Mineral Deficiency Info Quoted from Various Resources

Mineral Deficiency Info Quoted from Various Resources
(Quoted for educational research purpose only. Please refer to the respective sites for more info.)

1) Quote from Beta Info: Mineral Deficiencies and Disease

"The most startling fact is that foods that consist of our main dietary foods, i.e. fruits, vegetables and grains, are being grown on land that is depleted of the essential minerals needed to maintain proper health. A vast majority of the American population is "minerally starved." No wonder we are seeing such a large increase in disease. Americans are eating more but consuming less! "

"The Senate Report
Is this new news? How long has the government, the medical and food community known about this serious issue? For decades now mineral content in a large part of America’s farming land is seriously deficient in vital trace elements. This issue, as it regards to personal health, has been known since 1936! The situation is so serious that the United States senate in 1936, 74th Congress, 2nd Session warned the American people of major mineral depletion due to "modern" farming methods.

The Senate Report was based on a study conducted by Dr. Charles Northern. It was further supported by research completed at Yale, Rutgers, John Hopkins, Columbia and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Northern demonstrated "that countless human ills stem from the fact that impoverished soil of America no longer provides plant foods with mineral elements essential to human nourishment and health."

Other excerpts from this eye opening report;
"Our physical well-being is more directly dependent upon minerals we take into our systems than upon calories or vitamins, or upon precise proportions of starch, protein or carbohydrates we consume."

"Do you know that most of us today are suffering from certain dangerous diet deficiencies which cannot be remedied until depleted soils from which our food comes are brought into proper mineral balance?"

"Laboratory test prove that the fruits, the vegetables, the grains, the eggs, and even the milk and the meats of today are not what they were a few generations ago"

""It is not commonly realized, however, that vitamins control the body’s appropriation of minerals, and in the absence of minerals they have no function to perform. Lacking vitamins, the system can make some use of minerals, but lacking minerals, vitamins are useless."

Has anything changes since 1936?
Has modern technology solved this decades old problem?

The 1992 Earth Summit Report documents declining mineral values in farm and range soils over past 100 years: North America 85% South America 76% Europe 72% Asia 76% Africa 74% Australia 55%. North America is leading the pack for the worst mineral depletion!

Organic versus Commercial Foods
Is the mineral deficiency issue confined to just commercial farming? Foods grown organically do produce a higher amount of the essential minerals required to maintain proper bodily function.

However the cost associated with a organic diet can range anywhere from 20 to 100% more then standard commercially grown foods.

Also, the lowering of the organic food standard in recent years calls into question the actual mineral content of present organics. "

2) Info from Net Industries
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Early Vitamin Deficiency Diseases, Scurvy, Beriberi, Pellagra, Rickets, Other Vitamin Deficiency Diseases - Mineral deficiency diseases
Nutrient deficiency diseases occur when there is an absence of nutrients which are essential for growth and health. Lack of food leading to either malnutrition or starvation gives rise to these diseases. Another cause for a deficiency disease may be due to a structural or biological imbalance in the individual's metabolic system.

There are more than 50 known nutrients in food. Nutrients enable body tissues to grow and maintain themselves. They contribute to the energy requirements of the individual organism and they regulate the processes of the body. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins provide the body with energy. The energy producing component of food is measured in calories. Aside from the water and fiber content of food, which are also important for their role in nutrition, the nutrients that serve functions other than energy production can be classified into four different groups: vitamins, fats, proteins, and minerals. All are necessary for proper body function and survival.

There are about 25 mineral elements in the body usually appearing in the form of simple salts. Those which appear in large amounts are called macro minerals while those that are in small or trace amounts are micro minerals. Some that are essential are calcium, phosphorous, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, sodium, chromium, and tin. Aluminum, lead, and mercury are not as essential.

Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Early Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Scurvy
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Beriberi
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Pellagra
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Rickets
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Other Vitamin Deficiency Diseases
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Goiter
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Protein (amino Acid) Deficiencies
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Marasmus And Kwashiorkor
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Treatment And Prevention
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Diet And Supplements
Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Recent Research On Vitamins A And C
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Nutrient Deficiency Diseases - Early Vitamin Deficiency Diseases, Scurvy, Beriberi, Pellagra, Rickets, Other Vitamin Deficiency Diseases - Mineral deficiency diseases

Mineral Deficiency
The body needs various minerals for health. Inadequate diet can lead to mineral deficiency, or at least to insufficient minerals. Some of the more common deficiencies are iron deficiency, iodine deficiency, and calcium deficiency. Iron is needed by the blood and iron deficiency leads to anemia and various other symptoms. Iodine deficiency leads to goitre, but is less common in industrialized nations due to the addition of iodine to table salt. The body needs calcium for bones and other purposes. Calcium deficiency or at least an inadequate intake of calcium can be implicated in osteoporosis and other diseases.

Common Misdiagnosis of Mineral Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis). See symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency or misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

3) Info from Merck Manuals Online Medical Library for healthcare professionals www.merck.com/mmpe/sec01/ch005/ch005a.html

4) Info from Answers.com Medical Encyclopedia

5) Info from Net Industries www.faqs.org/health/topics/47/Mineral-deficiency.html