Transcript From the Careers Centre - Health and Human Development

Minerals
A micronutrient
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
The minerals
Important minerals for good nutrition include:
• Calcium
• Iron
• Iodine
• Sodium
• Fluoride
• Phosphorus
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
• There are a number of different minerals
• We need minerals in only small quantities, but they
have very important functions
• Minerals are present in bones, teeth, muscles, soft
tissues, blood, nerve cells
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
• Fruit and vegetables (rich in nutrients
such as minerals) provide a protective
factor for the body
• They help defend against dietary
diseases such as cardiovascular disease,
some cancers and diabetes mellitus
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
• Vitamins and minerals often have an
interrelationship with other nutrients to
help them perform their functions
– e.g. calcium and phosphorus work together
to be deposited into and harden bone
– Vitamin D helps the absorption of calcium
and phosphorus
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Functions of calcium
• Formation, hardening and
maintenance of bones and
teeth. Calcium is stored in
the skeleton, but is not
static
• Nerve and muscle
functioning e.g. heart
• Blood clotting
• Activity of some enzymes
e.g. insulin
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Food sources
• Dairy products, such as
milk, yoghurt and cheese
• Green leafy vegetables
• Fish such as sardines and
salmon
• Calcium absorption is
improved by Vitamin D,
lactose and growth
hormones
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Calcium deficiency
• Muscle cramps
• Heart palpitations
• Numbness in limbs
• Osteoporosis – brittle
and weak bones
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Functions of iron
• Formation of haemoglobin to carry oxygen in the
blood. Most iron in the body is in haemoglobin, but
is also stored in bone marrow, spleen and liver
• Formation of myoglobin which stores oxygen in
muscle cells
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Food sources
• Haem iron (well
absorbed in the body)
– Liver, kidney, beef,
oysters
• Non-haem iron (not
well absorbed in the
body)
– Green leafy vegetable
– Wholegrain cereals
– Legumes and lentils
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Iron deficiency
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•
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Brittle nails
Tiredness
Paleness
Headaches
Decreased attention
span
• Anaemia (lethargy,
tiredness, lack of
energy)
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Functions of iodine
• Formation of thyroxine, a hormone from
the thyroid gland needed to regulate
metabolism
• Extra-cellular fluid
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Food sources
• Seafood
• Iodised table salt,
cooking oils and sauces
• Vegetables
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Iodine deficiency
•
•
•
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Hardening of arteries
Obesity
Sluggish metabolism
Brain damage in the foetus during
pregnancy
• Retardation of growth and
development
• Goitre – enlargement of thyroid
gland
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Image source: lamedicinedouce.com
Functions of sodium
• Transmission of nerve
impulses and muscle
contraction
• Controlling blood
pressure
• Maintains osmotic
pressure and water
balance within the cell
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Food sources of sodium
• Table salt
• Meat
• Takeaway and
processed foods
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Sodium deficiency
• Deficiency is uncommon
• Excess in the diet can
lead to hypertension –
high blood pressure,
which can lead to stroke
and heart attacks
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Function of fluoride
• Strengthens tooth
enamel against dental
caries, especially in
developing teeth
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
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Food sources
• Seafood
• Tea
• Fluoridated water
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Fluoride deficiency
• Weakened tooth
enamel
• Dental caries
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Functions of phosphorus
• Mineralisation
(hardening) of bones
• Energy metabolism
• Balance of body fluids
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Phosphorus food sources
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•
•
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Cereals
Peanuts
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health
Phosphorus deficiency
• Can contribute to rickets in young and
osteomalacia in adults
• Growth retardation
• Bone loss
• Weakness
Area of study 1: Understanding Australia’s health
Unit 3: Australia’s health