Zinc, selenium and other essential minerals offer multiple benefits during a pandemic and beyond.
As noted in this month’s Association News (page 20), this past September, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) released the results of its 2020 CRN Survey, which noted that 98 percent of supplement users reported using the combination of vitamins and minerals.
What is also worth referencing is CRN’s COVID-19 survey, a separate survey that was released in August. Among various topics, it dove into the top 10 supplements that increased in use during the pandemic, such as zinc, calcium, iron and magnesium, which increased by 17, 16, 15 and 14 percent respectively.
What do they all have in common? These four happen to be minerals.
Mineral supplements offer myriad benefits to retailers and ultimately consumers, which is reflected by the current market and reliable scientific data.
Proper Product Development
Karyn McCarthy, vice president of sales and marketing for California-based ChildLife Essentials, who offers Liquid Calcium with Magnesium among other products catered for children, noted the guidelines that her company follows when developing these supplements:
• Mouthfeel (particle size): Mineral products can be chalky. We want to ensure that the finished product is smooth and palatable for children to enjoy.
• Ensure good consistency
• Mineral forms with research supporting optimal absorption rates
• Maximizing the amount of mineral that can be delivered in small serving sizes
• Taste/flavor: Minerals tend to be bland tasting, so we enhance them with natural flavors.
• Best delivery format: We find the best delivery format for children mineral products to be liquid.
• Dosage: Need adjustable dosage to ensure that younger kids and older kids are getting the amount they need
Having a successful mineral supplement begins with the proper delivery system that meets expectations—the “best delivery format,” as McCarthy noted.
“In one word, absorption. A mineral or other nutraceutical that is not readily bioavailable and cannot be assimilated into the biochemical milieu of the human body has failed before it has left the gate, regardless of its molecular structure or homage to its name,” said Dr. Chris D. Meletis, naturopathic physician and director of science & research for Utah-based Trace Minerals, which offers Flavored ConcenTrance, a naturally flavored concentrate containing magnesium, among other ingredients. “At Trace Minerals, we have had success with delivery systems that are easy and convenient to take like single-serving packeted powders, effervescent tablets, chewable tablets and gummies.”
Delivery systems are also an important factor to consider due to the minerals’ sizes.
“Because minerals are bulky compounds, they often require larger dosage forms (caplets or capsules) or multiple doses to maintain adequate quantities,” explained Jennifer Weinhardt, BS, MS, senior research & development specialist with Texas-based Bluebonnet Nutrition. “For example, getting the recommended dose for calcium and magnesium may require up to four caplets per serving size. Liquid and chewable formulas are becoming increasingly popular in the marketplace today because they offer better flavor, greater ease of administration, increased compliance and, most importantly, enhanced digestibility when compared to capsules or caplets. The absorption rate is much faster with a liquid or chewable formula. Capsules and caplets typically take between 30 to 45 minutes to break down—the disintegration/dissolution time set by the U.S. Pharmacopeia—whereas chewables and liquids are assimilated at a much faster rate. Consumers that have difficulty swallowing are also looking for a more natural way to bridge the nutrient gaps in their diets, and this leads to improved compliance.”
Bluebonnet has recently launched several alternative delivery systems for mineral products (liquids and powdered beverages) to help increase consumer compliance and thus help the consumer maintain adequate quantities of these essential nutrients. “To name a few,” Weinhardt continued, “we now offer Simply Calm Magnesium Powder (available in unflavored, cherry, orange citrus and raspberry lemon flavors) as well as Liquid Magnesium Citrate in a natural mixed berry flavor. Both are formulated with 420 mg elemental magnesium per serving in different forms so the consumer can choose which works best for them. We also recently launched Liquid Bone Support in a natural blueberry flavor formulated with calcium, magnesium, and vitamins D3 and K2 for optimal bone health.”*
Minerals’ Role
As noted by the CRN COVID-19 Survey, zinc is quite popular among consumers for immune support—however, selenium and copper should not go unnoticed.
“Zinc is very popular now due to its role in immune health, among some 100 biochemical roles, according to the National Institutes of Health,” said Neil E. Levin, CCN, DANLA, senior nutrition education manager with Illinois-based NOW. “The NIH (National Institutes of Health) has reported, ‘Severe zinc deficiency depresses immune function, and even mild to moderate degrees of zinc deficiency can impair macrophage and neutrophil functions, natural killer cell activity and complement activity. The body requires zinc to develop and activate T-lymphocytes. Individuals with low zinc levels have shown reduced lymphocyte proliferation response to mitogens and other adverse alterations in immunity that can be corrected by zinc supplementation.’
“Selenium is another mineral with a role in immunity,” Levin added. “Oxidative stress has been linked to decreased immune response, as well as increased viral aggressiveness. Both zinc and selenium are minerals with antioxidant roles, along with copper, so these multivitamin components are also used separately in attempts to maintain optimal immune response and discourage undesirable organisms from sensing that signal of inadequate immune defenses.”
Glenn MacEachern, executive director of product development for Florida-based Life Extension, which offers Only Trace Minerals, was in agreement with Levin, pointing out that zinc and magnesium have been quite relevant given the current pandemic. But lithium is also starting to come to light.
“… Zinc and magnesium have both benefited due to their health benefits for immune (zinc) and stress and sleep (magnesium) in light of COVID-19,” he noted. “Also, there has been a reemergence on information for lithium. Lithium [is] long known for its support for mood enhancement but has recently seen expansion for its support as a senolytic and for cognitive health.”
Market Status
While COVID-19 has increased supplement use, especially mineral supplements, branded product manufacturers are looking closely at the reasons why.
“According to a report entitled ‘Global Market Study on Mineral Supplements: Pharmaceutical to be the largest segment by 2020’ by Persistence Market Research, the global mineral supplements market is expected to grow to $14.5 million in 2020, up from $7.3 million in 2013,” said Weinhardt. “That said, 2020 has nearly come and gone, and we imagine this number will increase even more so. But why? Namely, at present, three underlying currents give rise to the growing mineral market at this swift pace: global awareness, essentiality/functionality and micronutrient depleted food supply. The global pandemic has raised the awareness of dietary supplements beyond our imagination. Sales for zinc, selenium, calcium and magnesium have increased as much as 845 percent compared to last years’ sales. These numbers are striking. At Bluebonnet, mineral sales have always been consistently strong; it is a top-selling category for the brand. This growth is partly because of the growing concerns for good health, but also, dietary minerals are essential nutrients that must be consumed from the diet. The busy, stressful lifestyles of Americans, in combination with the typical Western diet, create the perfect storm for inadequate intake of nutrients, particularly minerals. This is because they serve many life-sustaining functions in the body and can support optimal health when supplemented.
“Lastly,” Weinhardt continued, “there is a rising need for mineral supplementation as a result of changes in farming practices. A paper written by the Nutrition Security Institute in 2006, describes that in the U.S. and throughout the world, topsoil mineral content has been depleted. This depletion is due to many factors, particularly erosion, nitrogen fertilizers and other farming practices (e.g., lack of rotational cropping). These factors not only rob the topsoil of mineral content but also of soil organisms that contribute to the formation of nutrient-dense crops. Foods grown on soils that are depleted of minerals do not contain adequate levels to maintain human health. Research shows that mineral content comparison from soils today and those from 100 years ago have been depleted by 85 percent of their mineral content. Unless farming practices change and growers replenish the mineral content of their soils, harvested foods will continue to decrease in nutrient content.”
In terms of sales, magnesium is expected to make a major surge.
“The minerals market is growing with current development driven by zinc, as consumers look for immune support in the recent wake of COVID-19 and magnesium with growing research on the health benefits provided by the mineral,” MacEachern said. “Calcium is still the giant in the category, but sales have remained flat and are expected to be superseded by magnesium in the upcoming years.”
Although popular products tend to come and go, scientific evidence backing mineral supplements is enduring.
“The nutraceutical market will always have ‘trends,’ ‘fads’ and ‘yesterday’s news,’ yet when it comes to minerals, there is a constant stream of scientific literature demonstrating the importance of minerals as the structural foundation of the very essence of human physiology, health, and optimized quality and quantity of life,” Meletis stated. His viewpoint on the most popular mineral differed from that of MacEachern, saying that “Clearly, as we have seen with the 2020 pandemic, zinc is the ‘poster child’ for minerals in all forms. It has received so much attention and most online and retail establishments have experienced back orders for extended periods of time. However, magnesium with 300-plus dependent enzyme reactions, is a constant reminder of our very existence and sustenance from the salts of the earth.”
And given the current circumstances that Meletis was alluding to, the mineral sector has remained rather firm in recent months.
“Overall, since the start of the pandemic, the mineral category has stayed steady and consistent,” said Dianna Singh, owner of both Elk Grove Vitamins and Cameron Park Vitamins in Elk Grove and Cameron Park, CA respectively. “I personally don’t see it softening anytime soon. We are heading into flu season with the same rules. The positive of all this? Many new customers every day, are beginning a new regimen for themselves and their family.”
Focusing on Research
To Weinhardt, mineral chelation, a process that helps improve absorption, is where the effectiveness of mineral supplementation began.
“I would argue that mineral chelation, while not a recent advancement—the process was first developed and perfected by Albion Minerals in 1956—was and is by far the most innovative scientific breakthrough regarding mineral supplementation,” she said. “Minerals are bulky elements and are not easily absorbed by the body; the best way to absorb them is to take them in the form of an amino acid chelate. Albion Minerals has developed a patented process that replicates the body’s natural chelation process using amino acids—essentially turning inorganic minerals into highly bioavailable organic molecules. This process attaches a bulky mineral to an amino acid, dipeptide or tripeptide, and forms it into an amino acid chelate (AAC), which is then absorbed via active transport in the small intestine. AACs result from the reaction of a metal ion with amino acids at two or more separate sites to form coordinate covalent bonds creating an aromatic ring structure. In other words, minerals are absorbed along with amino acids as a single unit utilizing the amino acids as carrier molecules. This produces a stable and tolerable compound that is easily absorbed and strong enough to survive the pH of the gut, but weak enough to be utilized once absorbed. At this point, they are essentially whole food nutrition since you have not only the benefit of the minerals but also the amino acids.”
Trace Minerals is a proponent of searching for the proper combination minerals in nature, which offer a multitude of internal benefits for the human body.
“Naturally occurring minerals are most often found in nature as synergistic blends. The human body and all living organisms require a multitude of macro, micro and trace minerals,” said Meletis. “Even in 2020, researchers are still finding unique properties of macro and trace minerals that further validate the interplay and regulatory functions of minerals as an aggregate within the body. Benefits range from pH balance, calcification of bones, and critical co-factors for the creation and maintenance of micro-environments (ecologies) in organs, microflora and tissues throughout the body.”
NOW, which has its Colloidal Minerals Liquid among other products, looks at clinical research concerning the form of a mineral compound offered to assure that it has biological usefulness. Precisely, this includes bioavailability, patent claims, heavy metal load, distribution in the body, potential health benefits shown in human clinical trials, and how the body processes and eliminates the compound. The company even pointed that over the years, the functions of minerals have continued to develop, due to research that has taken place.
“We understand that each mineral has a range of uses in our bodies,” Levin concluded. “Magnesium has over 300 (360 was a recent estimate) known biochemical roles, including the conversion of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) to EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and omega-6 fatty acids to AA (arachidonic acid). Zinc has over 200 biological actions. Continuing research tries to parse the distinctions between various mineral forms. How do calcium carbonates compare to calcium citrates? Surprisingly to most people, the carbonate absorbs better when both forms are taken in equal doses in water equalized at the same pH; however, the citrate tends to be more bioavailable after gastric bypass reduces the influence of our stomach acid.
“This highlights the way that minerals are normally extracted from foods, digested/processed, and absorbed and distributed in the body. The process of removing minerals from a food matrix where these elements are held by bonds to what we call anti-nutrients as chelators typically requires good stomach acid. Once the acid cleaves the strong attachment of the mineral to a food compound, the mineral is free to recombine with a weak low-molecular weight acid that is also isolated from the foods during digestion. Minerals tend to form stable compounds with either other minerals or elements (carbon, oxygen or chlorine to form carbonates, oxides or chlorides) or with the acidic substances (citric acid, gluconic acid, ascorbic acid, malic acid, amino acids, etc.)” VR
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
For More Information:
Bluebonnet Nutrition, www.bluebonnetnutrition.com
ChildLife Essentials, https://childlifenutrition.com/
Life Extension, www.lifeextension.com
NOW, www.nowfoods.com
Trace Minerals, www.traceminerals.com
