Minerals

Minerals are unique in that, unlike other nutrients, they are inorganic. Nevertheless, they work in unison with other organic nutrients (vitamins and energy substrates). An obvious example of this inorganic-organic integration is the well-established relationship between the mineral calcium and vitamin D. Individually these nutrients are essentially useless, but when available together, they work in concert to sustain bone density. Minerals have numerous functions, including the following:

• Adding to the strength and structure of the skeleton, keeping it strong and resistant to fracture.
• Maintaining the relative acidity or alkalinity of the blood and tissue. For athletes, hard physical activity tends to lower the pH level (i.e., increase the relative acidity), so having a healthy system to control acid-base balance is critical for endurance performance.
• Serving as bridges for electrical impulses that stimulate muscular movement. Since all athletic endeavors rely on efficient and effective muscular movement and coordination, this function is critically important.
• Metabolizing cells. Physical activity increases the rate at which fuel is burned. Therefore, the effective control of this fuel burned at the cellular level is necessary for athletic endeavors.

All of these functions are important for athletes. Athletes with low-density bones are at increased risk for stress fractures; poor acid-base balance leads to poor endurance; poor nerve and muscle function results in poor coordination; and altered cell metabolism limits a cell's ability to obtain and store energy.

The established roles of minerals in the development of optimal physical performance include involvement in glycolysis (obtaining energy from stored glucose), lipolysis (obtaining energy from fat), proteolysis (obtaining energy from protein), and the phosphagen system (obtaining energy from phosphocreatine).⁶⁰ Inorganic mineral nutrients are required in the structural composition of hard and soft body tissues. Minerals also participate in the action of enzyme systems, muscle contractions, nerve reactions, and blood clotting. These mineral nutrients, all of which must be supplied in the diet, are of two classes: major elements (macrominerals) and trace elements (microminerals).^{33, 40, 41}

Macrominerals

Microminerals