Mineral salts are inorganic compounds which can easily be found in nature, whether in geological, water or even biological sources, such as solid structural elements -bones, shells, exoskeletons…-.
They are necessary elements for the functioning of the body, so in this article we are going to deepen about mineral salts and their function in our organism. Let’s get started.
What are mineral salts?
Before talking about the functions of mineral salts, it is important to remember what the structure of these elements is. When we speak of a salt, we refer to a molecule formed by atoms that are usually ionizedi.e. with a certain electrical charge. These elements can be dissociated as they are dissolved in water, due to the polar nature of this liquid, which separates ions.
These substances can be found in our organism, as well as in nature, both in our bodies and in our bodies. rash form (i.e. solid) or in ionic form (i.e. dissolved). Most salts consist of calcium, phosphorus or magnesium, the so-called macrominerals. Simply calcium already represents 2% of our total weight.
Also the salts of sodium, chlorine, potassium, phosphorus are abundant. and even nitrogen salts. Some of them are freely found in the blood, but others are associated with specific biomolecules, or also precipitated into solid structures, such as our bones.
Functions in the body
Mineral salts are necessary for life, each in its fair share. Among the functions they perform, we will find that they are in charge of tasks as varied as:
- Maintenance of correct osmotic pressure in various intra- and extracellular media
- Damping of sudden pH changes
- Catalysing of bio-reactions
- Oxygen transport
- Blood clotting
- Neuromuscular communication
- Contractile muscle activity
Among others. The vital importance of mineral elements in our organism is clear, both from macroelements and trace elements (inorganic compounds of which we need very small quantities, such as manganese, iodine or copper).
That’s right, within its functions does not enter the generation of energy -although they may intervene indirectly in their production. Mineral salts do not serve as sustenance, that is a role reserved for organic molecules such as lipids, proteins or carbohydrates.
Macrominerals and trace elements
The most common atomic elements in living beings are carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogenare completely indispensable for the development of life and are needed in greater quantity, as they make up the majority of organic molecules. The rest of the elements are also necessary for the correct functioning of the body, but the quantities required are much smaller.
We can find macro minerals, such as calcium, magnesium or phosphorus, sodium, chlorine or potassium. All of them are also essential elements for life, but they represent a minor fraction of our weight. It is possible to have deficiencies in some of these elements, which lead to serious diseases such as osteoporosis or cancer in the case of calcium, or hypertension and nervous problems in the case of magnesium.
Elements that are needed in smaller quantities are called trace elements.. They are found in tiny proportions within organisms, but are also required for them to function properly. These trace elements are obtained mainly from food. Some of them, such as cobalt (part of cobalamin, vitamin B12), cannot be assimilated directly by animals.
In fact, the bioavailability of many trace elements depends on ecosystem organisms that degrade and recycle matter, such as fungi or bacteria. It’s the bacteria that are the only ones capable of metabolizing cobalt.that we take advantage of the rest of living beings.
Other trace elements and mineral salts can be obtained directly from the environment, either dissolved in water or by geophageal practices. There are animals that eat soil or lick saline deposits, with the apparent aim of maintaining their levels of mineral elements.
Types of mineral salts according to their state
We can find mineral salts in three ways in living organisms: In biomolecules, freely dissolved or precipitated. In each of these states, the salts will occupy different tasks.
1. Precipitated salts
Precipitated salts are found in solid formusually crystalline (i.e. forming a mineral crystal), inside or outside living organisms. We find many examples of precipitated salts in nature, but some are more common than others.
On the one hand we have silicates, molecules formed mainly by oxygen and silicon. Glass, for example, is made from silicates, such as silicon dioxide or quartz, but there are living beings who are also capable of generating it: diatoms, microscopic algae that generate a small crystal capsule.
We also find carbonates (such as calcium carbonate), which can be found in the exoskeleton of invertebrates, but are also found in solid structures of vertebrates, typically associated with organic polymers such as collagen or chitinwhich have “scaffolding” functions for the deposit of minerals.
2. Dissolved salts
Within the dissolved salts also we find molecules like phosphorus or calciumIn addition to the above, there is also a wide variety of metabolic functions, such as those described above (coagulation, pH control, biocatalysis, etc.).
Osmotic pressure plays a fundamental role in many physical processes, and often new osmotic potentials are obtained from the manipulation of ions, such as sodium or calcium, to achieve different effects on cells, such as muscle contraction.
3. Salts associated with biomolecules
Oxygen transport and countless other cellular functions use salts in one way or another. One of the most important functions of the salts associated with biomolecules is at a structural level, where we will find, for example, phospholipids and phosphoproteins, key pieces at a metabolic and structural level in our organism.
Iron ions, for example, can be found associated with a protein, hemoglobin.in charge of transporting oxygen in the organism. This protein is found inside red blood cells, and it is the iron atom it contains that is able to bind with oxygen molecules.
Bibliographic references
- National Research Council (US) Committee on Diet and Health. Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1989. 13, Minerals & 14, Trace Elements.
- Katz A, e. (1999). Effect of a mineral salt diet on 24-h blood pressure monitoring in elderly hypertensive patients.
- Zuliani U, e. (1985). (Mineral salts and water in the diet of the athlete).