Question

Are mineral supplements ever recommended? If so, for whom? Should most healthy people avoid them? If a mineral supplement is recommended, should it contain all the dietary minerals, or is supplementation of a single mineral preferred? Discuss.

Answer 1

Mineral supplements are recommened for people who have mineral deficiency of some mineral(s).Healthy people are able to get daily mineral requirements if they eat variety of foods-carbohydrates, fruits, vegatables, dairy products etc. So unless your body shows any kind of mineral deficiency symptoms or unless the lab tests indicate any kind of deficiency, mineral supplements are not needed by healthy people.

Human body thrives on balance which includes mineral balance. That is all minerals should be taken in a proper balance.A excess or deficiency of one mineral affects this balance. For example if a person has calcium deficiency then he might be given calcium supplement but for absorption of calcium from the supplement vitamin D is needed, so just increasing calcium supplementation might lead to problem of absorption. On the other hand if excess absorption of calcium occurs it might lead to magnesium depletion which can result in loss of appetite, nausea, or even heart failure etc. So a balance is required in our body.

Thus if a person has slight deficiency of any mineral its better to take multivitamins which contain proper ratio of appropriate minerals. However if a person has huge deficiency of a single mineral then he might be given supplement of that mineral in combination of minerals that helps its absorption or prevent its toxity(both ways it has to be seen that is neither shortage nor excess of the mineral be taken).

Hope its clear now.