Nutrition of Macrominerals and Trace Elements

This chapter will focus on two categories of minerals, macrominerals and trace elements. The first category consists of minerals that have clearly been demonstrated to be deficient in the diets of large segments of populations in the developed and developing nations. The second includes those mineral nutrients that may be potentially deficient in populations, but whose deficiencies are difficult to establish by traditional assessment methods. The two well-established problem minerals are calcium and iron, and the potential (or possible) problem minerals include zinc, magnesium, chromium, selenium, and iodine (Table 15-1). Except for iodine, with which specific foods are generally fortified in much of the world, each of these mineral nutrients will be reviewed in the context of overcoming deficiencies through functional foods.