Minerals

Question 1

What are minerals?

Answer 1

Chemical substances naturally found in food. Needed by our bodies in small amounts every day

Question 2

Are minerals macronutrients or micronutrients?

Answer 2

Micronutrients

Question 3

What are the minerals?

Answer 3

Calcium
Iron
Sodium
Floride
Iodine
Phosphorus

Question 4

What is the main source of calcium?

Answer 4

Dairy
Green leafy vegetables
Fish with soft bones
Enriched soya drinks
Added to most types of flour by law

Question 5

What is calcium’s function in the body?

Answer 5

Main mineral in the body
Laid down in teeth and bones to make them strong
Large percent laid down in bones during adolescence
Needed to make nerves and muscles work properly
Needed to enable blood to clot over a wound following an injury

Question 6

What are the effects of a deficiency of calcium?

Answer 6

Bones and teeth leaked
Rickets or osteomalacia or osteoporosis
Muscles and nerves will not work properly
Blood won’t clot properly

Question 7

What are the effects of an excess of calcium?

Answer 7

Deposited in organs such as kidneys and stop them from working properly

Question 8

What is the main source of fluoride?

Answer 8

Fish and seafood
Some water supplies
Tea

Question 9

What is the function of fluoride?

Answer 9

Strengthen bones and the enamel in the teeth

Prevent tooth decay

Question 10

What are the effects of a deficiency of fluoride?

Answer 10

Weak enamels
More chance of tooth decay

As enamel will not be as strong acid from bacteria in mouth will dissolve more easily

Question 11

What are the effects of an excess of fluoride?

Answer 11

Permanently discoloured teeth

As too much fluoride will affect normal mineralisation of the teeth

Question 12

What is sodium found?

Answer 12

Salt

Question 13

What is the function of sodium in the body?

Answer 13

Controls the amount of water in the body
Control nerves and muscles
Helps body to use energy

Question 14

What are the effects of a deficiency of sodium?

Answer 14

Muscle cramps can be caused by losing salt I sweat or by sickness or diarrhoea

As without sodium to help control nerves muscles will not work properly

Question 15

What are the effects of excess of sodium?

Answer 15

High blood pressure can put pressure on heart and kidneys which will effect how efficiently they work

As excess sodium make the body retain too much water instead of getting rid of it through kidneys
Extra water increases the volume of blood and raises blood pressure as blood has to work harder to pump it around the body

Question 16

Where is iron found?

Answer 16

Red meat, Kidney Liver
Wholemeal bread, added to wheat flour by law
Green leafy vegetables
Egg yolk
Dried apricots, lentils, cocoa , plain chocolate
Curry powder
Fortified breakfast cereals

Question 17

What is the function of iron in the body?

Answer 17

Needed to make haemoglobin of red blood cells to carry oxygen to all body cells

Question 18

What are the effects of a deficiency of iron?

Answer 18

Iron deficiency anaemia, symptoms include:
Tiredness, lack of energy, weakness, pale skin complexion, weak and split nails

As oxygen is needed by body cells, along with glucose, to produce energy during respiration. If deficient in iron there will not be enough oxygen

Question 19

What are the effects of excess of iron?

Answer 19

Poisonous to body

Question 20

What is the function of iodine?

Answer 20

Produce hormone thyroxin, in the thyroid gland in the neck, which controls the metabolic rate of the body

Question 21

Where is iodine found?

Answer 21

Seafood
Vegetables
Milk
Dairy

Question 22

What are the effects of a deficiency of iodine?

Answer 22

Swelling in the neck called a goitre.

Because thyroid gland swells so that there is more chance of picking up iodine passing in the blood stream

If mother deficient, baby may develop cretinism (born with permanent brain damage

Question 23

Where is phosphorus found?

Answer 23

In wide range of food

Question 24

What are the effects of excess or deficiency of phosphorus ?

Answer 24

Rare

Question 25

What is phosphorus function in the body?

Answer 25

Along with calcium, phosphorus mineralises the bones and teeth to make them strong
Essential for energy release and other chemical reactions in the body
Makes up phospholipids , special fat molecules that are found in cell membranes throughout the body, but especially in the brain and nervous system