements are vital substances. All of them come from the outside, since the body is unusual in synthesizing them on its own. A person is only capable of accumulating and distributing microparticles. That is why an excess or deficiency of micronutrients has a negative impact on living beings, disrupts the full functioning of organisms and can cause irreversible processes leading to death.

Microelements in the international classification are designated in English letters(Latin). Their names are completely identical to the names of substances in the periodic table.

In different sources you can find different numbers of “main” micronutrients, but most often they talk about 23, 33 and 40 different minerals and complex compounds. According to research by the World Health Organization, there are about seventy microelements in total, which for convenience are divided into groups. Many of the substances have not yet been fully studied, so there is little information about them.

Microelements do not include all elements, but only those particles that are found in the body in minimal quantities. While some macronutrients are found in the body in grams, micronutrients are found in tissues and fluids in micrograms (mcg) and milligrams (mg).

Until recently, very little was known about micronutrients, but science does not stand still. Research institutes conduct experiments that are closely related to biological developments in relation to studying the functioning of the human and any other living organism.

List of essential microelements

The list of essential microelements consists of large number chemical substances. They all belong to different groups and are found naturally in various types and conditions. A small part of the list of microelements is solid substances and enters the body in pure form. Most microparticles enter cells in a complex way during the decomposition of multicomponent salts.

The most studied substances, as well as short description their main properties are presented in the list below.

1. Bromine. Liquid with a pungent odor. It dissolves well in water. It is practically never found in its pure form, as it easily enters into chemical reactions and becomes a component of salts. The presence of bromine in the diet improves appetite.
2. Zinc. A crystalline mineral that occurs in nature in many combinations. It easily enters into an oxidation reaction, as a result of which zinc oxide appears - a white powdery substance that easily dissolves in water and penetrates the cell membranes of plants and living organisms.
3. Chromium. IN natural form is a metal with a silvery tint. In nature, it exists in the form of ore, which easily crumbles and combines with liquids, and thanks to this it easily seeps into cells.
4. It is a halogen gas. Reacts easily with oxygen and is found in water and air. Due to the fact that the substance is lighter than air and other gases, it easily penetrates into the alveoli of the lungs.
5. Selenium. Sometimes called the beauty mineral. The substance rarely enters the body in its pure form, so it can be toxic. It is a conductor and companion of iodine and helps the latter to be absorbed by cells as completely as possible.
6. Molybdenum. It is not found in free form, but is found in large quantities in ash, coal and oil deposits. It enters the body of living beings with salts and water.
7. Copper. In the natural environment it is found in pure form and is present in compounds that form sedimentary rocks. It looks like metal with a characteristic reddish shine. It penetrates into cells in water and participates in oxidative processes in the liver. Absorbed in the digestive tract and does not accumulate in cells. That is why this substance must be supplied daily and in the required quantity.
8. Manganese. In nature, it is most often found in the form of compounds. It is easily consumed by plants from the soil and accumulates in their cells. Plant fruits are able to retain the maximum amount of nutrients and then saturate animal cells with them.
9. Silicon. It occurs in nature in the form of compounds that are quite easily soluble in water. Considered a biogenic substance.
10. Cobalt. It is rarely found in its pure form, as it is an active substance that easily combines with other chemical elements.
11. Iodine. It is in crystalline form and easily dissolves in water and other liquids. It is with water molecules that it penetrates into cells, where it neutralizes pathogenic organisms.
12. Iron. One of the most common microelements. Enters into chemical reactions with oxygen. Participates in the formation of red blood cells and promotes their active work to saturate cells with oxygen. Incompatible with calcium, since both substances block the absorption of each other.
13. Bor.
14. Found in nature only in the form of salts. In the body it plays an important role in regulating the interaction of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Lithium. In the natural environment, the substance is almost never detected in its pure form. The most common micronutrient source is drinking water
15. . That is why, compared to all other microelements, lithium penetrates cells most easily. Nickel. Long time the substance was considered harmful, because the product side effect

arsenic became. Today, scientists know that the substance is extremely important for the proper functioning of the body, although the need for it is small. Such substances are present in limited quantities in the organisms of living beings. like gold, platinum and silver. Microdoses, in which such nutrients are found in food, have a gentle effect on the body.

In small volumes in the bodies of people, animals and plant tissues there are elements such as germanium, vanadium, bismuth, titanium and others, which can be called relatively new and poorly studied.

It should be noted that all of the above microelements are used in agriculture, animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. Substances are introduced into animal feed in the form of glycinates and other active and easily digestible compounds for the purpose of proper development and prevention of diseases and the appearance of pathogenic microorganisms. According to GOST, microelements are also added to nutrient mixtures for feeding vegetable plants and trees in the garden.

Classification of trace elements

Microelements can be classified according to several criteria, including:

• vital substances;
• toxic;
• irreplaceable;
• partially replenished.

Scientists also classify into separate groups little-studied microelements and substances that do not take part in life support processes.

Vital substances include micronutrients, the specific gravity of which in cells is maximum. The weight of such substances is calculated in micrograms. This group includes:

• fluorine (F);
• copper (Cu);
• bromine (Br);
• molybdenum (Mo).

Partially replenishable substances are usually called substances whose action is replaced by combinations of other macro- and microelements.

The essential substances in the cells of people and all other living organisms include:

• zinc (Zn);
• manganese (Mn);
• iron (Fe);

Relatively recently, a group of scientists made adjustments to the classification of micronutrients. Scientific research has shown that it is often the essential substances that quickly turn into toxic ones. This is primarily due to big amount of these minerals in cells and the influence of the external environment. Toxic micronutrients also include cadmium, lead, tin, strontium and other substances contained in the periodic table. All such substances occur in nature and in the human body in microdoses. Toxic micronutrients can enter the blood and cells from medicines and vaccines, as well as in violation of production technology at ferrous metallurgy plants.

Another way to classify and organize microelements necessary for humans and living beings is to divide them according to the criterion of possible deficiency. Thus to:

• essential (deficiency of which can occur without sufficient replenishment of needs) include iron, copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt, chromium, molybdenum, iodine and selenium;
• All other micronutrients are conventionally considered essential.

Also, in light of recent discoveries in bioengineering, scientists have discovered that none of the known microelements accumulate in the body, as nutrients (oxygen, hydrogen and all macronutrients without exception) do, provided that waste removal systems from the body function correctly.

Daily norms

Daily norms (needs) for micronutrients depend on a large list of factors, among which are not only:

• age,
• human lifestyle,

but also indicators of general physical health.

Modern biomedicine has several hundred methods for calculating the daily norm of macro-, microelements and ultramicroelements in the bodies of people, domestic animals and plants. Indicators of substances vary in most countries, which is associated not only with the territorial and climatic characteristics of the regions, but also with the usual way of eating.

In post-Soviet countries, the following standards for daily consumption of microelements are most often used:

Doctors place pregnant women in a separate category, because it is expectant mothers who need the most balanced diet. In particular, women carrying a baby in the womb or breastfeeding a baby need to reduce the macronutrient sodium and increase iron in their diet. The daily intake of an element such as calcium in young women should be one and a half times higher than the average norm.

In the USA and other countries, standard indicators differ from those adopted as a basis here. Difference in percentage or specific gravity depends entirely on the habitual diet of people and on what food products are available in the region.

Compatibility with minerals and vitamins

The compatibility of microelements with certain vitamins and minerals is important information for every person. In an effort to saturate the body with useful substances at all costs, few people think about such features of substances as the presence of synergists and antagonists. In order to have useful information about how they interact with each other, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the information in the table.

As a result of biochemical processes occurring in living organisms, trace elements react with all other substances in cells: proteins, carbohydrates and fats, as well as water- and fat-soluble vitamins.

You need to know and understand that such important micronutrients as zinc, manganese and selenium tend to enter into special types relationships that result in complex antioxidant processes and toxin removal. That is why it is important to properly plan your diet and saturate it with essential nutrients that can remove excess from the body. Thanks to this, the human body has the opportunity to cleanse itself.

List of products containing

The list of foods that contain microelements is extensive. Micronutrients are found in any animal and plant foods, as well as multivitamin complexes and biologically active food supplements, which can be purchased at pharmacies or in network marketing companies specializing in sports, healthy and dietary nutrition (usually low-calorie and protein-rich).

The most balanced amount useful substances found in energy vitamin and mineral cocktails for athletes and men involved in bodybuilding or weightlifting. It is in such complexes that minerals interact with carotenoids and the most complete set of substances necessary to maintain health.

Most microelements are found in plant foods, because plants accumulate minerals most easily and spend the least of them on the needs of their own body. The list of products of plant and animal origin, which may contain certain micronutrients, is presented below in table form.

Some of the most versatile food products are honey and bee products: pollen, propolis, beebread and wax. Natural treats produced by bees are not only rich in minerals, but also contain a record amount of substances and enzymes vital for a person of any age. It's not for nothing that all these healthy foods called a storehouse of health! Products produced by bees are able to replenish reserves and eliminate the shortage of almost all useful substances, subject to daily consumption within the limits established by doctors (endocrinologists, nutritionists and gastroenterologists) doses.

All micronutrients are retained in sources during long-term storage of vegetables, berries and fruits in their pure form, but their concentration decreases along with the evaporation of moisture from the fiber. The same can be said about dried fruits.

When consuming animal products along with micronutrients, the body receives the amino acids necessary in the process of life. From cooked foods, the body usually consumes microelements in a more concentrated form. Due to the fact that intercellular fluid is lost in such raw materials, 100 grams of a raw product and one hundred grams of a finished product have different caloric content and nutrient content. All of the above also applies to products that have undergone pasteurization or short-term cooking.

In addition to those listed above, many cultural and medicinal herbs, as well as plants related to spices: chicory roots, milk thistle meal, spirulina, horsetail, thyme, mint, clover, black cumin, chaga mushroom. Herbs are used to prepare nutritious or energy-rich drinks to optimize metabolic processes. That is why decoctions and infusions of herbs help in the treatment of many diseases.

Symptoms of deficiency and excess

Symptoms and signs of deficiency and excess of microelements are listed in the table.

Lack or excess of microelements in the human body is the main cause of dysfunction of the endocrine system, which in turn provokes the development of diseases such as diabetes, pancreatitis, and infertility. In especially severe cases, the nervous or cardiovascular system is affected, which in a short time leads to irreversible consequences.

Causes of deficiency and excess

The reasons for the lack or excess of micronutrients in the cells and tissues of living organisms may be problems with digestibility or a small amount of substances coming from outside.

Also, low levels of trace elements and other substances in the body can be noted when a person has bad habits: abuses alcohol, smokes tobacco. In addition, a decrease or critical excess can provoke:

• problems in the gastrointestinal tract;
• oncological diseases in the stage of development or remission;
• poisoning by toxic substances from the air;
• non-compliance with the daily routine;
• improper (irregular) nutrition and strict diets.

It is the latter that most often becomes a prerequisite for vitamin deficiency or a surplus of substances that are antagonists of certain minerals, including micronutrients.

Also, often an excess of micronutrients can be associated with:

• liver and kidney diseases;
• poor absorption in the intestines;
• using drugs without a doctor's prescription.

Due to physical activity at work or playing sports, losses of micronutrients are recorded. Most often, beneficial substances are released through sweat and urine. Long-term deficiency of nutrients, in turn, affects physical fitness.

Living in environmentally unfavorable areas, as well as megacities, can provoke an oversaturation of the body with micronutrients (or, on the contrary, an acute shortage of micronutrients). Salts of aluminum, mercury and lead, which are the most common pollutants environment, displace not only macro- and microelements from cells, but also most vitamins. In women, an imbalance of minerals can be provoked by taking oral hormonal contraceptives and pills for “quick” protection from unwanted pregnancy, as well as uncontrolled use of multivitamins “for hair, skin and youth.”

Trace elements and other minerals are part of natural and very expensive cosmetics. But if used incorrectly, you can easily oversaturate the body with active substances contained in:

• creams;
• lipsticks;
• masks;
• blue clay;
• gels;
• shampoos and other products used in the beauty industry.

Proper nutrition, rich in substances that can neutralize the harmful effects of an environment saturated with zinc, chlorine, sulfur, fluorine, lead or aluminum, makes it possible to restore only a small part of the lost functions. Often, the loss of nutrients can only be replenished through medication, taking tablets or administering medications from ampoules.

Modern medicine has the ability to determine the amount of substances in blood cells. There is spectral analysis for this. It is carried out by studying plasma. Today you can donate blood for analysis in almost any regional center, because many modern clinics and diagnostic laboratories can carry out the test.

After determining which mineral (macro- or microelement) is missing in the body, you can calculate the balance and adjust the need for the deficient substance. This kind of screening should only be done on the direction of a doctor, because it is impossible to decipher the indicators on your own and make the right decision.

Description of the benefits and harms of microelements

A description of the benefits and harms of microelements should be considered for each organism separately, so it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to this question.

In order to understand the relationship and effect of micronutrients and other nutrients, it will not be enough to read a book or attend lectures that have become very popular lately. The concept of benefit or harm of microelements is directly related to general condition each individual organism. It happens that a person feels unwell, finds similar symptoms from reviews and decides to take vitamins and minerals to eliminate health problems.

In practice, everything is much more complicated, because without a clear answer to the question of what element is missing in the body right now, it is impossible to get the desired result. That is why doctors and nutritionists, as well as scientists studying the work complex systems living organisms, always consider the benefits and harms of microelements only in conjunction with other nutrients.

Balanced nutrition in all living organisms is extremely important, as it:

• promotes proper skeletal growth;
• preserves the strength of blood vessels;
• resists bone tissue destruction;
• supports heart muscle health;
• helps maintain an optimal level of metabolic processes;
• promotes the appearance of healthy and full-fledged offspring.

The most an important condition What must be observed in order for micronutrients not to harm cells is compliance with the rules and the ability to calculate the approximate (smallest and greatest) needs for substances. It should also be noted that there is no separate mineral for weight loss, for gray hair, for women over 50, for the prevention of diseases or for the growth of children. All substances “work” only in conjunction with each other, and abuse of one component and even taking in increased doses can sometimes lead to fatal consequences! That is why, before you begin to eliminate a deficiency or suppress an excess of micronutrients in the body, you should find out reliably how high the probability is that the cause of the illness is an imbalance of microelements.

It is important to note that harm is caused to a greater extent by substances that enter the body from artificial mineral complexes. Using medical supplies, it is important to strictly follow the instructions supplied with the medicine by the manufacturer. With regular consumption of balanced food, microelements, macronutrients and vitamins bring only benefits.

We hope that the article was useful, and after reading it there will be no questions left about why this or that microdosed substance is needed, which of them are included in the microelements, how substances differ from each other and how micronutrients act in the body.