While supplements, superfoods and vitamins get all the attention, minerals play an important part in your body detox program. So what are some of the important minerals involved with a whole body detox?
Calcium:
Everyone knows that calcium is important to strong bones and teeth, but what many don’t know is calcium does a whole lot more. The contraction of your muscles, blood clot formations, and nerve activity all benefit from this mineral. Calcium is also behind the absorption of vitamin B12, enzyme activity, and the structure and function of cell membranes. It protects your from cancer, helps all those nutrients make it down to the cellular level, and regulates blood pressure and heart rate. It really does do a body good.
Magnesium:
Calcium isn’t the only one involved in strong bones or muscle contraction. In addition, it functions as a partner to vitamins B, C, and E to make them work. It is important in a lot of different biological processes. Helps with absorption of other minerals, effective in reducing blood cholesterol and regulating body temperature.
Phosphorus:
This is part of RNA and DNA. Like calcium and magnesium, it plays an integral role in bones and muscle contraction. It’s important for a variety of things, such as nerve impulses, secretion of hormones, and membrane structure. You can’t utilize fats, proteins or carbohydrates without it and it is a helper to the B-complex vitamins. The use of this mineral is dependent on Vitamin D.
Manganese:
As with the other minerals, an important part of bone health. It also supports your body’s natural ability to produce insulin, and therefore plays in an important role in regulating blood sugar. This mineral activates enzymes to use vitamin C. It is also a catalyst regarding the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates can’t metabolize without it.
Boron:
Keeps away osteoporosis.
Zinc:
If blueberries are a superfood, zinc could be called a super mineral. Over 200 enzymes require it to function. It is important in the production of RNA and DNA. In addition to this, it is important to the structure and function of cell membranes. It helps your cells regenerate, and is good all around for growth. Your body needs zinc for your immune system, skin, vision, taste and smell. Don’t leave home without it!
Chromium:
Pass the sugar, sugar! Chromium plays an important part in using glucose. It assists in binding insulin to cells which allows cellular glucose uptake. It decreases the insulin requirement in diabetics. It does some work with carbs too.
Iodine:
This mineral is essential to your thyroid, which in turn affects your basal metabolic rate. It helps burn fat, turn beta-carotene to vitamin A, and helps with the absorption of carbs from the small intestine.
Potassium:
Helps transmit nerve impulses. It also helps the release of insulin and makes those digestive enzymes work right. Important in balancing fluids, and stimulates kidneys to remove toxins. An important part of any whole body detox.
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