Overview

Minerals are essential inorganic nutrients that include vital elements like iron, copper, zinc, and iodine along with other macronutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.¹

The primary source of these elements is soil through which these nutrients transfer to final consumers through plants which absorb these nutrients from soil. Meat, vegetables, fruits, and grains contain high amounts of nutrients.²

When these elements are deficient in our body due to insufficient intake, it leads to a state of mineral deficiency.¹

What causes mineral deficiency?

Our body needs a balanced diet including macronutrients and micronutrients to perform the best functions.

Insufficient intake of these nutrients is called malnutrition and it is the primary cause of mineral deficiency. This causes illnesses and increased risk of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.  However, too much consumption of these nutrients can also be harmful to our bodies.

Environmental factors like food scarcity, fasting, anorexia nervosa, swallowing inability, persistent vomiting, intestinal malabsorption, and other chronic diseases might cause malnutrition.

Diseases caused by mineral deficiency

Macronutrient deficiency could cause growth retardation, ketosis, severe protein-energy malnutrition (Marasmus, kwashiorkor), increased infection susceptibility and delayed wound healing. Whereas micronutrients might cause, poor growth, intellectual impairment, Perinatal complications, and degenerative diseases associated with ageing.³

Types of mineral deficiency

Common types of mineral deficiency are:

Iron deficiency

The most common mineral deficiency affecting blood function is iron-deficient anaemia. Anaemia is defined as a red blood cell disorder.  The symptoms of iron deficiency build up over time. Healthcare providers may treat iron deficiency anaemia by correcting the underlying cause with medical treatment and providing iron supplements.⁴

Zinc deficiency

Zinc deficiency occurs due to low zinc intake (e.g., malnutrition), poor zinc absorption (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease),  increased zinc requirements (e.g., pregnancy), and losses of zinc (e.g., extreme sport).

Most mild and moderate zinc deficiencies come from an insufficient diet. People with low income mostly depend on foods like legumes, cereals, and other plants with indigestible zinc-binding ligands, or have a dependency on highly refined cereal products such as polished rice that is low in zinc and infrequent consumption of animal products that contain a high level of bioavailable Zinc.

 Particularly in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central America represent >90% of the countries that are most susceptible to risk. Zinc deficiency ranges from mild to moderate and severe zinc deficiency. The consumption of the earth, known as geophagia, also can cause a shortage of zinc (Cavdar et al., 1983). 

The risk of not providing adequate zinc intake with vegetarian or vegan nutrition is further increased in vegetarians (Foster et al. 2013). Zinc intake should always be monitored in all vegetarian diets as well as the eventual effects on serum zinc (Foster et al., 2013).

Similarly, elderly people's immune function is also affected, as more likely to have inadequate zinc intake.

Severe zinc deficiency occurs in diseases like gastrointestinal or metabolic disorders or due to  Wilson's disease(penicillin therapy). Even patients on long-term parenteral nutrition without zinc developed severe zinc deficiency.⁵

Iodine deficiency

An iodine deficiency occurs when our body fails to obtain the right amount of iodine. The symptoms include thyroid enlargements and hypothyroidism. 

It is caused by a lack of iodine intake in the diet. 

The treatment involves the intake of iodine supplements and, at times, thyroid hormone supplementation. 

Preventive measures for the condition can be achieved through the intake of iodized foodstuffs and the use of iodized salt.⁶

Calcium deficiency(hypocalcemia)

The condition is when your blood calcium level is lower than its required level. Is called calcium deficiency, also known as Hypocalcemia. The symptoms vary with the severity of the condition. Hypocalcemia can be treatable but depends on the cause of the condition.⁷

Hypokalemia

The term hypokalemia refers to low potassium levels in the blood. Potassium is the key nutrient for our body to function well. Its intake comes from food. The common cause of hypokalemia is extreme loss of potassium through your digestive tract, resulting from vomiting, diarrhoea, or overuse of laxatives. Certain medications and some types of adrenal and genetic conditions also cause this condition.^8.

Magnesium deficiency

A condition with low amounts of magnesium in the blood is termed magnesium deficiency; medically, referred to as hypomagnesemia.

The body requires mineral magnesium for all organs, especially the heart, muscles, and kidneys and in the formation of teeth and bones. Many processes in the body require magnesium, which ranges from physical and chemical processes by which energy is converted or used in the body, generally known as metabolism.⁹

What is the Importance of minerals in the body?

• Minerals are vital components obtained from food. They are necessary to perform many functions of the body to keep us healthy
• Minerals are components of enzymes, hormones and other biologically active compounds
• They also have a vital role in functioning immune system¹⁰
• Minerals have a role in maintaining the body’s metabolism and homeostasis
• A deficiency of minerals causes certain common disorders and disease symptoms¹¹
• They play a role in keeping our bones strong and making the heart, brain, and muscles work properly¹²
• Minerals keep our body pH neutral by maintaining acid-base balance¹³
• The presence of minerals in our body in required amounts is necessary as they are involved in different functions¹⁴

How to detect a deficiency

If we experience any of the following symptoms, it’s necessary to contact a healthcare provider to resolve an issue. Below are common signs and symptoms associated with the deficiency of particular minerals leading to certain diseases.

Signs and symptoms

• Fatigue: Fatigue occurs when iron, magnesium, or potassium is deficient
• Loss of appetite: Zinc deficiency causes loss of appetite
• Itchy skin: Iron deficiency causes itchy skin known as pruritis
• Scalp hair loss, sore tongue, recurrent mouth ulcer: Iron deficiency causes sore tongue, scalp hair loss, and also recurrent mouth ulcer
• Nails: Iron-deficient individuals have brittle nails
• Goitre: Iodine-deficient individuals cause goitre
• Poor night vision: Zinc deficiency causes poor night vision
• Restless legs: A sore leg is a condition caused due to iron and folate deficiency
• Irritability: Folate deficiency causes irritability
• Poor concentration: Iron and folate deficiency causes poor concentration
• Palpitations: When Potassium and magnesium are deficient, it causes palpitation¹⁵

Risk of mineral deficiency

Over 2 billion people worldwide are estimated to lack adequate levels of critical vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, iodine, iron, and zinc. Most people live in low-income countries and are severely deficient in more than one micronutrient.

These deficiencies occur when people need access to foods rich in micronutrients: fruit, vegetables, animal products, and fortified foods, mainly because they are too expensive or not available locally.

Risk for pregnant and lactating women and young children

The risk of micronutrient deficiencies for pregnant and lactating women and young children is common because they have a relatively greater need for minerals and are more susceptible to the harmful consequences of deficiencies.

• For a pregnant woman, these include a greater risk of dying during childbirth or giving birth to an underweight or mentally impaired baby
• For the breastfeeding mother, a healthy status of micronutrients determines the health and development of her breastfed infant, particularly in the first 6 months of life
• For young children, deficiency in these micronutrients increases the chances of dying from infection and will exacerbate impairments in physical and mental development¹⁶

Diagnosis

It is frequently a complicated problem to determine whether a deficiency exists or not for one or more of the micronutrient minerals, usually termed trace elements, and requires a synthesis of clinical, nutritional, and biochemical data.

A combination of techniques usually makes it possible to determine, with confidence, whether an individual subject or small groups of subjects have a deficiency of specific trace elements.

But for several key elements, simple reliable tests that can be used in population studies are still lacking.¹⁷

Treatment

• Once a deficiency is diagnosed, it's often used to supplement the missing vitamin or mineral. Many of these supplements are in the form of tablets: iron tablets, calcium tablets, vitamin D tablets, and vitamin B tablets
• A vitamin B12 injection of Hydroxocobalamin is administered to people to prevent or treat certain types of anaemia
•  Folic acid is often used to prevent neural tube defects occurring during pregnancy¹⁸

How to treat mineral deficiency naturally

• Good food sources of calcium include Milk, cheese, yoghurt, Almonds, and veggies including broccoli, parsley, and kale
• Some iron-rich foods include Red meat, poultry and eggs, fish, beans, legumes, certain cereals and whole grains, seeds, nuts, and dark leafy veggies
• Zinc sources include: seafood, poultry, cereals, whole grains, nuts
• Magnesium is necessary for bone health, supports the immune system, and regulates blood pressure. Some Sources of magnesium-rich food: are cocoa, chocolate, legumes, dark green veggies, and seafood
• Potassium sources include bananas, spinach, mushrooms, apricots, nuts, and seeds. Potassium is needed for heart function, muscles, and nerves
• Iodine sources are eggs, some veggies, iodized salt, seafood, and dairy products
• Sodium sources are present naturally in many foods like meat, dairy products, and whole grains¹⁹

Summary

Mineral deficiency occurs when our body does not get essential nutrients like calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, or magnesium in adequate amounts, which play a vital role in maintaining the body's physiological functions. This deficiency causes symptoms like muscle weakness, weak and brittle bones, fatigue, impaired immunity, or muscle cramps. If we ignore these symptoms and left untreated, this can lead to serious health problems like osteoporosis, anaemia, or heart issues. A balanced diet is necessary for prevention and treats conditions naturally while supplements may be required in some cases. If we experience such symptoms, it’s necessary to seek medical advice to overcome these symptoms and not to progress the symptoms to certain diseases conditions. Early diagnosis is necessary for the prevention and protection of our long-term health.