Micro or macronutrients, fatty acids, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins or amino acids. Or vitamins, trace elements and minerals are all names that we hear or read in the world of food supplements or natural care. The information and distinctions between these different categories of elements are sometimes a bit confusing.

How to find your way around without being a health specialist?

Let's review the differences and specificities of each of these terms.

The term nutrient is a very broad term that encompasses both micronutrients and macronutrients. Minerals, trace elements and vitamins are considered micronutrients. As for proteins (composed of amino acids), carbohydrates (sugars) and lipids (fatty acids), they constitute the 3 families of macronutrients or organic molecules of the body. Macronutrients as well as micronutrients are all essential to the optimal functioning of the body and must be provided through the diet or through food supplements.

The minerals generally listed are calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), iron (Fe) and sodium (Na). Also known as mineral salts, they participate in the composition of all body tissues. Some of them are found in considerable quantities. This is the case for calcium in bones and teeth, for example.

Trace elements, micronutrients in the form of mineral salts

The oligo-elements are also micronutrients in the form of mineral salts, but they are present in much smaller quantities. Their body weight is estimated to be less than 1 mg/kg. In too high a quantity, some can be toxic. Among them, there are some that are said to be essential. This means that their deficiency or excess can lead to health problems. The best known are iodine, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, cobalt and chromium.

Despite their minute quantity, they are vital since many of them participate in enzymatic activities in the form of coenzymes or metallo-enzymes. Thus, to exert their actions, the enzymes each need a specific metal element, metal elements which include trace elements. This is the case of zinc which is involved in the construction of 200 metallo-enzymes. Some trace elements are part of the structure of vitamins. For example, cobalt is involved in one of the synthesis cycles of vitamin B12. Other trace elements contribute to the action of certain hormones. Zinc is known to be a cofactor of delta-5-reductase useful in the metabolism of testosterone degraded to dihydrotestosterone. Others contribute to the defense functions of the body, transforming or activating certain cells (iron, zinc, selenium). Others still have a structural function by reinforcing the strength of certain tissues, such as Silicon that strengthens connective tissue by binding to the collagen fibers of mucopolysaccharides.

Whether minerals or trace elements, their ions are always bound to different types of carriers. The carriers to which they can bind are small molecules like amino acids or vitamins with which they form complexes. They can be larger molecules such as non-specific proteins like albumin or specific proteins like transferrin or transcobalamin.

Food supplements ? Be careful with carriers!

When consuming dietary supplements, one must be vigilant about the carriers that carry these metal elements. Indeed, to be assimilated and used by the body, micronutrients must be combined with carriers that allow them to be transported and allow their assimilation. Sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfur present in the food will normally be easily assimilated if the digestion is correct and if the intestinal mucosa is intact. Supplied in the form of food supplements, these carriers can be either inorganic (carbonate, oxides, phosphates, sulfates) or organic (in complex links with amino acids such as pidolates, biglycinates, picolinate or orotate). Knowing that in order to become assimilable, inorganic bonds must first be transformed in order to be made soluble for the intestine. This requires a lot of metabolic work from the body. On the other hand, if the minerals are bound to an organic substance similar to the physiological carriers, the latter will be much more easily assimilated and much more usable for the body.