Where do the minerals go?
As the Soil Becomes Minerally Depleted, the Seas Become Minerally Enriched. Our philosophy at Trace Minerals Research has always been that the Earth was created with the perfect balance of all the nutrients that humans need to be healthy and happy. The only problem is that over the years humans have become victims of the water cycle. Dr. U. Aswathanarayana states, "Soil erosion leads to the depletion of essential nutrient elements in crops grown in depleted soils. When people consume a diet derived from such crops, the intake of essential elements becomes inadequate. This leads to the impairment of the relevant physiological functions, and causes disease."1 For millions of years, every sprouting seed and towering tree has dissolved minerals to ionic form and raised them from the depths of the soil where they could easily be washed away by water. To add to this problem, aggressive farming has further depleted the soils. Furthermore, many fertilizers and pesticides bind trace minerals in the soil so that fewer minerals are absorbed by fruits and vegetables. The importance of minerals in the soil and their effects on human health are not new concepts. Dr. Alexis Carrel, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1912, states, "Soil is the basis of all human life and our only hope for a healthy world . . . . All of life will be either healthy or unhealthy according to the fertility of the soil. Minerals in the soil control the metabolism of cells in plant, animal and man . . . . Diseases are created chiefly by destroying the harmony reigning among mineral substances present in infinitesimal amounts in air, water and food, but most importantly in the soil." Even the AMA recognizes the importance of minerals in our diet. "Variations in the distribution of certain minerals in the environment are known to have an effect on health."2 The lack of minerals in our soil is evidenced through the need for constant fertilization. Plants need nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine, carbon, boron, sulfur, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper manganese, and molybdenum, some of which are commonly replaced through fertilizers to provide maximum crops through minimum investment. However, humans are known to additionally need calcium, sodium, fluorine, bromine, chromium, iodine, silicon, selenium, beryllium, lithium, cobalt, vanadium and nickel, which would not necessarily be replaced through fertilization for plants.3 This continual cycle of soil depletion and minor replacement of minerals through fertilization on conjunction with a diet of processed foods has left many Americans deficient in minerals and trace minerals. This does not need to be the case. To discover where the minerals have disappeared, we need to follow the water cycle. As water goes through the constant cycle from evaporation to precipitation, minerals are transported through rivers and streams where it is them collected in the seas thereby creating a natural equilibrium. Today, Trace Minerals Research harvests minerals and trace minerals from the Great Salt lake, a uniquely rich and pure desert sea. These minerals are the basis for each of their unique products and help provide a strong foundation for balanced supplementation. References ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Aswathanarayana, U. Professor. Trace Substances, Environment and Health. Science-Reviews, London, 1: 1994, pp. 222-223. 2. American Medical Association. The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine. Ed. Charles B. Cayman. Random House: 1989, p. 409. 3. Schuss, A.G. Keynote lecture, Texas Conference on Nutrition and Behavior, University of Texas at Austin, October 8, 1982; and Schuss, A.G. Nutrition and Behavior. Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1983; 35:30-43.