Iron is a chemical element that is silver-white in pure form, but rusts easily. It is found in all living organisms, and while it is perhaps best known for its role in hemoglobin formation, iron plays extremely important roles in numerous other biological processes. This article contains a list of iron’s principle functions in the human body, and ends with a guide to our recommended daily intake. What Iron Does for Us Forms hemoglobin –…
Calcium is the most abundant element by mass in many animals, and the fifth most abundant element by mass in humans. Indeed, calcium forms two percent of a human adult’s body weight; most of this calcium is found in the skeleton and the teeth, although some is also stored in the tissues and blood. While most people understand on some level that calcium plays an important role in bone and tooth health, in reality it…
Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that fights the damaging effects of free radicals, thereby repairing, nourishing, and rejuvenating our hair, nails, and skin. Unlike many other vitamins, vitamin E is not fat soluble, meaning that we need a constant supply of it from external sources because our bodies cannot store it themselves. According to research, the average adult of both sexes need approximately 22.4 international units (15 micrograms) of vitamin E per day. Undoubtedly…
Protein is the name given to a group of large, complex molecules that form the basis of tissues in living organisms. These groups, which consist of one or more long chains of amino acid residues, perform a huge number of essential roles in our bodies, including aiding the growth and repair of cells, maintaining immune function, and much more. When we are deficient in protein, we begin to suffer from fatigue, slow healing, muscle atrophy,…
Antioxidants are substances that guard your cells against the effects of free radicals – an oxygen molecule that has lost an electron and will, in an attempt to stabilize itself, try and steal an electron from a neighboring molecule. Free radicals are produced when our bodies break down food, but also by exposure to radiation, cigarette smoke, and other external issues. Either way, they are not something we want in our bodies; they can cause…
