Mineral salts are inorganic substances that, like vitamins, do not provide calories but perform important functions in the body.
They:
- They are constituents cellular and tissue;
- They participate in the vital processes such as the regulation of water and salt balance, metabolic and enzymatic;
- They are important for muscles and for the nervous system.
Classification of minerals
Minerals are classified into macrominerals and microminerals. The former are found in the body in relatively high amounts and are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chlorine.
Micronutrients, on the other hand, are present in the human body in minute amounts, but are essential for the proper functioning of the body. They are iron, zinc, iodine, copper, fluorine, manganese and selenium.
Source: Handbook of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition by Franco Contaldo et al.
