Minerals & Trace Elements: The Complete Overview

You need around one gram of calcium a day, but only about 0.2 milligrams of iodine – five thousand times less. And yet, without iodine, the thyroid simply won't run smoothly. That's the whole trick behind splitting nutrients into macrominerals and trace elements: it tells you how much your body needs, not how important a nutrient is.

In short: your body needs macrominerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, phosphorus) in milligrams to grams per day. Trace elements (iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium) only in micrograms to a few milligrams. The only difference is the amount – both are absolutely essential. This overview sorts all the key minerals by that logic, explains vividly what each one does in the body, cites the EU-approved functions in their correct wording, and links you through to every in-depth guide.

The Key Points at a Glance

• Macrominerals (high requirement): calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chloride, phosphorus.
• Trace elements (tiny requirement): iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium.
• Minerals are inorganic and heat-stable – unlike many vitamins, they survive cooking, but they leach into the cooking water.
• Almost every mineral has clearly approved functions – from muscle and nerve to the immune system and the thyroid.
• The chemical form (citrate, bisglycinate, gluconate, oxide) also helps determine how well it's absorbed.

What Minerals Do in the Body – Brought to Life

Minerals are inorganic elements that originally come from rock and soil and make their way into our food via plants, water and animal-based foods. In the body they take on three very different jobs. Some are building material: calcium and phosphorus together form the mineral scaffold of bones and teeth – millions of tiny crystals in which collagen fibres are embedded. Others are functional players right in the thick of the action: iron sits in the red blood pigment haemoglobin, where it binds the oxygen it carries through the body; iodine is built directly into the thyroid hormones; magnesium acts as a cofactor and is what switches hundreds of enzymes on in the first place. And a third group works as electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) to regulate fluid balance and the electrical transmission of signals in nerves and muscles – every heartbeat, every muscle contraction runs on these ion currents.

One practical difference from vitamins: minerals are elements and therefore heat-stable – they aren't destroyed during cooking. They do leach into the cooking water, though, which is why it pays to reuse it for soups and sauces rather than pouring it away.

Macromineral or Trace Element? The Only Dividing Line: Quantity

"Trace" by no means means "trivial". For a compact all-in-one look at the small but decisive trace elements, see Trace Elements: Overview & Function. The table below classifies the key minerals – with their approved function and typical sources.

The Most Important Macrominerals

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions, making it one of the most broadly acting minerals of all: it contributes to normal muscle function, to the function of the nervous system, to normal psychological function, to energy metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue – it's no coincidence that it's the most in-demand mineral. Start here: Magnesium Deficiency: Signs and the forms comparison Magnesium: Citrate, Glycinate or Malate?

Calcium is the building material par excellence: it contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and teeth as well as to normal muscle function and to signal transmission between nerve cells – see Calcium: Benefits, Daily Requirement & Sources and Calcium Deficiency: Signs. Potassium is the most important electrolyte inside the cell and contributes to normal blood pressure and normal muscle function – see Potassium: Benefits, Requirement & Blood Pressure, Potassium Deficiency: Signs and Meeting Your Potassium Needs Through Diet. For how calcium and magnesium work together, see Calcium & Magnesium: Together or Apart?

The Most Important Trace Elements

Iron contributes to the normal formation of red blood cells and haemoglobin as well as to oxygen transport – a classic, especially for menstruating women and on a plant-based diet, since plant iron is absorbed less well. Start here: Recognising & Preventing Iron Deficiency, the forms comparison Iron: Bisglycinate vs. Sulfate and the absorption guide Iron: Heme or Non-Heme?

Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system, to the protection of cells from oxidative stress and to the maintenance of normal skin, hair and nails – Zinc: Benefits, Daily Requirement & Deficiency. Iodine and selenium form the thyroid duo: both contribute to normal thyroid function – Iodine: Benefits, Requirement & Thyroid and Selenium: Benefits, Daily Requirement & Form. More in detail: Copper, Manganese, Chromium, Boron, Iodine Deficiency and Selenium Deficiency.

Sodium, Chloride & Phosphorus: The Quiet Macrominerals

Three macrominerals rarely take the spotlight, yet they're constantly at work. Sodium and chloride together make up table salt and, as electrolytes, regulate fluid balance and blood pressure – here, in a Western diet, too much is more of an issue than too little. Phosphorus, together with calcium, is a building material for bones and teeth and is plentiful in protein-rich foods. Because a normal diet almost always supplies enough of these three, they're rarely the focus when it comes to targeted supplementation. For fluid balance overall, it's worth reading Nutrients for Fluid Balance.

Absorption, Form and Combination: What Really Matters in Practice

With minerals, the chemical form strongly determines bioavailability. Organic compounds such as citrates or bisglycinates are often well absorbed and gentle on the stomach, while inorganic forms like oxides contain a lot of the element per capsule but are less soluble. The basics are explained in Bioavailability Simply Explained. Just as important is the interplay: some minerals compete for the same absorption pathways in the gut. That's why it pays to take certain pairs at different times – see Separating Iron & Calcium, Zinc & Copper in Balance and Selenium & Zinc Together? When taking several supplements, a well-thought-out plan helps, as shown in The Right Order When Taking Many Supplements.

When a Closer Look Pays Off: Typical Situations

Mineral requirements are never the same for everyone – they depend heavily on life stage, diet and physical demands. Four everyday scenarios:

• You train intensively or sweat a lot: electrolytes such as magnesium, sodium and potassium are lost through sweat – especially in summer and in endurance sport, see Electrolytes in Summer Heat and Sport, Electrolytes, Magnesium & Potassium.
• You follow a purely plant-based diet: iron from plants is absorbed less well, and zinc, iodine and selenium also deserve a closer look, see Nutrients for Vegans.
• You're over 50: absorption and appetite change – for an overview, see Vital Nutrients After 50.
• Menstruating women: the regular loss of blood noticeably increases iron requirements, see Nutrients for Women.

What Research Is Investigating About Minerals – and What's Established

Unlike with many secondary plant compounds, the role of minerals as essential nutrients is scientifically very well understood – which is why there are numerous EU-approved statements for them. Solid textbook knowledge includes, for example, that iron is a central building block of haemoglobin, that iodine is built into the thyroid hormones, or that magnesium activates hundreds of enzymes as a cofactor. What's actively being researched, by contrast, are the finer points: the optimal intake at particular life stages, the interplay of several trace elements, and how the bioavailability of different compounds differs. So the open question in everyday life is rarely "whether", but "how much for me" – and that's best answered through diet plus, where necessary, targeted supplementation and, when in doubt, a blood test.

An Honest Perspective

A balanced diet covers many minerals well – whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetables and, where appropriate, animal-based foods provide a broad foundation. It's worth paying closer attention above all to iron (women, vegan), iodine (often scarce regionally) and magnesium (with high demands from sport or sweating). The right amount matters, not the maximum: with trace elements like selenium or iodine, the gap between "too little" and "too much" is smaller than with the macrominerals. Targeted, measured supplementation therefore makes more sense than a scattergun approach – and if you suspect a deficiency, seeing a doctor to get it checked makes more sense than guessing.

Matching Products from Scheunengut

You'll find all the individual minerals in the Minerals category and the little helpers under Trace Elements – from Magnesium and Iron to Zinc and Selenium. If you'd like broad coverage, take a look at Multimineral. All supplements are lab-tested and made in Germany.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What's the difference between macrominerals and trace elements?

The only difference is the amount needed. Your body needs macrominerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium in milligrams to grams per day, and trace elements such as iron, zinc, iodine and selenium only in micrograms to a few milligrams. In terms of importance, both are equally indispensable – iodine, for instance, is needed only in tiny amounts but is vital for the thyroid.

Are minerals heat-sensitive like some vitamins?

No. Minerals are chemical elements and therefore heat-stable – they aren't destroyed during cooking. Unlike heat-sensitive vitamins, however, they leach into the cooking water. That's why it pays to reuse the vegetable water for soups and sauces rather than pouring it away.

Which minerals are most likely to be scarce in Germany?

It's worth paying closer attention above all to iron (especially in menstruating women and on a plant-based diet), iodine (often scarce regionally) and magnesium (with high demands from sport or heavy sweating). A varied diet usually covers most other minerals well. If you suspect a deficiency, please have it checked by a doctor.

Why do supplements say citrate, bisglycinate or oxide?

These are different chemical compounds of the same mineral that differ in solubility and tolerability. Organic forms such as citrates or bisglycinates are often well absorbed and gentle on the stomach. Inorganic forms like oxides contain a lot of the element per capsule but are less soluble. Which form suits you depends on the mineral and your personal tolerance.