Minerals

Manganese earns its keep quietly. It acts as a cofactor for enzymes that build bone and cartilage, protect your mitochondria from oxidative damage, and keep glucose, cholesterol, and amino acid …

Copper (Cu) works closely with iron in accomplishing the same functions. It is needed for RNA production, protein metabolism, healing processes, and hair color. It is involved in brain, nerve, …

The clearest selenium benefits are not the dramatic ones you see on supplement labels — they are quieter and more biological. Selenium is built into 25 proteins in your body …

If you’ve seen chlorine listed among the minerals your body needs, here’s the short version: the thing doing the work isn’t the chlorine you smell at a swimming pool. It’s …

Sulfur is an acid forming mineral, found in all body tissues, and is needed for the formation of four amino acids: cysteine, methionine, glutathione, and taurine. It is needed for healthy hair, skin and …

Iron (Fe) is needed for hemoglobin formation in the blood. Hemoglobin enables the red blood cells to fill with oxygen and carry it to the cells. It is also needed …

The clearest zinc benefits are the everyday ones: zinc keeps your immune system working, helps wounds close, supports normal growth, and lets your body build proteins and DNA. It is …

Your thyroid gland can’t make thyroid hormone without iodine. That’s really one of the main iodine benefits and adds to the story of why this mineral matters — but the …

Sodium (Na) works closely with potassium and chlorine in a number of important functions. They maintain proper electrolyte balance; for they change into electrically charged ions which carry nerve impulses. …

There is more potassium (K) in body cells than any other mineral, and you need large amounts of it. Potassium helps maintain proper acid-like alkaline balance in the blood and …