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Overview Chromium is a trace mineral historically classified as essential for glucose metabolism due to its proposed role in potentiating insulin signaling. While early research on "glucose tolerance factor" (GTF) generated significant clinical interest in chromium supplementation for insulin…
13 May 2026
Overview Manganese is an essential trace mineral required as a cofactor for dozens of enzymes spanning carbohydrate metabolism, antioxidant defense, bone formation, amino acid metabolism, and immune function. Like many trace minerals, its clinical significance is primarily on two ends of the…
13 May 2026
Overview Iron is a trace mineral essential for oxygen transport (hemoglobin), cellular respiration (cytochromes, mitochondrial electron transport), DNA synthesis (ribonucleotide reductase), and neurotransmitter production (tyrosine hydroxylase for dopamine/norepinephrine). Iron deficiency is…
13 May 2026
Overview Phosphorus is the second most abundant mineral in the body after calcium, with approximately 85% residing in bone and teeth as hydroxyapatite and the remaining 15% distributed in soft tissues and blood. It is a structural component of DNA, RNA, phospholipid membranes, and ATP—making…
13 May 2026
Overview Molybdenum is an ultra-trace mineral required as a cofactor for four mammalian enzymes: sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase/dehydrogenase, aldehyde oxidase, and mitochondrial amidoxime reducing component (mARC). Deficiency is exceptionally rare in humans outside of genetic enzyme…
13 May 2026
Overview Potassium is the primary intracellular cation, with ~98% residing inside cells at concentrations of 140–150 mEq/L, compared to a tightly regulated serum concentration of 3.5–5.0 mEq/L. It is fundamental to resting membrane potential, cardiac rhythm, skeletal and smooth-muscle…
13 May 2026
Overview Vanadium is a trace element present in tiny amounts in the human body (~0.1 mg total). It is found across all human tissues and is present in several oxidation states, most commonly as vanadate (V⁵⁺) and vanadyl (V⁴⁺) ions. Whether vanadium meets the formal criteria for an "essential"…
13 May 2026
Overview Strontium is an alkaline earth metal that sits directly below calcium on the periodic table and shares many of its chemical properties, including the ability to incorporate into bone mineral. Strontium ranelate, a pharmaceutical form developed in Europe, was the first bone-specific…
13 May 2026
Overview Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) refers to a family of geometric and positional isomers of linoleic acid (LA, 18:2n-6) in which the double bonds are conjugated (separated by a single bond) rather than methylene-interrupted. The two biologically active isomers are c9,t11-CLA (rumenic…
13 May 2026
Overview Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an 18-carbon, plant-derived omega-3 fatty acid (18:3n-3) and the only truly essential omega-3—meaning humans cannot synthesize it and must obtain it from diet. It is abundant in flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and canola oil. ALA is a metabolic…
13 May 2026
Overview Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an 18-carbon omega-6 fatty acid with 3 double bonds (18:3n-6) that represents the first elongation/desaturation step downstream of linoleic acid (LA). Unlike the pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid (AA) pathway that dominates most omega-6 metabolism, GLA is…
13 May 2026
Overview Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is a long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) with a 20-carbon backbone and 5 double bonds (20:5n-3). It is one of the two primary bioactive marine omega-3s (alongside DHA), found in fatty fish, algae, and marine oils. EPA serves as the…
13 May 2026
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