How to boost your Immunity

Essential Minerals

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...

Scientists discover new role for vitamin C in the eye and the brain

Scientists discover new role for vitamin C in the eye and the brain Nerve cells in the eye require vitamin C in order to function properly -- a surprising discovery that may mean vitamin C is required elsewhere in the brain for its proper functioning, according to a study by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University recently published in the Journal of Neuroscience. "We found that cells in the retina need to be 'bathed' in relatively high doses of vitamin C, inside and out, to function properly," said Henrique von Gersdorff, Ph.D., a senior scientist at OHSU's Vollum Institute and a co-author of the study. "Because the retina is part of the central nervous system, this suggests there's likely an important role for vitamin C throughout our brains, to a degree we had not realized before." The brain has special receptors, called GABA-type receptors, that help modulate the rapid communication between cells in the brain. GABA recep...

Oxygen deficiency rewires mitochondria

Oxygen deficiency rewires mitochondria Mitochondria burn oxygen and provide energy for the body. Cells lacking oxygen or nutrients have to change their energy supply quickly in order to keep growing. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing have now shown that mitochondria are reprogrammed under depleted oxygen and nutrients. Tumours of the pancreas may also use this reprogramming mechanism to keep growing despite reduced nutrient and oxygen levels. The researchers believe that proteins in this newly discovered signaling pathway could be a good target for therapies against pancreatic cancer, for which no drug is currently available. Cells adapt to oxygen deficiency by switching their energy supply to glycolysis, in which sugar is fermented without oxygen. This may be necessary in old age, for example, as the cells in the body are often less supplied with oxygen and nutrients. Also, cancer cells can face this problem, because some tumours have poor blood ...

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