Lesson: Chapter 1 — The Chemical Basis of Life

1.6. Mineral salts 2 of 4

Minerals in the human body

What each mineral salt does in the human body, and what appears when it runs short.

Element	What it does	Deficiency symptoms
Calcium	Growth of teeth and bones · blood clotting · proper working of nerves · absorption of vitamin B	Rickets · weak teeth and bones · growth deficiencies
Phosphorus	Growth of teeth and bones · an essential component of nucleic acids · carbohydrate and fat metabolism · releasing energy quickly to muscles and nerves	Bones weaken and break easily
Potassium	Controlling fluid balance inside cells · working of the heart and muscles · transmission of nerve impulses	Muscle weakness · mental disturbance
Sodium	Activating enzymes · a component of digestive juices · keeping osmotic pressure inside cells constant · transmission of nerve impulses	Respiratory problems · cramps · nausea · diarrhoea
Magnesium	A component of bones and teeth · controlling the function of skeletal muscles and nerves · assisting metabolic processes	Excessive heartbeat · nervous weakness
Iron	Synthesis of haemoglobin · storing oxygen in muscles · acting as a component in forming enzymes	Anaemia · drowsiness · reduced activity · weakness in mental development
Iodine	Producing the thyroxine hormone	Obstruction of intellectual development · reluctance to learn · restricted height

Look for the pattern

Potassium, sodium and magnesium all share one job: the working of nerves and muscles. That is why their deficiency symptoms are also alike — muscle weakness or cramps.