Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store
seo-qna
SearchIcon
banner

How many different minerals are found in the human body?

Answer
VerifiedVerified
455.4k+ views
like imagedislike image
Hint: Human body is composed of 5 major minerals in 72 trace minerals.The five major minerals in the human body are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium.

Complete answer:
The body needs many minerals; these are called essential minerals. Essential minerals are sometimes divided up into major minerals (macrominerals) and trace minerals (microminerals). These two groups of minerals are most and equally important, while trace minerals are needed in smaller amounts than major minerals. We cannot decide the importance of minerals on the basis of the amount of which they are taken.

Some major nutrients required by body.Sodium needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction.Chloride needed for proper fluid balance, stomach.Potassium needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction.Calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth; helps muscles relax and contract; important in nerve functioning, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, immune system health.Phosphorus is important for healthy bones and teeth; found in every cell; part of the system that maintains acid-base balance.

Magnesium is found in bones; needed for making protein, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, immune system health.Sulfur is found in protein molecules.Iron is part of a molecule (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the body; needed for energy metabolism Zinc Is part of many enzymes; needed for making protein and genetic material; has a function in taste perception, wound healing, normal fetal development, production of sperm, normal growth and sexual maturation, immune system health .Iodine is found in thyroid hormone, which helps regulate growth, development, and metabolism.Selenium is antioxidant.Copper is part of many enzymes; needed for iron metabolism

Manganese is part of many enzymes.Fluoride is involved in formation of bones and teeth; helps prevent tooth decay.Chromium works closely with insulin to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels .Molybdenum is part of some enzymes.

Note: Deficiency of these kinds of minerals leads to many kinds of diseases in bodies and affect the metabolic activities in the body. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. About 2200 grams of calcium is present in human adults.