<<Since the trace minerals group includes over 50 chemical elements,
scientists further subdivide this group into three categories, to separate
the minerals that are important in health from others that are in our bodies
just because they are in the environment and probably have no special role.
The first category is the essential trace minerals. These are minerals that
are required in the diet for full health, and when the intake is
insufficient, symptoms of deficiency will arise. They include nine known to
be essential: zinc, copper, selenium, chromium, manganese, molybdenum,
iodine, fluoride, and cobalt. About 10 more minerals are thought to be
essential but the full proof is not yet in; these are arsenic, boron,
bromium, cadmium, lead, lithium, nickel, silicon, tin, and vanadium. >>

By:
Clare E. Casey, Ph.D., Nutrition Scientist
F8, 95 Maitland Street,
Dunedin, New Zealand