Team of Quest
Trace minerals
. Iron
Specific uses or purposes:
- Helps to form red blood cells and helps in their proper function.
- Helps to prevent iron deficiency anaemia*.
- Helps to prevent iron deficiency anemia and associated tiredness and fatigue*.
- Helps to prevent iron deficiency anaemia*, form red blood cells and helps in their proper function.
- Products providing 16 mg or more of iron, per day:
- Helps pregnant women meet (the) (Health Canada's) recommended intake for iron, when taken in conjunction with a healthy diet.
* When dosages at or above the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI).
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Anemia, learning disabilities, impaired immune function, decreased energy, fatigue.
Good Natural Sources:
Organ meats, red meats, poultry, fish, shellfish, egg yolks, legumes, dried fruits, dark green leafy vegetables, iron-enriched breads and cereals.
Iron is known for its critical role in making hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body, and myoglobin, a protein that provides oxygen to muscles. As the most abundant trace mineral in the body, iron is also involved in other body functions, such as energy metabolism, and synthesis of some hormones.
. Zinc
Specific uses or purposes:
- Helps in connective tissue formation.
- Helps to maintain healthy skin.
- Helps maintain healthy skin and connective tissue formation.
- Helps (to) maintain/support immune function/system.
- Helps with immune function.
- Helps in energy metabolism and tissue formation.
- Helps to maintain healthy bones, hair, nail and/or skin.
- Maintains healthy hair, skin and nails.
- Helps to maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Susceptibility to infection, slow wound healing, diminished appetite, impaired sense of taste and smell, impaired night vision.
Good Natural Sources:
Oysters and other shellfish, red meats, fish, poultry, whole grains, legumes, nuts.
Zinc helps the immune system fight off invading bacteria and viruses. The body also needs zinc to make protein and genetic material in all cells. Additionally, zinc helps wounds heal and is essential for healthy skin. Zinc is involved in several metabolisms of thyroid hormones and supports a healthy reproductive system.
Vegetarians are more likely than others to have trouble getting enough zinc. Few plant foods contain high amounts of zinc. Moreover, zinc absorption from beans and grains is limited due to their phytate content. For this reason, vegetarians are encouraged to eat as much as 50% more zinc than the recommended amounts for the general population.
. Copper
Specific uses or purposes:
- Helps to produce and repair connective tissue
- Helps to form red blood cells.
- Helps to maintain normal iron transport in the body.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Extreme tiredness, lightened patches of skin, high levels of cholesterol in the blood, connective tissue disorders, weak and brittle bones, loss of balance and coordination, increased risk of infection.
Good Natural Sources:
Legumes, organ meats, shellfish, nuts and seeds, whole grains.
Essential for many enzymatic reactions, cooper is required for a variety of body processes, including making energy, connective tissues, and blood vessels. Copper is also needed for iron metabolism and helps to form red blood cells.
. Manganese
Specific uses or purposes:
- Helps in the development and maintenance of bones.
- Helps to maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Disruption to normal growth and metabolism, skin rash, weak bones, reduced growth of hair and nails.
Good Natural Sources:
Nuts and seeds, whole grains, dried fruit, green leafy vegetables, tea.
Manganese is part of many body's enzyme systems that are essential for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It is also a part of an antioxidant enzyme, thus helping to protect the cells of the body from oxidative damage. Manganese is also required for strong bones, reproduction, blood clotting, and a healthy immune system.
. Iodine
Specific uses or purposes:
- Helps in the function of the thyroid gland.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Goiter, cretinism, intellectual disability, growth retardation, miscarriage, increased infant mortality.
Good Natural Sources:
Sea vegetables, fish, shellfish, dairy products, iodized salt.
Iodine is needed by the body to make thyroid hormones. These hormones are crucial for regulating the body’s metabolism and many other important functions. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy and infancy, and for normal growth and development in children.
. Selenium
Specific uses or purposes:
- A factor in the maintenance of good health and normal growth and development.
- Source of/An antioxidant for the maintenance of good health.
- Antioxidant for good health.
- Source of/An antioxidant that helps protect against oxidative stress.
- Source of/An antioxidant that helps (to): a) fight / b) protect (cells) against / c) reduce (the oxidative effect of/the oxidative damage caused by/cell damage caused by) free radicals.
- Helps to maintain normal function of the thyroid gland.
- Helps to prevent selenium deficiency* to support biological functions which play a key role in the maintenance of good health.
- Helps to prevent selenium deficiency* to help maintain normal function of the thyroid gland.
* When dosages at or above the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) or Adequate Intake (AI).
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Heart failure, low immune function, male infertility.
Good Natural Sources:
Seafood, meat, whole grains, poultry, eggs, dairy products.
Selenium is a constituent of various proteins that play critical roles in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, and protection from infection. As an antioxidant, selenium also helps protect the body from oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
. Chromium
Specific uses or purposes:
- Provides support for healthy glucose metabolism.
- Helps to maintain normal blood glucose levels.
- Helps to maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Glucose intolerance, elevated blood sugar and insulin levels, weight loss.
Good Natural Sources:
Meat, liver, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, cheese, beer, nuts.
Chromium is known for its potential to help regulate blood glucose levels by enhancing the effects of insulin to move glucose from the blood to the cells. It also contributes to immune system health.
. Molybdenum
Specific uses or purposes:
- Helps to maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients.
Symptoms of Deficiency:
Intellectual disability, seizures.
Good Natural Sources:
Meats, organ meats, milk, whole grains, legumes, green leafy vegetables.
As part of some coenzymes, molybdenum involved in several enzymatic reactions that help break down drugs and toxins that enter the body. Additionally, molybdenum plays a role in enzymes that are involved in uric acid formation, alcohol detoxification, and sulfur metabolism.
. Fluoride
Good Natural Sources:
Fluoridated water, foods and beverages prepared with fluoridated water, and toothpaste and other dental products containing fluoride, seafood.
Fluoride is crucial for the formation and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. It helps prevent tooth decay by strengthening the outer enamel surface.