Minerals Health Article

Complications

Vitamin and mineral supplementation has become a very common practice in the general population, due in part to aggressive advertising and marketing of dietary supplements. While vitamin and mineral supplements are beneficial to those whose diets are lacking in certain nutrients, extremely high doses of some minerals can have toxic effects. For example, too much iron can cause tissue damage and infection. High levels of magnesium can cause depressed deep tendon reflexes, fatigue, and sleepiness. High levels of selenium have been associated with tooth decay.

On the other hand, care should be taken to meet the body's needs for higher levels of mineral intake during pregnancy and periods of high physical or emotional stress (surgery, trauma, etc.).

Health care team roles

Professional dietitians and other nutrition experts are primarily responsible for recommending mineral supplementation when it is necessary and for educating consumers on the dangers of excess supplementation. They also play a role in educating the public on the benefits of eating a well-balanced diet in order to receive adequate amounts of the various minerals.

Dentists and dental hygienists should instruct patients about the importance of dietary calcium and fluoridated water to healthy teeth.

Physicians, registered nurses, and pharmacists should instruct patients about the possible side effects of certain medications— particularly diuretics, antihypertensives, and some types of laxatives— that may cause electrolyte imbalance. Emergency room personnel should be knowledgeable about mineral deficiencies and mineral toxicities in the differential diagnosis of such symptoms as cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, disorientation, muscle twitching, and muscle weakness.

BOOKS

Baron, Robert B., MD, MS. "Nutrition." Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2001. Edited by Lawrence M. Tierney, Jr., MD, et al. New York: Lange Medical Books/McGraw-Hill, 2001.

Mahan, Kathleen L., and Sylvia Escott-Stump. Krause's Food, Nutrition, and Diet Therapy. 10th ed. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Company, 2000.

The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy. Edited by Mark H. Beers, MD, and Robert Berkow, MD. Whitehouse Station, NJ: Merck Research Laboratories, 1999.

Russell, Percy J., and Anita Williams. The Nutrition and Health Dictionary. New York: Chapman & Hall, 1995.

Sizer, Frances S., and Eleanor N. Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, 7th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1997.

ORGANIZATIONS

Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes. Institute of Medicine (1997) Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

Nutrition Hotline, American Dietetic Association. 216 West Jackson Blvd., Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60606. (800) 366-1655.

Lisa M. Gourley