Do you know what the dietary elements in our body are? We have four main elements plus trace elements. Learn more about several examples of the roles of trace elements! #stemvee
[Image Description: Afro-Latino brown-skinned man wears a dark violet V-neck-long sleeve shirt, has a small spiky-afro hairstyle, and has a beard with a tiny patch of hair in the center of his chin (soul patch). The background is white.
2:44 – 2:50: An image of a glandular and yellow organ, the pancreas, is located behind the stomach and liver. The gallbladder is a small, green, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The liver, stomach, and tan body diagrams are fading transparent.
3:30 – 3:40: An image of a corrin ring with a Cobalt atom in the center, the only metal in the molecule, positioned right in the center of the structure by four coordinated bonds of nitrogen from four pyrrole groups.
3:47 – 4:03: image of a neuron cell. Dark pink in the spikes along with circular cells labeled dendrite. The light pink body along with the grey circle with dark spots is labeled cell body. The elongated portion of the neuron is labeled the axon. Pink coverage on the axon labeled myelin sheath. The pink spark of microscopic gaps that separate the terminal buttons of one neuron from receptors (usually, located on the dendrites) of another neuron is labeled a synapse.]
Transcript: Hello! Did you know there are 96-98% of the body makes up of 4 key elements? They are oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen. All of them are gas, similar to space/universe. The human body is majorly made of gas. That is interesting to you, isn’t it? Does your body only need 4 elements for food intake on a daily basis? No, there have been more than 4 elements. This is called a dietary element, which means the body needs more elements than 4 key elements. You may want to know how many elements the human body has. In the beginning, the research investigated and collected data from the world based on the geographic location, culture & customs, and food system. The world is vast. Ultimately, there are 102 elements exposed in the body. Does that mean the human body has to meet all 102 elements for keeping it healthy and energy productions?! Another analysis studied the data and determined that 25 elements are the most common and have a useful function/role. 30,40,50 or 100 elements have an unclear understanding of what it is doing in the human body. Even though some elements have no functional purpose and still exist in the body. 10,12-15 elements are trace elements. They are very heavy metals and toxic if either excessive or lacking consumption has occurred. However, they are powerful protectors and make a huge difference in the body as long as it has a small amount. It usually is less than 1% volume, and even some trace elements exist with less than 0.01% volume. Tiny amounts of trace elements are impactful on the body, energy production, and hormonal signals. Let’s use three trace elements as examples. First, Chromium (Cr) is located in the pancreas. The pancreas as an organ operates the glucose-insulin regulation. When an excessive level of glucose occurs, the pancreas secretes and releases more insulin to break glucose down. The organ is also responsible for releasing glucose once the level of glucose is low. The pancreas ensures the glucose-insulin level to maintain equilibrium. Cr plays a big role in the facilitation (make it happen or pause) of glucose-insulin regulation, the concentration of Cr is tiny as well. Second, Cobalt (Co) is a heavy metal element that has been found in two parts. It is in the vitamin B12, where it must be centered and holds all multi-chemical compounds. Neuron cells act to carry and receive pieces of information. The axon, an elongated portion of the neuron, needs a protective membrane. The membrane covers an axon called the myelin sheath. It contains cobalt ions. Co ensures myelin sheath is healthy. Without Co, it definitely will be degraded. Lastly, Cooper (Cu) is found in blood, bone development, etc. Cu has many roles. The color of blood is red due to Cu. In addition, Cu supports bone development by involving hormonal signals in bone mineral density for growth. Overall, all heavy metal ions are tiny. Excessive consumption of heavy metal ions causes toxicity while deficiency will cause functional collapse. The amount of each is restricted and precise. Do all 25 elements stay in one place? The elements travel through catabolism and anabolism, essentially a metabolic system. Until then, the body metabolically eliminates the element by urine or feces once it is finished. Elements do have risk involved within the body. Some elements become trapped in the body due to heaviness and no metabolic system available. It ends up going to storage and building up toxicity. Eventually, it causes cancer. The dietary elements are circulating in the body. However, how does it work once you ingest foods? Imagine, how the chemical compound can become separate in the body work? Sodium chloride (NaCl) salt, for example, is an ionic compound that involves cation (+) and anion (-). The majority of all metal ions have cations (positive charge), so they need an opposite attraction which is an anion (negative charge). They are companions as ionic compounds, not attached. Once NaCl touches the tongue, it will be separated into independent elements due to the water from saliva. Chloride ions will join other organs for cellular function, energy production, or the stomach. Sodium ions will go to nerve signals and muscle movement. Once these elements arrive at the end destination, they will go to either urine or feces for waste.
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