Water

and Minerals
 Guiding Questions
 What portion of our body is water?
 How much water do we need per day?
 What are the functions of water in the body?
 How is water distributed in the body?
 What are minerals?
 Which minerals are mostly found in the body?
 Mineral with a known benefit?
 How are minerals classified?
 What affects mineral absorption?
Water
 Water
• Makes up 60-70% of total body
weight

• Most indispensable nutrient: the

body needs more water each day than
any other nutrient

--- We can survive only a few days

without water
 Water Functions
1. Carries nutrients throughout the body (blood)
2. Waste removal (urine)
3. Universal solvent (minerals, vitamins, amino acids, glucose,
and other small molecules…)
4. Medium for chemical reactions
5. Lubricant (joints, mucus, tears…)
6. Shock absorber (spinal cord, amniotic fluid surrounding the
fetus…)
7. Body temperature regulation (sweat)
Water Distribution
 Water
Distribution

 inside cells, between cells, inside blood vessels

 related to distribution of dissolved substances (water flows freely in/out

cells)
Water Balance
 Fact or fallacy?

Coffee and Beer may be counted as fluid because they

contain water

Fallacy!
Beverages containing caffeine or alcohol generally
should not be counted as fluid because these substances
are diuretics (promote urination) and do not contribute
to the body's need for fluid as much as water.
 Water needs
Body needs

≈ 2.5 liters / day

(of which 1 to 1.5 l from drinks)

Needs vary depending on:

1) the food a person eats

2) environmental temperature and humidity

3) the person’s activity level
Factors that increase water needs
 Alcohol consumption
 Physical activity
 Hot weather
 Increased intake of fiber, salt, or sugar
 Medications (diuretics)
 Pregnancy and breastfeeding
 Prolonged diarrhea, vomiting, or fever
 Surgery, blood loss, or burns
 Dehydration

Mild (Loss of <5% Body Severe (Loss of >5% Body

Weight) Weight)
Thirst Pale skin
Sudden weight loss Bluish lips and fingertips
Dry mouth, throat, body Confusion; disorientation
linings Rapid, shallow breathing
Rapid pulse Weak, rapid, irregular pulse
Low blood pressure Thickening of blood
Lack of energy; weakness Shock; seizures
Reduced quantity of urine Coma; death
Minerals
 Minerals

 22 minerals recognized to be essential for optimal health and development

 Inorganic

 Most of them are required for the activity of specific enzymes

 Represent around 4 to 5% of body weight:

 calcium ≈ 50% of total body minerals

 phosphorus ≈ 25%
 20 other minerals ≈ 25%
 Mineral Absorption
 Directly into the blood vessels

 Absorption depends on:

 mineral form, which often depends on food in which it occurs (absorption efficiency:
animal > plant)

 body need for it (increased in deficiency states, pregnancy, growth...)

 presence/absence in the intestine of factors which favor/inhibit its absorption (e.g.:

vitamin C favors iron absorption, high doses of fibers reduce it)
 Minerals Classification
According to the amount required (which in no way reflects their importance):

- Major / Macro minerals: 100 mg per day or more for adults

- Trace / Micro minerals : less than 1 to a few mg

Minerals in the body
Major minerals
 Calcium
Most abundant mineral in the body
99% of body Ca is found in bones and teeth

Functions
Building and maintaining bones and teeth: Ca phosphate
crystals confer rigidity to bones and teeth
Role in nerve transmission and muscle functioning
(Heartbeat)
 Calcium
Deficiency
 Bone abnormalities: rickets, osteomalacia and osteoporosis
 Increased irritability of nerves => muscle cramps: tetany

Toxicity

Calcification of soft tissues and kidney stone

 Osteoporosis
Reduction in the bone mass of adults
Bones become porous and fragile.
Widespread.

– To protect against these losses,

high calcium intake (and Healthy Bone Osteoporotic
adequate Vit D) in early life is Bone
recommended in order to achieve
peak bone mass.
– Peak bone mass is the highest
attainable bone density for an
individual (developed during the
first three decades of life).
After about 40 years of age -regardless of Ca
intake- we start to lose calcium from bones: this
loss can be slowed down by:

a) a diet high in calcium

b) physical activity
 Phosphorus
 Second most abundant mineral in the body
 Mostly found in bones and teeth

Functions
 Building and maintaining bones and teeth (as calcium phosphate crystals)
 Component of many important molecules (ATP, phospholipids…)

Deficiency

Rare, but severe and fatal because of the diverse vital functions of P
 Magnesium, Sulfur
3. Magnesium (Mg)
Mostly found in bones, also in muscles
Functions
Bone structure: Mg is part of the mineral crystals in the bones
Muscle contraction
Deficiency
Various symptoms including muscle and heart spasms
 
4. Sulfur (S)
Is a protein component (S is a constituent of 2 amino acids)
=> functions and deficiency related to proteins
 Sodium (Na), Potassium (K) and
Chloride (Cl)

3 minerals intimately related in the body and have some common functions:

 Maintenance of water-balance: Na, K and Cl are osmotic compounds (they

are called electrolytes)
Þ distribution of water in the body is related to their distribution

 Muscle and nerve electrical mechanisms

 Sodium (Na), Potassium (K) and
Chloride (Cl)
Deficiency
 Rarely due to inadequate intake, mostly related to losses
(excessive vomiting, sweating or diarrhea)
 Symptoms include muscle weakness
 

Toxicity

excessive intake of sodium can lead to hypertension & edema

 Food Sources: major minerals

 Ca: best sources include

milk and milk products,
soybeans and green leafy
vegetables

 P and S: foods rich in

proteins (animal: meat,
poultry, fish, eggs & plant:
legumes)
 Food Sources: major minerals

 Mg: best sources are unmilled grains (lost

during refining) & green leafy vegetables
(part of chlorophyll)

 Na & Cl: most common source is table salt

 K: widely distributed in fresh animal and

plant foods. Best sources include kiwis and
bananas.
Trace minerals
 Iron
 Most of body iron is found in hemoglobin

 Body iron mostly recycled

Functions

 Transport of O2: as part of heme in hemoglobin, Fe is involved in the transport

of O2 to the tissues

 Normal brain functioning at all ages

Deficiency

 Most common nutritional deficiency

 Can be due to poor intake, poor absorption (e.g. vegetarian diets) or excessive
bleeding

 Most common manifestation of iron deficiency is anemia

 Other symptoms include fatigue, decreased performance...

 Iron: Heme vs Non-heme
Heme Fe
- Animal Origin
- Very efficiently absorbed

Non-heme Fe:
- Plant origin
 much less efficiently absorbed, esp. if complexed with some plant
compounds
 absorption favored by vitamin C
 Zinc and Iodine
2. Zinc (Zn)
Functions
part of enzymes involved in CHO, lipid, protein and nucleic acid metabolism =>
necessary for growth
Deficiency: symptoms include short stature
 
3. Iodine (I)
Functions: I is part of the thyroid hormones, which control the rate of cell metabolism
Deficiency
Goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland), weight gain, defect in regulation of body
temperature...
Cretinism in children of I-deficient mother: mental retardation & impaired physical
development
Zinc and Iodine deficiencies

17 year old

Iodine deficiency
Goiter Zinc deficiency
 Fluoride and Slenium
4. Fluoride (F)

 Present in bones and teeth

Functions: confers resistance to teeth against caries (when combined with calcium
phosphate crystals)

Deficiency: increased incidence of dental caries

5. Selenium (Se)

Functions: part of enzyme that has, like vitamin E, an antioxidant activity (prevents
PUFAs oxidation)

Deficiency: joint disease (stiffness, swelling and pain) & heart disease (heart
degeneration)
 Food sources
Fe & Zn
 Meat (especially liver), poultry and fish

 Legumes (for both Fe & Zn) and dark green leafy

vegetables (for Fe)

 More efficiently absorbed from animal foods than

from plant foods

Iodine
 Content of animal and plant foods depends on
amount of I in the soil or water where they were
grown

 Best sources are iodized salts and seafood

 Food sources: trace minerals

Fluoride

Tea, seafood, and fluoridated water and foods

Selenium

 In animal (meat, seafood) & plant foods

(grains)

 Content depends on amount of S in the soil

or water where they were grown
 Other Microminerals

 Cobalt (Co, part of vitamin B12 = cobalamin)

 Manganese (Mn)
 Molybdenum (Mo)
 Chromium (Cr)
 Copper (Cu)