People who are suffering from chronic backaches and bone problems might find greater relief by eating foods rich in calcium or calcium supplements. Calcium is a mineral that aids in the strengthening of teeth and bones. Aside from these, it is also vital in the maintenance of cell membranes, clotting of the blood, and in the proper contraction of muscles.
We all think that just because we stay away from unhealthy food we're getting all the calcium we need for a day. Unfortunately, we're not. Whenever the calcium levels in our blood run low, the body gets this calcium from our bones. Thus, it is important that we not only eat healthy food, but food that is rich in calcium to replace the what has been used up.
On the average, an individual expends between 400mg and 500mg of calcium in just one day. So if the body is low on calcium and no replacement has been ingested, there won't be enough to be used up by the blood and bones to keep ourselves strong.
According to the UK Health Department, the recommended daily amount or what they call reference nutrient intake (RNI) for calcium varies depending on the age. Babies need between 350 and 550 milligrams of calcium per day, Teenage girls require 800 mg, Teen boys 1000 mg, adults 700 mg, and, finally, breast-feeding women, who are eating for two, an additional 550 mg.
In the US, as of 1994, the recommendations for kids from one to ten years old is 800 mg to 1,200 mg a day, those aged 11 to 24 years should have 1,200 mg to 1,500 mg, while adults over 50 years old should take around 1,500 mg. Breastfeeding and pregnant women must have 1,400 mg of calcium in their diets daily. The level for the elderly is the same as young adults' because the intestine's ability to absorb calcium lessens as we get older.
Rich sources of calcium include green leafy vegetables, tofu, nuts, and seeds. Calcium from low-oxalate green leafies like kale, for instance, is easier to absorb than the calcium than can be derived from cow's milk. Foods like dried figs, black molasses, parsley, and watercress are also great calcium sources.
Magnesium was first identified by Joseph Black of Edinburgh in 1755 and was named after the Greek district, Magnesia, where it was discovered. This silvery white metal was initially used to make flash bulbs and is currently contributing to the construction of luggage, bikes, and car seats. The sea is the largest source of magnesium and around 300,000 tons are obtained from it every year.
Magnesium is called a macromineral, just like phosphorus, potassium, sodium, calcium, and chloride. And because it is not produced within our bodies, we need to eat foods rich in magnesium to meet our daily mineral requirements to function properly.
We normally ingest between 250 mg and 350 mg of magnesium a day, or roughly a hundred grams annually. Inside our bodies, majority, or about 60% to 65% of the magnesium can be found in our bones, while our muscles contain around 25%. The rest reside in body fluids and cells. Each human being has around 20 grams of magnesium within.
Magnesium is vital because it helps keep our heart beats stable, our nerve and muscle functions normal, our bones strong, and our immune systems active. In addition, magnesium keeps blood sugar levels low, normalizes the blood pressure and is a key contributor to protein synthesis and energy metabolism. It is the small intestines that absorb magnesium, which is then expelled via the kidneys.
First is bone formation. Studies have found that it helps give bones their physical structure, along with calcium and phosphorus. This is inside the bone. On the surface, however, magnesium does not act as a bone former but a storage site for when the body needs an extra supply.
Second is muscle and nerve relaxation. Along with calcium, magnesium helps monitor muscle and nerve activities, to make sure calcium does not just rush into the nerve cells and active them, thus, keeping nerves relaxed. If magnesium is absent, the muslce tends to overcontract and result in spasms, tension, cramps, soreness and fatigue.
Third, it is necessary for the body's more than 300 enzymes to function. The enzymes in our bodies are the ones responsible for the many chemical reactions within. It is for this reason that the benefits of magnesium cannot be summed up into a few functions, nor can its activities be generalized. Because this mineral is involved in nearly all that is happening within the body, the best thing to do then is to keep ourselves well supplied.
Manganese was first isolated as an element by scientist Johann Gahn in 1774. Its name originally comes from the Latin mangnes, meaning magnet. At first there were two kinds of mangnes; one that attracted iron (male) and one that did not (female). It is the female mangnes that is the precursor of the manganese we know today, which has been used by glassmakers since the 16th century.
Up to the 20th century, the use of manganese in many domestic and construction activities is vital. For example, manganese is the chief cathodic element used to produce disposable dry batteries and dry cells for both alkaline and carbon-zinc types. However, apart from these uses, manganese also carries with it health benefits.
Manganese helps the body maximize its stored biotin, vitamin C, vitamin B1, and choline. In addition, it contributes to the production of breast milk in women and of sex hormones and fat. Its real antioxidative properties are unclear but it has also been found to help neutralize free radicals in the body and aid in nerve activities and the prevention of diabetes. Manganese is also a vital element in the proper functioning of the brain.
When you think about it, manganese is practically in all kinds of living things. There are several enzyme classes that have manganese as their co-factors, including the likes of hydrolases, oxidoreductases, isomerases, transferases, arginase, and ligases. Perhaps the most beneficial of these is the Mn-containing superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), which aids in the proper regulation of oxygen to rid it of its toxic properties.
Lecithin is a great circulatory and nervous system booster. Also called a phospholipid or phosphatidylcholine, it is responsible for producing and maintaining healthy cell membranes and is required by every single cell in the human body.
It was first identified in 1805 by French scientist Maurice Gobley, who gave it the name "lekithos", meaning "egg yolk" in Greek. Lecithin consists primarily of phosphoric acid, choline, B vitamins, inositol, and linoleic acid.
Initially, lecithin was derived only from egg yolks, which contain 30% of this fatlike substance. But in the 1930s, it was found that waste products from soybean processing were also good sources of lecithin. Soybean oils contain around 1.48% to 3.08% of lecithin, higher than vegetable oils, which have only about 0.5%. It is also produced by the liver every day and the required daily amounts of lecithin the body needs is met if you adopt a healthy diet.
Lecithin is necessary for cell functioning because, without it, cells would atrophy and harden. It is what shields cells from oxidation and is the main component of the protective film around the brain. It helps lower the risk of developing cardiovascular ailments, arteriosclerosis, and aids in the proper functioning of the brain.
Lecithin also strengthens the liver's and intestine's abilities to absorb thiamine and vitamin A, respectively. In addition, when the liver is suffering damage caused by alcoholism, lecithin is often the aiding vitamin.
Malic acid is a natural acid commonly found in fruits and vegetables, particularly in sour apples and is usually used as a flavoring and acidulant in the processing of food. The sour taste and strong odor of pure wine is attributed to malic acid, but most winemakers usually add certain kinds of bacteria to it to transform malic into lactic acid, which is less tart.
The role of malic acid in most plants is centered on the production of energy generating ATP in cells. In fact, even under hopoxic, or low oxygen, conditions, malic acid can still help the body efficiently produce ATP. Every cell in the body contains malic acid because it is the one responsible for transforming fats and sugars into ATP.
Studies have shown that malic acid helps relax muscles when taken with magnesium supplements, the explain for this is that malic acid allows magnesium to be absorbed faster. When muscles are tense, circulation weakens and the less oxygen there is available for the body to use. And because the body isn't able to produce energy, we feel exhausted and stressed. Malic acid prevents this from happening.
In addition, while malic acid is an acid, it also can help lower arthritis risks. Malic acid has an alkaline effect on the blood, so adding malic acid to one's diet will help balance pH levels and contradict the ill effects of other acids, like uric acid and lactic acid. This is important because an imbalance in acid and alkaline levels the blood has been identified as one of the key causes of pains and inflammations in the body.
People with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's can also benefit from malic acid because it is rich in aluminium, which can help detoxify the body and get rid of heavy metals.
Pancreatin is a digestive enzyme that comes mainly from vegetables, pork, and beef. Its main functions are to counter low digestive enzyme levels, particularly in people suffering from cystic fibrosis, and to address pancrea secretion deficiencies.
A combination of lipase, a fat dissolving enzyme, amylase, which help break down carbohydrates, and protease, a protein enzyme, among others, pancreatin has been found effective against celiac disease, cancer, food allergies, and autoimmune illnesses. Pancreatin has even been used to promote weight loss.
This enzyme has often been compared with pancrelipase, which has more or less similar characteristics. However, pancrelipase has a greater amount of active lipase compared to pancreatin.
Its high trypsin content is also responsible for several cell processes, including the conversion of proteins into oligopetides, while its other components are also key contributors to other transformations. In short, pancreatin is a vital factor in almost all body activities.
Dimethylglycine (DMG), a non-protein amino acid, was first identified in the 1960s and was then called either calcium pangamate, vitamin B15, or pangamic acid.
The name DMG, however, became specific when there arose confusion within the medical community as to what really calcium pangamate is. DMG and calcium gluconate were originally thought to comprise calcium pangamate, but several products bearing this name started coming out in the market even if they did not contain any DMG at all.
DMG is commonly formed in plant and animal cells and is produced during the metabolism of choline into glycine. And because it also carries antioxidant properties, it also may be used as a stress reliever.
Bromelain is a combination of several compounds and enzymes that are all active in essential body processes. Its main components are proteases, or protein digesting enzymes that contain sulfur, but other substances like calcium, acid phosphatase, peroxidase, and protease inhibitors are also present.
The substance is produced mainly from the root or stump of pineapple plants following harvest. These are then peeled and crushed so that the juice carrying bromelaine comes out. It is processed via precipitation, not purification, and is done under controlled factory environments in order to preserve purity and microbiological quality. Bromelain is then presented and sold in powder form. Papaya, kiwi, and fig are also good sources. Taiwan and Japan are popular for their mass production of bromelain.
Bromelain was first called 'bromelin' when Chittenden discovered it while studying the components of pineapple juice in 1892. The substance got the name we know today when it was altered to refer to all proteases that fall under the Bromeliaceae plant species
Papain is an enzyme that comes from papaya fruit and is called a proteolytic, meaning it has the ability to digest non-living proteins. It is often used to dissociate cells from each other during laboratory experiments and as a key ingredient in the debriding of enzymes for research.
And because papain also has tooth whitening effects, it can also be found in many mints and toothpastes out in the market today.
Papain is very important for people with low enzyme levels, particularly those suffering from cystic fibrosis or pancrea-related ailments, because of its capacity to use up even dead proteins. It will also not harm the living tissue that surround the dead proteins it targets.
The body does not produce enough enzymes to help break down food into nutrients that can be converted into energy. Papain's role is to speed this process up. Thus, papain is almost always named in the list of ingredients for treatments against chronic indigestion and bloating or flatulence.
As a home remedy, papain, when mixed with water and made into a paste, can also relieve discomforts brought by bee, wasp, jellyfish stings and stingray venom.
Aside from its therapeutic and tooth whitening features, papain can also be used to make meats more tender. This method has been used by South Americans for thousands of years already and, now, papain is the most dominant ingredient in powdered meat tenderizers found in grocery shelves.
Trypsin is an intestinal enzyme that acts as a protein hydrolyzer to produce small peptides or amino acids. Also called proteolytic enzyme or proteinase, trypsin is a necessary enzyme for the proper breakdown of food's protein content.
It is actually produced by the pancreas in inactive form but it is the enterokinase in the small intestine that activates it via proteolytic cleavage. When the activated trypsin is produced, it then tries to active more trypsinogens, so, in effect, the body needs only a small amount of enterokinase in order to start a trypsin production series. Actually, this goes the same for all other kinds of serine proteases in the body.
To thwart the autodigestion of the pancreas, trypsin seeks to modify the serine protease's electrostatic atmosphere, primarily because it is not kinetically capable. Trypsin is one of the three key proteinases in the digestive process, with chymotrypsin and pepsin as the other two.
Its features are relatively similar to those of chymotrypsin in a way that they both give off serine and histidine residue where they are active. But trypsin appears to target only a very specific type of chemical bonds to transform into amino acids. Unlike chymotrypsin which attacks several (trytophan, tyrosine, methionine, phenylalanine, and lysine, trypsin attacks only lysine and arginine.
Chemists have often used trypsin as a reagent in laboratory experiments whenever scientists wanted to see a breakdown of amino acids to determine how proteins are arranged in them.
Chymotrypsin is one of the three major protease or digestive enzymes in the small intestine, the other two being carboxypeptidase and trypsin. It is originally secreted by the pancreas, but because of its ability to break down proteins in the pancrea, it is not transformed into active form until it reaches the small intestine. Chymotrypsin is a key component in the around 1.5 quarts of digestive enzyme the pancreas produce everyday.
Chymotrypsin's main function is to aid in the proper digestion and absorption of food. At present, a chymotrypsin supplement is available for people with digestive and pancreatic problems to use. To test if the pancreas are in good condition, a stool sample is often obtained to find out how much chymotrypsin is in it.
The pancreas are vital to body functions because it is where digestive enzymes are derived. Thus, if the pancreas suffer from insufficiency, the consequences could include malabsorption, impaired digestion, flatulence, nutrient deficiencies, bloating of the abdomen, and even the presence of undigested food in the stool. Chymotrypsin supplements are commonly used by people with a rare genetic disorder called cystic fibrosis, as well as chronic pancreatitis.
Chymotrypsin also has anti-inflammatory features so it is also often used in conjunction with chemotherapy treatments and to relieve discomforts brought by physical injuries and stress. It can also prevent tissues from being damaged during inflammations in order to reduce or prevent swelling.
Without chymotrypsin in the digestive system, the breakdown of proteins is not likely. This may lead to the creation of toxic substances that inhibit amino acid creation. Supplements of this enzyme can also function as a parasite killer in the small intestine, particularly intestinal worms, yeast, bacteria, and protozoa.
Boron is a man-made element that is created only under high temperature and controlled environments. It is found in most consumer goods, vegetables, fruits, and in the air we breathe and water we drink. Its pure isolated form is a product of a very complicated process that involves a reduction of boron halogenides using hydrogen at extremely high temperatures.
The biggest boron producers in the world are the United States and Turkey. In fact, Turkey holds around 63% of the boron reserves available in the world. And while this element is not usually found in its sole state, it is often combined in substances like boric acid, kernite, borates, colemanite, ulexite, and borax. Volcanic spring waters also contain boron.
The largest deposits of borax are found in West and Central Turkey, particularly in the provinces of Balikesir, Eskisehir, and Kutahya. Kernite and borax ore are also plenty in the Mojave Desert, California.
Boron was first identified in isolation by Louis Jacques Thenard, Sir Humphry Davy, and Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac in 1808, but its compounds have already been used for the past millenia to help preserve mummies in Egypt, to make glass in Rome, and to create borax glazes in China. The three gentlemen's boron, however, was only 50% pure. It was in 1824 that boron was finally dubbed an element by Jons Jakob Berzelius and in 1909 when American chemist W. Weintraub finally isolated it into a single element.
Humans can be exposed to boron through fruit and vegetables, water, air and consumer products. We have a regular daily intake of about 2 mg and about 18 mg in out body in total.
Also called calcium monohydrogen phosphate, dicalcium phosphate (DCP) is commonly used as a dietary supplement and is usually present in the likes of enriched flour, noodles, and breakfast cereals. It is also available in tablet form.
While DCP is called such, it really is not much different from the rest of dibasic calcium phosphates, though certain ingredients might be higher in some kinds. Nevertheless, they all aid in the proper breakdown of nutrients in the body.
DCP is water insoluble, with a specific solubility capacity of 0.02 grams for every 100 ml at 25C. Not all calcium phosphate is good for the body, though, as too much of it can be dangerous to the health. For instance, dolomite, has been found to contain high amounts of lead. Because calcium phosphate is usually mined, thus the other names such as "hardware lime", "lime", and "calcium lime", DCP may bring with it possibly dangerous impurities.
Magnesium stearate, which has a chemical formula of C36H70MgO4, is identified under room temperature conditions as a white salt substance that contains one part magnesium cation and two parts stearate. Though it is water insoluble and breaks down only at around 88C, it is generally not harmful to humans when consumed. This is why it is often used as a filler in the production and processing of medical capsules and tablets.
Magnesium stearate's lubricating properties prevents chemical powders from sticking to the processing equipment when medicine is made into solid tablets. It is also commonly found in baby powders, that's why we don't get these in solid form. Magnesium searate is normally derived from beef, but scientific experiments have recently found that certain vegetables can also be great sources.