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11.1: Introduction to Trace Minerals

  • Page ID
    33397
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    Li‘ili‘i ka ‘ōhiki, loloa ka lua

    Small is the crab, large is the hole

    Seaweed salad topped with avocado on a white plate
    Wakame Salad Seaweed Food Cooking by maxpixel.com / CCO

    Trace minerals are classified as minerals required in the diet each day in smaller amounts, specifically 100 milligrams or less. These include copper, zinc, selenium, iodine, chromium, fluoride, manganese, molybdenum, and others. Although trace minerals are needed in smaller amounts it is important to remember that a deficiency in a trace mineral can be just as detrimental to your health as a major mineral deficiency. Iodine deficiency is a major concern in countries around the world such as Fiji. In the 1990’s, almost 50% of the population had signs of iodine deficiency also known as goiter. To combat this national issue, the government of Fiji banned non-iodized salt and allowed only fortified iodized salt into the country in hopes of increasing the consumption of iodine in people’s diets. With this law, and health promotion efforts encouraging the consumption of seafood, great progress has been made in decreasing the prevalence of iodine deficiency in Fiji.[1]

    Trace-minerals-1.jpg
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The Trace Minerals. Image by Allison Calabrese / CC BY 4.0
    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Reference

    1. Micronutrient Deficiencies. (2015). Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Shaping Fiji’s Health. http://www.health.gov.fj/?page_id=1406. Accessed November 12, 2017. ↵

    This page titled 11.1: Introduction to Trace Minerals is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jennifer Draper, Marie Kainoa Fialkowski Revilla, & Alan Titchenal via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.