Cadmium in food

Cadmium is a soft, ductile, silver-white metal that belongs together with zinc and mercury to group IIb in the Periodic Table. It has relatively low melting (320.9 °C) and boiling (765 °C) points and a relatively high vapor pressure.

Food is the primary source of cadmium exposure among general population as a consequence of the bio-concentration of cadmium from soil. Chronic cadmium exposure has been reported to be associated with chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Cadmium is toxic to the kidney, while exposure to high levels of tin from, e.g. canned food in incorrectly manufactured tins can cause gastrointestinal irritation and upsets.

According to the current knowledge kidney damage (renal tubular damage) is probably the critical health effect. Other effects of cadmium expo-sure are disturbances of calcium metabolism, hypercalciuria and formation of stones in the kidney.

It has also been associated with lung damage (including induction of lung tumours) and skeletal changes in occupationally exposed populations. Cadmium is relatively poorly absorbed into the body, but once absorbed is slowly excreted, like other metals, and accumulates in the kidney causing renal damage.

Cadmium is used to produce a wide variety of consumer and industrial materials, such as electrode in Ni-Cd batteries; pigments for plastics, ceramics, and glasses; stabilizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC); coatings for steel and nonferrous metals; solar cells and electronic devices, and constituent of fungicides or fertilizers.

Drinking-water contains very low concentrations of cadmium, usually in the range 0.01–1 μg/liter.

For nonsmokers, food constitutes the principal environmental source of cadmium. The lowest concentrations are found in milk (around 1 μg/kg). The concentration of cadmium is in the range 1-50 μg/kg in meat, fish and fruit and 10-300 μg/kg in staple foods such as wheat, rice and potatoes.

The highest cadmium levels (100-1000 μg/kg) are found in the internal organs (kidney and liver) of mammals and in certain species of mussels, scallops and oysters. When grown on a cadmium-polluted soil, some crops, such as rice, can accumulate considerable amounts of cadmium (more than 1000 μg/kg).

Cadmium in food

Yanomami and hypertension

Statistical connections between elevated blood pressure and stress have been made for a number of human populations.

Yanomami are the tribes of roughly twenty thousand Amazonian Indians living in 200 to 250 villages along the border between Venezuela and Brazil. The yanomami diet consists of locally grown crops, nuts, insects, fish and game. It contains less than a gram of salt a day, the lowest salt intake recorded for any population.

Cultivation of crops accounts for about 80% of Yanomami food grown in a series of ‘garden’ usually about 5 hectares in size which are cleared from the forest not far from the Yano.

The Yanomami have very low average blood pressure and no hypertension. Studying the salt intake and blood pressure of the Yanomami and 51 other populations around the globe helped to establish a relationship between salt intake and hypertension; diets that are high in salt are associated with an increased incidence of hypertension.

The findings in the Yanomami population were as follows: a very low urinary sodium excretion (0.9 mmol/24h); mean systolic and diastolic BP levels of 95.4 mmHg and 61.4 mmHg, respectively; no cases of hypertension or obesity; and they have no knowledge of alcoholic beverages. Their BP levels do not elevate with age. The urinary sodium excretion relates positively and the urinary potassium excretion relates negatively to systolic BP (Arq Bras Cardiol, volume 80 (nº 3), 295-300, 2003).
Yanomami and hypertension

Dietary sources of zinc

Food sources vary widely in their zinc content.  Significant variations can occur in zinc intakes when foods are selected on the basis of energy needs, e.g. higher energy sources like fats, oils, sugar, and alcohol are rather poor source of zinc.

Approximately 70% of the zinc consumed by most people in the United States is provided by animal products, especially meat.

In animal foods such beef and pork, the fat tissue contains much less than the muscle tissue. Dark red meat generally has higher zinc content than white meat and fish muscle tissue has lower zinc content than meat.

Whole grains, pork, eggs, dairy products, nuts, beans, lentils, chickpeas and peas contain moderate concentrations of zinc.

Egg yolk, not egg white, is particularly rich in zinc whereas milk tends to be middle range as a food source.

One liter of milk, for example, conations only about 2 mg of zinc, which means that a person must consume 5 quartz in order to meet the daily zinc requirement.

Poor sources of zinc include fish, butter and fats. White bread contains little zinc, as milling removes the zinc-rich bran and germ portions of grains. Fruit and vegetables also are considered good sources of zinc because the zinc in plant foods is not as readily available for use by the body.
Dietary sources of zinc

Food sources of copper

The copper content of the human body ranges from about 50 to 150 mg. Copper (Cu) is present in two forms: its oxidized cupric form and its reduced cuprous form.

Copper is a cofactor for enzymes involved in a wide variety of processes, such as ATP production and protection from free radical-induced oxidative damage.

Superoxide dismutase is a copper dependent enzyme that protects cell membranes against peroxidative damage by superoxide radicals generated during inflammation.

Copper is widely distributed in nature, both in plants and animals. It appears that the copper content of plants is not influenced significantly by the soil.

The copper content of food varies widely, reflecting the origin of the food and the condition under which the food was produced, handled and prepared for used.

Although organ meats, such as liver, are likely the best sources of copper, it is also found in shellfish, whole grains products, mushrooms, nuts and legumes.

Dried fruits also a good source of copper.

Recommended dietary copper allowances range from 340 ug per day for 1 to 3 years old children to 1300 ug per day for lactating woman.
Food sources of copper

Mineral analysis of food

Mineral analysis is a valuable model for understanding the basic structure of analysis procedures to separate and measure.

Fruits and vegetables, and their products like any other foods contain organic matter which must be destroyed prior to the estimation of minerals.

To determine the total mineral content in a food, the ashing procedure is usually the method of choice. Dry ashing or wet digestion is generally used for the destruction of organic matter.  Wet digestion with acids is the most common technique used for decomposition of organic matter, especially food material. Wet ashing is normally for a high fat content such as meat products or for preparation for elemental analysis.

To completely destroy the organic matrices, the addition of stronger oxidizing agents, such as hydrogen peroxide is sometimes necessary.

The final determination of inorganic components in foods is done by spectrophotometric methods including absorption spectrometry (AAS) and atomic emission spectrometry (AES) using flame, inductively coupled plasma or an electro-thermal device for atomization.

Atomic emission spectrometry differs from atomic absorption spectroscopy in that the source of the radiation is in fact the expected atoms or ions in the sample rather than an external source has in part taken over.

Atomic emission spectrometry does have the advantages with regards to sensitivity, interference and multi-element analysis.
Mineral analysis of food

Functions of boron in human

Boron is found in a variety of foods. Beer, cider and wine make a respectable contribution of human boron intake. Boron appears in foods primarily as sodium borate and boric acid, two forms that seem to be readily absorbed.

The human requirement for boron is estimated to be between 0.3 and 1 milligram per day - an amount easily consumed though a normal diet.

Boron is found in many tissues; however, bone contains the most. Boron has been shown to replace iron in some of its functions, particularly in the healing of wounds.

Boron appears to either directly or indirectly affect the metabolism of calcium in bone and influence the composition and strength of bone.

In situations where the body receives an adequate supply of calcium but has deficient magnesium resources, boron seems to actively substitute for magnesium during the process of bone formation.

Boron needs are increased during a vitamin D deficiency.

Boron has the ability to reduce the urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium. It preserve calcium in the body, while decreasing urinary losses of calcium, through its actions on the kidneys.

Functions of boron in human

Major minerals sources

Minerals often are grouped as major minerals and trace minerals. Human need more than 100 mgs per day of each major minerals.

Food sources of minerals are just as diverse. Although often associate mineral with animal foods, such as meats and milk, plant foods are important sources as well.

Plant foods can be excellent sources of several minerals, but the mineral content of plants can vary dramatically depending on the minerals in the soil where plats are found.

Some of the major minerals constituents, especially monovalent species, are present in foods as soluble salts and mostly in ionized form.

This applies, for example, to the cations sodium and potassium and the anions chloride.

Metals are often present in the form of chelates. Chelates are metal complexes formed by coordinate covalent bonds between a ligand and a metal cation; the ligand in a chelates two or more coordinate covalent binds to the metals.

Example of chelate ring system is chlorophyll. Other example of food components that can be considered metal chelates are hemoglobin and myoglobin, vitamin B12, and calcium caseinate.

Neither can minerals be destroyed by heat, air, acid or mixing, In fact, the ash that remains when a food is burned contains all the minerals that were in the food originally. Mineral can be lost from food only when they leach into cooking water that is then poured down the drain.

Major minerals are include: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, potassium and sulfur.
Major minerals sources

Food Sources of Cadmium

Humans take in cadmium through the respiratory system or the stomach – it collects in the liver, pancreas and kidneys.

Symptoms of food poisoning include shortness of breath, bronchitis, renal malfunctions and if exposures is excessive, death.

While cadmium is found in most foodstuff, this is normally at very low levels, unless contamination has occurred.

Whole foods have a more desirable ratio of cadmium to zinc than refined foods such as white flour, white rice and sugar.

Coffee, tea and shellfish are other dietary sources of cadmium.

Cadmium levels are typically higher in people that eat excessive amounts of carbohydrates. It means that consumptions of fats or refined foods that are low in nutrients increase the body’s cadmium levels.

Cadmium in foods results mainly from the food processing and refining; in drinking water, from areas of “soft” water lacking in minerals such as calcium and magnesium, as well as from water piping; and in air from industrial pollutants.

Daily intakes by human adults have been estimated to be 25 to 60 mg/day. About 5% of dietary cadmium is absorbed.
Food Sources of Cadmium

Food Sources of Mineral

Food Sources of Mineral
Foods from both plants and animals are sources of minerals. Generally speaking, animal tissue contains minerals in the proportions that the anima needs, so animal-derived foods are more reliable mineral sources.

Plant foods can be excellent sources of several minerals, but the mineral content of plants can vary dramatically depending on the minerals in the soil where the plants are found. Even the maturity of a vegetable fruit or grain can influence its mineral content.

Because actual mineral content varies so much, the values published in food composition tables can be misleading. Often this values are omitted.

Like plant foods, drinking water has variable mineral content. Nevertheless, it sometimes can be significant source of minerals like sodium, magnesium and fluoride.

Minerals are also added to food intentionally during processing. Sodium is added to soups and crackers as a flavour enhancer; iron is added to enriched grain products, and calcium, iron, and other minerals are typically added to fortified breakfast cereals.
Food Sources of Mineral

Minerals in General

Minerals in General
Minerals are the constituents which remain as ash after the combustion of plant and animals tissues. Minerals are divided into:

• Main elements

• Trace elements

• Ultra trace elements

The main elements (Nam, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, P) are essential for human beings in amounts >50 mg/day. Sulfur also belongs to this group.

Trace elements (Fe, I, F, Zn, Se, Cu, Mn, Cr, Mo, Co, Ni) are essential in concentrations of <50 mg/day; their biochemical actions have been elucidated.

Ultra – trace element (Al, As, Ba, Bi, B, Br, Cd, Cs, Ge, Hg, Li, Pb, Rb, Sb, Si, Sm, Sn, Sr, TI, Ti, W) are elements whose essentially has been tested in animal experiments over several generations and deficiency symptoms have been found these extreme conditions.

For one of these elements, if it is possible to detect a biochemical function in a vital tissue or organ, the element is assigned to the trace elements.

Main and trace elements have very varied functions, e.g., as electrolytes, as enzymes constituents and a building materials, e.g., in bones and teeth.

The importance of minerals as food ingredients depends not only on their nutritional and physiological roles. They contribute to food flavor and activate or inhibit enzymes- catalyzed and other reactions and they affect the texture of food.
Minerals in General

Deficiency of Chromium

Deficiency of Chromium
Researchers estimate that two out of every three Americans are hypoglycemic, pre-hypoglycemic or diabetic. The ability to maintain normal blood sugar levels is jeopardized by the lack of chromium in our soil and water supply and by a diet high in refined white sugar, flour and junk foods. A number of human and animal studies have found that chromium supplements can improves insulin sensitivity and blood sugar in the face of insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar levels, impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes.

A deficiency of chromium can lead to anxiety, fatigue, glucose intolerance, (particularly in people with diabetes), inadequate metabolism of amino acids and an increased risk of arthrosclerosis. Excessive intake (the level depends upon individual tolerance) can lead to chromium toxicity, which has been associated with dermatitis, gastrointestinal ulcers, and kidney and liver impairment.

Supplemental chromium is best absorbed by the body when it is taken in a form called chromium picolinate (chromium chelated with picolinate, a naturally occurring amino acid metabolite). Picolinate enables chromium to readily enter into the body’s cells, where the mineral can then help insulin do its job much more effectively.
Deficiency of Chromium

Mineral Overview

A number of minerals or elements are required for normal body functions. Certain mineral matters are indispensable to the growth of the body; the chief of these are water, common salt and certain commons of calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium and potassium; also chlorine which is present in common salt and sulphur, phosphorus and silicon.

Minerals are unlike other nutrients in that they consist of single atoms and carry a charge in solution.

The properties of being charge carried by minerals allows them to combine with other minerals to form stable complexes in bone teeth, cartilage and other tissues.

Iron is required, since it is an essential part of both the blood pigment, hemoglobin, and muscle pigment, myoglobin. Some body enzymes also have composites that include iron.

Iron absorption occurs following entry of iron into the intestinal mucosa cell through the brush border membrane.

Deficiencies of iron cause anemia. Liver, animal muscle tissues, eggs, oats meal, wheat flour, cocoa, and chocolate are good source of iron. Approximately 10.0 mg of iron are required daily.

In human iodine is a component of the hormone, thyroxine, produced by the thyroid gland. This hormone regulates metabolic levels.

Deficiency of iodine leads to low level metabolism, lethargy, and goiter. Requirements of iodine are believed to be about 0.1 mg daily. Sea food and salt water fish are the beat sources of iodine.

Iodine deficiency can be especially harmful in unborn babies and young children because the brain is developing at these stages of life.

Iodine deficiency can cause mental retardation or death in newborns and infants.

In areas where the water is known to be deficient in iodine, iodized table salt may be used in place of regular table salt.

The World Health Organization recommends that iodized salt contains one molecule of iodine for every 100,000 salt molecules.

In United States, iodized salt contains one iodine molecule in every 10,000 molecules of salt.
Mineral Overview

Mineral in General

Minerals are naturally occurring and it enter human body naturally as components of food and to a lesser extent, water.

Minerals that are needed in relatively large amounts are referred to as major or macrominerals. Others that are need in very small amounts are referred to as trace minerals or microminerals.

Macrominerals are:
Calcium
Phosphorus
Magnesium
Sodium
Chloride
Potassium
Sulfur
Iron

Other traces element or microminerals needed by human body:
Cobalt
Copper
Iodine
Manganese
Molybdenum
Fluoride
Selenium
Zinc
Chromium
Nickel, Silicon, Tin and Vanadium
Boron
Lead
Arsenic
Bromine
Germanium
Lithium
Rubidium


Mineral in the diet come from both plant and animal sources. Some minerals are present as functioning components of the plant or animals and are therefore present in consistent amounts.

Minerals are key players in many body processes and raw diets provide rich sources of these nutrients.

The bulk of the total mineral content of the human body is represented by the skeletal minerals.

Lesser amounts of minerals are constituents of essential molecules such as thyroxine and hemoglobin, or exist as free ions, or more frequently are loosely bound to proteins and other substance in the body tissues.

Activation of cellular enzyme systems, the critical pH of the body fluids necessary for the control of metabolic reactions, and the osmotic balance between the cells and its environment all largely depend on the mineral elements present in the cellular medium.

For some minerals, such as sodium, body absorb almost all that is present in the food, but for others absorption happened only for a small percentage.

Eating organic foods can supply increased amounts of certain minerals. Organic crops provide significantly more iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin C.

Scientists reported vegetables and fruits deliver extremely good value in terms of the nutrients (such as calcium, iron and magnesium) delivered.
Mineral in General