What mineral salts are included. Exchange of mineral salts and water

Mineral salts They are essential components of food, and their absence can lead to the death of a living organism. They are very actively involved in the activities of all elements of the body, as well as in the normalization of the functioning of its systems. Minerals are necessary for hematopoiesis and the formation of various tissues. For example, calcium and phosphorus are the main structural elements of bone tissue. It is believed that a person needs at least twenty different mineral salts. They can enter our body with water and food.

For some types of products it is typical high concentration certain minerals, including rare ones. Cereals contain a lot of silicon, and sea plants contain iodine.

A certain acid-base balance is normal for our body. Its maintenance is the basis of effective life. This balance should be constant, but with some changes in nutrition it can fluctuate in one direction or another.

A shift towards an acidic character is considered characteristic of human nutrition. This is fraught with development various diseases, including atherosclerosis.

Acidic minerals include chlorine, phosphorus and sulfur. They are found in fish, meat, bread, eggs, cereals, etc. Potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium are alkaline elements.

They are rich in foods such as fruits and vegetables, berries, milk and its derivatives.
The older a person gets, the more alkaline products should be present in his diet.

The most essential mineral salts for our body are potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron.

Potassium belongs to the alkali metals. Our body needs it to build muscles, as well as for the spleen and liver. Potassium helps normalize digestive processes, and in particular actively stimulates the processing of starches and fats.

This explains the benefits of this element for constipation. In addition, it is indispensable for disorders of blood circulation, inflammatory processes on the skin, weakened heart function and flushing.

Quickly manifests itself as flabbiness muscle mass, as well as mental impairment. This element is found in sour fruits, raw vegetables, cranberries and barberries, as well as in nuts, bran and almonds.

Calcium is equally necessary at any age. Its salts are part of the blood, as well as interstitial and cellular fluid. They are believed to be necessary to strengthen protective systems body, as well as for the implementation and maintenance of neuromuscular excitability.

The role of calcium salts is their importance for blood clotting, and their deficiency quickly affects the activity of the heart muscle. This mineral is especially necessary for skeletal bones.

Calcium is present in many foods. But at the same time, it is quite difficult for the body to absorb. It is best consumed with dairy products; for example, half a liter of milk contains its daily requirement.

When building a diet, you should take into account the fact that calcium is actively lost by the body during various stressful situations and during illness. This very quickly affects the condition of the entire body. Therefore, if calcium is lost, its intake should be increased.

Phosphorus is necessary to stimulate growth and activity of the body. It affects bone development and is also very important for the brain. A stable supply of this element is necessary for active mental work. But it should be borne in mind that a constant excess of phosphorus can lead to the formation of tumors.

This mineral substance found in foods such as fish liver, cheese, yolk, bran, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, almonds, nuts, and lentils.

Magnesium is essential for strong teeth and bones. This element is also present in muscles, nerves, lungs, and brain, giving them density and elasticity. A lack of magnesium in the diet takes its toll very quickly. nervous tension.

It is magnesium salts that can protect our body from negative impacts various stresses, by supporting the functioning of cell membranes in the nervous system. Contained in tomatoes, spinach, nuts, celery, wine berries, bran.

Iron is the main element for blood oxidation. Without it, the formation of hemoglobin - red balls - is impossible. With a deficiency of this microelement, anemia, apathy, decreased vitality and pale weakness are observed. In the body, iron is deposited in the liver.

Found in lettuce, spinach, asparagus, strawberries, pumpkin, onions and watermelon.

Mineral salts are classified as inorganic elements. This means that the human body cannot synthesize them on its own. A person’s task is to have a competent approach to building their diet.

In this case, the need for a strict balance in the ratio of mineral salts should be taken into account. Their wrong combination or an excess can be harmful and have negative consequences.

For example, too much calcium in the diet can lead to the formation of calcium-containing kidney stones. Also, this element must be correctly combined with phosphorus and potassium. In case of excess table salt Swelling and problems with the cardiovascular system may appear. This is explained by the fact that salt retains fluid in the body.

The biological role of mineral salts in the body is great. For their balanced intake, it is necessary to competently approach the preparation of the diet. In this case, it would not be superfluous to consult with nutritionists.

Mineral salts are simply an irreplaceable element for the life and health of every person. These substances are found in in the usual form simple compounds in nature. Some of them - complex salts - have a complex structure and are widely used in industry. Simple compounds are the constituent components of all organs and tissues and occupy five percent of the total body weight. The most important for humans are the following: potassium, sodium, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, cobalt, iodine and fluorine. They are excreted along with other products, so a person needs to constantly take care of the proper level of salts in the body. Usually, with the right rational nutrition the question of salt shortage does not arise - natural products that we consume in sufficient quantity contain essential for the body useful substances.

If a person eats monotonously, then mineral salts from specific product will not satisfy all the variety that is needed. As a result, the mechanism of salt absorption and excretion will be disrupted, which will lead to disease. For example, if young children do not have enough calcium, they are at risk of rickets, and in adults, teeth may decay, hair may fall out, and bones may become brittle. A lack of iron will affect the composition of the blood and provoke the so-called anemia ( iron deficiency anemia).

Natural properties calcium, magnesium and sodium salts contribute coordinated work digestive organs, due to which a person’s metabolism is normalized, metabolism and energy exchange are accelerated. An individual's need for calcium is quite significant - about one gram is required per day to fully participate in all processes. You can replenish calcium salts through products such as cottage cheese, cheese, milk, kefir, egg yolk, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower. From this set, calcium is most easily absorbed from dairy products, so you should not neglect them.

To normalize work nervous system Phosphorus is indispensable. Its salts are contained in the liver, eggs, brains, rye bread, cheeses. You need to give your body two and a half grams of phosphorus per day. Given that it is best released from products plant origin, then you need to get this element from there.

Regular salt is also invaluable for the body. A person needs about fifteen grams per day - consume it with food, but take into account the fact that this element is also found in some products. If a person eats animal products, then they can be salted just a little bit, because salt is contained in the food consumed. However, many people like to over-season their dishes to improve the taste, which leads to an excess of it in the body. This can provoke certain disorders, because salt retains water, which means swelling and complications on the kidneys, liver, and heart may occur. Blood pressure rises and the nervous system works worse.

For your miraculous properties mineral salts have received well-deserved recognition in cosmetology. During skin rejuvenation procedures and making face masks, salts are used very widely. They smooth out wrinkles, iron enriches the skin with oxygen, potassium creates optimal conditions between skin cells and retains moisture, copper is a kind of antiseptic - it prevents the proliferation of bacteria, manganese at the cellular level is involved in the process of respiration, energy exchange, and microcirculation of substances.

Mineral salts are sold in pharmacies; you can use them to take baths, do foot treatments, face masks, wash your hair, and strengthen your nails.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS FOR REVIEW

Question 1. Which chemical elements are part of the cell?

The cell contains about 70 elements of D. I. Mendeleev’s periodic table. Of these, the main part (98") is made up of macroelements - carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, which, together with sulfur and phosphorus, form a group of bioelements.

Elements such as sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iron, calcium and magnesium account for only 1.8% of the substances that make up the cell.

In addition, the composition of the cell includes trace elements iodine (I), fluorine (F), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), making up 0.18% of total mass, and ultramicroelements - gold (Au), silver (An), platinum (P) included in the cell in amounts up to 0.02%.

Question 2. Give examples of the biological role of chemical elements.

Bioelements - oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur - are essential components molecules of biological polymers - proteins, polysaccharides and nucleic acids.

Sodium, potassium and chlorine ensure the permeability of cell membranes, the operation of the potassium-sodium (K/Na-) pump, and the conduction of nerve impulses.

Calcium and phosphorus are structural components intercellular substance bone tissue. In addition, calcium is one of the blood clotting factors.

Iron is part of the erythrocyte protein - hemoglobin, and copper is part of a similar protein, which is also an oxygen carrier - hemocyanin (for example, in the erythrocytes of mollusks).

Magnesium is an essential part of plant cell chlorophyll. And mod and zinc are part of the hormones of the thyroid and pancreas, respectively.

Question 3. What are microelements? Give examples and describe their biological significance.

Microelements are substances that make up the cell in small quantities (from 0.18 to 0.02%). Microelements include zinc, copper, iodine, fluorine, cobalt.

Being within the cell in the form of ions and other compounds, they actively participate in the construction and functioning of a living organism. Thus, zinc is part of the insulin molecule, a pancreatic hormone. Iodine is an essential component of thyroxine, a hormone thyroid gland. Fluoride is involved in the formation of bones and tooth enamel. Copper is part of the molecules of some proteins, such as hemocyanin. Cobalt is a component of the vitamin B12 molecule, necessary for the body for hematopoiesis.

Question 4. What inorganic substances make up the cell?

Of the inorganic substances that make up the cell, the most common is water. On average in multicellular organism water makes up up to 80% of body weight. In addition, the cell contains various inorganic salts dissociated into ions. These are mainly sodium, potassium, calcium salts, phosphates, carbonates, and chlorides.

Question 5. What is it? biological role water; mineral salts?

Water is the most abundant inorganic compound in living organisms. Its functions are largely determined by the dipole nature of the structure of its molecules.

1. Water is a universal polar solvent: many chemicals in the presence of water they dissociate into ions - cations and anions.

2. Water is a medium where various chemical reactions between substances found in a cell.

3. Water does transport function. Most substances can penetrate through cell membrane only in dissolved and water form.

4. Water is an important reactant in hydration reactions and the end product of many biochemical reactions, including oxidation.

5. Water acts as a thermostat, which is ensured by its good thermal conductivity and heat capacity and allows you to maintain the temperature inside the cell when the temperature and environment fluctuate.

6. Water is the living environment for many living organisms.

Life without water is impossible.

Minerals also have important for processes occurring in living organisms. The concentration of salts in the cell determines its buffering properties - the ability of the cell to maintain the slightly alkaline reaction of its contents at a constant level.

Question 6. What substances determine the buffering properties of the cell?

Inside the cell, buffering is provided mainly by the anions H2PO, HPO4-. In extracellular fluid and blood, the role of a buffer is played by the carbonate ion CO and the bicarbonate ion HCO. Anions weak acids and alkalis bind hydrogen ions H and hydroxide ions OH, due to which the reaction of the medium remains almost unchanged, despite the supply from the outside or the formation of acidic and alkaline products during metabolism.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS FOR DISCUSSION

Question 1. What are the differences in the contribution of various elements to the organization of living and inanimate nature?

Bodies of living and inanimate nature consist of the same chemical elements, which explains the unity of their origin. The contribution of chemical elements is the same for both living and inanimate nature.

Question 2: Explain how physical and chemical properties water manifests itself in ensuring the vital processes of the cell and the entire organism.

Water is a liquid that has unique combination a number of important physicochemical properties.

Water molecules are highly polar and form hydrogen bonds with each other. In liquid water, each molecule is connected by hydrogen bonds to 3 or 4 neighboring molecules. Thanks to a huge number hydrogen bonds, water has a higher heat capacity and heat of evaporation compared to other liquids, high temperature boiling and melting, high thermal conductivity. The presence of such qualities allows water to actively participate in thermoregulation.

Water has low viscosity and is a mobile liquid. The reason for the high mobility of water is the very short lifetime of hydrogen bonds. Therefore, in water there is constantly the formation and destruction of a large number of hydrogen bonds, which determines this property. Due to its high fluidity, water easily circulates through various cavities of the body (circulatory and lymphatic vessels, intercellular spaces, etc.).

With the participation water and mineral salts the most important physical and chemical processes occurring in the body occur. Thus, the concentration of mineral salts dissolved in water determines the osmotic pressure of the blood and tissue fluid, maintaining it at a constant level is a necessary condition normal life. Inorganic substances are also important in maintaining acid-base balance and in maintaining the relative constancy of the active reaction of the blood and tissues. Further, mineral salts and water participate in the phenomena of diffusion and osmosis, which play a role in the processes of absorption and excretion.

Mineral salts and water, in addition, contribute to the preservation of the colloidal state of living protoplasm. Changes in the amount of water in the body and shifts in the salt composition of body fluids and tissue structures entail a violation of the stability of colloids, which may result in irreversible damage and death of individual cells or the organism as a whole.

Depriving the body of water and mineral salts causes severe violations and death. In humans, water deprivation can lead to death within a few days. This fact should be compared with the fact that with complete fasting and an unlimited supply of water, it is possible to preserve human life even for 40-45 days. With complete fasting, weight loss can reach 40%, while with water deprivation, the loss of even 10% of body weight is accompanied by severe disorders, and the loss of 20-22% of body weight entails death.

The important role of mineral salts has been established by direct observations. Thus, when animals were completely deprived of mineral salts, i.e., during mineral starvation, despite the sufficient supply of all other nutrients and water to the body, loss of appetite, refusal to eat, emaciation and death were observed.
The need for a constant supply of mineral salts and water is explained by the fact that the body constantly loses some of them in urine, sweat and feces.

The physiological role of different electrolytes is different and diverse. Thus, calcium and phosphorus ions are necessary for building bone tissue. Calcium ions are important for the connection between excitation and muscle contraction; sodium and potassium ions are necessary for the occurrence of bioelectric potentials. Phosphorus ions as a residue phosphoric acid are part of energy-rich compounds (adenosine triphosphoric acid, creatine phosphoric acid, etc.), as well as phosphatides and phosphoproteins, which are important in the functions of nerve tissue and in metabolism.

Some chemical elements that are part of the body in very small quantities (therefore they are called microelements), such as iodine, zinc, iron, cobalt, are involved in the synthesis of complex organic compounds of great functional importance.

Iodine (its total content in the adult body is approximately 0.03 g) is necessary for the synthesis of the thyroid hormone - thyroxine. Extremely important role plays iron, the amount of which in the body does not exceed 3-5 g. Iron is involved in oxidative processes and oxygen transport in the blood. Zinc is part of the enzyme and is important in the formation of the hormone insulin. Cobalt is part of vitamin B12, which is necessary for hematopoiesis.

Mineral salts, part of all cells, tissues and organs human body, play an important role in the life of the body. About 5 percent of the total body weight is occupied by mineral salts. The composition of cells and tissues includes calcium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, magnesium, iron, iodine, fluorine, cobalt, manganese and others. In the process of life activity from human body mineral salts are gradually excreted with excretory products. Therefore, the body needs regular replenishment of them, and the deficiency is easily replenished since the food we eat contains all the salts.

Low content of mineral salts in products due to monotonous diet, disruption of the mechanism of their absorption in the intestine or excessive secretion salts from the body can cause a number of diseases. Thus, with a lack of calcium, rickets develops in young children, and brittle bones and tooth decay occur in adults. Lack of iron leads to anemia. The lack of fluoride and strontium causes the development of dental caries, and with a lack of iodine, goiter develops.

The most important role in the functioning of the digestive organs is played by calcium, sodium and magnesium salts. Our body contains the most calcium. The need for it is quite great, daily norm for an adult it ranges from 0.8 to 1 gram. Calcium salts are necessary not only for the formation of bone tissue, but also for more normal work heart of the intestines, contractions (peristalsis) of the stomach, etc. Calcium is found in large quantities in dairy products (milk, cottage cheese, cheese), egg yolk, caviar, and also in plant products(lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, fruit and vegetable juices). Organic calcium found in milk and dairy products is best absorbed. It should be remembered that calcium absorption in the intestine occurs well only in the presence of phosphorus salts.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus, like calcium, is necessary for normal height bone tissue and activity of the central nervous system He is in significant amount found in brains, liver, meat, milk, cheese, eggs, oatmeal, millet, rye bread. Its daily requirement is 2.5 grams. Phosphorus is best absorbed in the intestine from various products of animal origin.

Sodium chloride

Sodium chloride, or common table salt, is one of the necessary elements vital activity of the body.

A person's daily requirement is on average 15 grams, including the salt found in food products. Since sodium salts are contained in large quantities in food products, especially of animal origin, to satisfy daily requirement It may be sufficient to add 3-4 grams of table salt to food. However, many people for the sake of taste sensations add much more of it - up to 10-12 grams. Excessive salt intake, as well as insufficient salt intake, can have a noticeable effect on the functioning of many organs and systems of our body. So, for example, when excessive consumption Table salt retains a large amount of water in the body, which negatively affects cardiac activity, increases blood pressure and the secretion of digestive juices, and impairs the functioning of the nervous system. On the contrary, when limiting table salt in food, the water content in the body drops sharply, the secretion of digestive juices decreases significantly, and blood pressure, the anti-inflammatory effect of potassium salts is noticeably enhanced. That is why limiting salts in food (salt-free or low-salt diet) is widely used in treatment peptic ulcer stomach and duodenum, at chronic gastritis and enterocolitis, as well as diseases cardiovascular system in the sanatoriums "Ukraine" (Essentuki) and "Russia" (Essentuki).

Magnesium

Magnesium affects the functioning of many organs and systems of the body. Magnesium salts are found in large quantities in wheat bran, rye bread, buckwheat, in vegetables and fruits. They significantly reduce spasm smooth muscle stomach, intestines and gall bladder.