Minerals: Functions and Sources The body needs many minerals; these are called essential minerals . Essential minerals are sometimes divided up into major minerals (macrominerals) and trace minerals (microminerals). A balanced diet usually provides all of the essential minerals. The two tables below list minerals, what they do in the body (their functions), and their sources. Major minerals Mineral Function Sources Sodium Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, breads, vegetables, and unprocessed meats Chloride Needed for proper fluid balance, stomach acid Table salt, soy sauce; large amounts in processed foods; small amounts in milk, meats, breads, and vegetables Potassium Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction Meats, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes Calciu...
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
ReplyDeleteYour immune system is your first line of defense against infectious diseases, and there are many different ways to boost and improve its function
Zinc is one nutrient that plays a very important role in your immune system’s ability to ward off viral infections, and may play a vastly underrated role in the COVID-19 pandemic
Zinc is vital for healthy immune function and a combination of zinc with a zinc ionophore (zinc transport molecule) was in 2010 shown to block viral replication of SARS coronavirus in cell culture within minutes
Zinc alone is incapable of fully stopping viral replication as it cannot easily enter through the fatty wall of a cell. Getting all the way into the cell is crucial, as this is where the viral replication occurs
The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine appears to work against COVID-19 by improving zinc uptake into cells. Natural zinc ionophores that improve zinc absorption include quercetin and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG)
Foods that commonly contain quercetin include onions, apples, grapes, berries, broccoli, citrus fruits, cherries, tea, and capers
ReplyDeletePossible health benefits of quercetin include:
ReplyDeleteFighting free radicals. Quercetin has antioxidant properties. ...
Reducing inflammation. ...
Reducing the risk of cancer. ...
Preventing neurological diseases. ...
Relieving allergy symptoms. ...
Preventing infections. ...
Reducing the risk of heart disease. ...
Lowering high blood pressure.
Quercetin is a flavonol, which is a sub-category of flavonoids.
ReplyDeleteFlavonoids are a particular chemical in plants, called phytonutrients, and have a wide range of health benefits.
Humans cannot make quercetin in their body, but many fruits, vegetables, and drinks contain it.
Foods and drinks that contain quercetin include:
grapes
berries
cherries
apples
citrus fruits
onions
buckwheat
broccoli
kale
tomatoes
red wine
black tea
Quercetin is also present in herbal remedies, such as ginkgo biloba and St John’s wort. People can also take quercetin as a supplement.
Quercetin is one of the most common and well-researched flavonoids.
Labile zinc, a tiny fraction of total intracellular zinc that is loosely bound to proteins and easily interchangeable, modulates the activity of numerous signaling and metabolic pathways. Dietary plant polyphenols such as the flavonoids quercetin (QCT) and epigallocatechin-gallate act as antioxidants and as signaling molecules. Remarkably, the activities of numerous enzymes that are targeted by polyphenols are dependent on zinc. We have previously shown that these polyphenols chelate zinc cations and hypothesized that these flavonoids might be also acting as zinc ionophores, transporting zinc cations through the plasma membrane. To prove this hypothesis, herein, we have demonstrated the capacity of QCT and epigallocatechin-gallate to rapidly increase labile zinc in mouse hepatocarcinoma Hepa 1-6 cells as well as, for the first time, in liposomes. In order to confirm that the polyphenols transport zinc cations across the plasma membrane independently of plasma membrane zinc transporters, QCT, epigallocatechin-gallate, or clioquinol (CQ), alone and combined with zinc, were added to unilamellar dipalmitoylphosphocholine/cholesterol liposomes loaded with membrane-impermeant FluoZin-3. Only the combinations of the chelators with zinc triggered a rapid increase of FluoZin-3 fluorescence within the liposomes, thus demonstrating the ionophore action of QCT, epigallocatechin-gallate, and CQ on lipid membrane systems. The ionophore activity of dietary polyphenols may underlay the raising of labile zinc levels triggered in cells by polyphenols and thus many of their biological actions.
ReplyDeleteWhat Is Quercetin?
ReplyDeleteQuercetin is a type of flavonoid antioxidant that’s found in plant foods, including leafy greens, tomatoes, berries and broccoli. It’s technically considered a “plant pigment,” which is exactly why it’s found in deeply colored, nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables.
Considered one of the most abundant antioxidants in the human diet, quercetin plays an important part in fighting free radical damage, the effects of aging and inflammation, according to many studies.
While you can get plenty of it from eating a healthy diet, some people also take this compound in concentrated supplement form for even stronger anti-inflammatory effects.
What is quercetin used for? According to the Department of Pathology and Diagnostics at the University of Verona in Italy, quercetin glycosides and other flavonoids, (like kaempferol and myricetin) are “anti-viral, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agents.”
They have potential to be expressed positively in different cell types in both animals and humans.
Flavonoid polyphenols are most beneficial for down-regulating or suppressing inflammatory pathways and functions. Quercetin is considered the most diffused and known nature-derived flavonol there is, showing strong effects on immunity and inflammation caused by leukocytes and other intracellular signals.
How It Works
Research shows that anti-inflammatory foods containing quercetin can help manage a number of inflammatory health problems, including heart disease and blood vessel problems, allergies, infections, chronic fatigue, and symptoms related to autoimmune disorders like arthritis. How exactly do flavonoids benefit us?
It all comes down to high-antioxidant foods‘ ability to be “scavenge free radicals.”
As a major bioflavonoid in our diets, quercetin (a type of “polyphenolic antioxidant”) helps slow the aging progress because it lessens the effects of oxidative stress on the body. Oxidative stress takes place in all of us but is increased by things like a poor diet, high levels of stress, a lack of sleep and exposure to chemical toxins.
Quercetin plays a role in regulating the immune system’s response to outside stressors through cell signaling pathways called kinases and phosphatases, two types of enzyme and membrane proteins needed for proper cellular function.