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Mineral Supplements are Crucial to Optimal Health 26 August 2010

A study published in the February 2009 edition of the Journal of HortScience and discussed in the February 17, 2009 Time magazine has found that the average vegetable found in todays supermarket is 5-40% lower in minerals such as magnesium, iron, calcium and zinc than those of 50 years ago. This is due to:

• Over-farming of soils
• The “genetic dilution effect” (in which selective breeding to increase crop yield has led to declines in protein and minerals)
• Breeders select for high carbohydrate yield.
• The growing use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides has led to modern crops being harvested faster than before. This means they have less time to absorb nutrients from the soil.

Take home message: everyone should be supplementing with minerals if they want optimal health. I prefer minerals from nature which contain all the trace minerals in ratios that nature intended. This avoids imbalances of minerals that may occur with selective mineral supplementation and ensures maximal absorption.

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