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| Minor Minerals | Even in muscule amounts, trace minerals are critical to health | |||
| Mineral | Action | Food Sources | Supplement Dosage | Notes |
| Boron | Builds strong bones, nails, and teeth. Enhances brain function (alertness). | Apples, carrots, grains, grapes, leafy vegetables, nuts, and pears. | 50 micrograms-3 mg. Deficiency (rare) worsens D defieciency. | Supplemets containing more than 3 mg not advised. |
| Chromium (picolinate) |
Cofactor for insulin; useful in diabetes and hypoglycemia. Helps reduce cholesterol. | Brewer's yeast, brown rice, cheese, legumes, mushrooms, potatoes. | 50-800 micrograms. Average American diet is chromium deficient. | Suplements containing more than 3 mg not advised. |
| Copper (citrate or protein-chelated) |
Needed for healthy bones, joints, nerves, and tendons; blood cells. | Almonds, avocados, barley, broccoli, garlic, green leafy vegetables, legumes, seafood. | 1-2 mg. Deficiency leads to osteoporosis, respiratory problems, and skin sores. | Check tap water for excess (toxicity rare but may occur) |
| Iodine | Critical in thyroid function | Iodized salt, seafood, sea vegetables | 150 micrograms. Deficiency linked to breast cancer, cretinism, goiter, and fatigue. | Some raw foods (crucifers, peaches, pears can block utilization) |
| iron (ferrus sulfate, gluconate, fumarate) |
Component of hemoglobin and myoglobin, which transport and store oxygen. Fights infection. | Eggs, fish, leafy greens, liver, meat, nuts, poultry, raisins, whole grains. | 10 mg (men); 18 mg (women of childbearing age); C increases absorption. | High levels are linked to cancer and heart disease. |
| Manganese (citrate, gluconate) |
Needed for healthy bones, nerves, and maintanance of blood sugar. | Avocados, dried fruits, nuts, sea vegetables, seeds, whole grains. | 2-10 mg. Works well with B vitamins. | Too much can interfere with iron absorption. |
| Molybdenum | Component of several enzymes. Protects against esophageal cancer. | Beans, cereals, leafy greens, legumes, whole grains. | 75-250 micrograms. Deficiency may cause sulfite sensitivity. | Overdose (5 mg or more) may be toxic or lead to gout. |
| Selenium | Antioxidant. Protects against cancer, heart disease. | Brazil nuts, brewer's yeast, eggs, liver. (Processing of food lowers selenium.) | 100-200 micrograms. (Most US soils are low in this mineral.) | Works with E. Large doses (900 or more micrograms/day) may be dangerous. |
| Silicon | Needed for bones and connective tissue. | Apples, root vegetables, unrefined grains; horsetail. | 2-20 mg (higher dosage helpful as silicon levels decrease in the elderly). | Boron and calcium boost utilization. |
| Vanadium | Builds bones and teeth. Helpful in diabetes. | Fish, olives, vegetable oils, whole grains; dill. | 10-100 micrograms. may interact with chromium supplementation. | Diabetes need supervision with vanadium. |
| Zinc (citrate, gluconate) |
Necessary for growth. Important in immune and reproductive health. | Brewer's yeast, fish, lamb, legumes, liver, oysters, sea vegetables, whole grains. | 15-50 mg (higher dosage used to treat prostate enlargement). | Do not take at the same time as iron supplements. Doses above 100 mg/day supress immunity. |
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