Supplements in practice - Mineral Supplements and Carriers Flashcards
Mineral Supplements:
Dietary minerals are naturally-occurring inorganic nutrients that play a role in many physiological processes necessary for achieving and maintaining good health.
* Macro minerals require an intake of over 100 mg per day.
* Trace minerals are just as important to health.
* Too much of either can result in a deficiency of another mineral.
* Imbalances are usually caused by overloads from supplements, not food sources.
* Due to the challenges of achieving a balanced diet, or when there are specific deficiencies, supplements may be required to get the optimal dosage of necessary minerals.
Mineral Carriers: Organic acid salts
Organic acid salts:
* An organic compound contains carbon.
* An organic mineral is an organic compound in mineral form.
* Natural; Found in living organisms. The bond between a mineral and organic acid is generally weak (during digestion can be cleaved apart more easily).
* It is, therefore, more effectively absorbed than inorganic salts; the body can also use the carrier molecule.
* Citrate, fumarate, malate, ascorbate, gluconate, glycinate, acetate, lactate, picolinate, aspartate, succinate, orotate (feed into the Krebs cycle so can be used by the body).
Mineral Carriers: Inorganic salts:
Inorganic salts:
* Simple mineral compounds important for electrolyte balance.
* Inorganic supplement forms tend to cause more adverse effects (esp. GI).
* Oxide, sulphates, chloride, phosphates, nitrates, carbonates.
* Dosing can be confusing – organic acid dosage will be a lesser dose than inorganic but more bioavailable and less harsh on gut
Mineral Carriers: Amino acid chelates:
Amino acid chelates:
* Best form for mineral absorption –bioavailable (complex of amino acid & mineral = survives GUT environment - small intestine intact - mineral and amino acid absorbed together).
* Specific minerals chelate best with specific amino acids.
* Individual amino acids.
Types of mineral carriers include: Acetates
Acetates: Salt formed by acetic acid and a base. Most commonly retinyl acetate.
Types of mineral carriers include: Aspartic acid
Aspartic acid: Well absorbed.
Types of mineral carriers include: Citrates
Citrates: Excellent carrier as bound to citric acid (Krebs cycle).
Types of mineral carriers include: Malates
Malates: Good source, bound to malic acid (Krebs cycle).
Types of mineral carriers include: Orotates
Orotates: Specific chelate with B13 (oroticacid). Excellent absorption into cells. Caution: Can overdose as it bypasses normal regulatory controls.
Types of mineral carriers include: Gluconates
Gluconates: Good source. Naturally occurring substance; gluconate is a metabolite of glucose oxidation. Does not appear to affect glucose control.
Types of mineral carriers include: Picolinates
Picolinates: Superior carrier especially of chromium, zinc, manganese.
Types of mineral carriers include: Sulphates
Sulphates: Not very good absorption. Caution if sensitive to sulphur
Recommended Mineral Carriers:
Mineral carriers we often recommend include:
Citrates:
* Mineral ion bound to citric acid; Ca2+, Zn2+, Mg2+.
* More bioavailable: The + acidic form requires less stomach acid to break bonds and free the mineral for absorption.
* Absorption of calcium citrate 2.5 times better than calcium carbonate with doses of 500 mg in a study of post-menopausal women.
* Important as low stomach acid, often present in post-menopausal women, the highly stressed, elderly, etc., will result in absorption problems if a strong inorganic supplement complex is used.
Picolinates:
* Organically bound to picolinic acid (a metabolite of tryptophan).
* Natural chelator for absorption of certain minerals in the small intestine.
* High absorption in gut giving high serum levels.
* Zinc and chromium most common minerals used with picolinates.
