Description of Ion
Various ions, such as iron, potassium, nitrates, and iodide, are essential to human survival. Potassium, with the atomic number 19, and the chemical symbol K, can be found in group 1 of the periodic table (Silbey et al., 2022). It is a malleable, shining white metal that reacts quickly. It rapidly produces potassium oxide when exposed to water and oxygen in the air. The chemical symbol Fe and the atomic number 26 identify iron as a transitional element (Silbey et al., 2022). The anion having a negative electric charge is iodide (I-) in the periodic table. Iodide is not visible since it is not a solid but a monoatomic ion. Exposure to chlorine may transform iodide, a powerful reducing agent, into iodine. Nitrate, having the chemical formula NO3-, is a polyatomic ion that is negatively charged, odorless, and tasteless. It is a strong oxidizer that may convert compounds to their oxidized state. Iron, potassium, iodide, and nitrates are crucial minerals in normal physiological functions.
Dietary Sources
Nonheme iron is abundant in plant foods, whereas heme iron is plentiful in animal items, including meat, fish, and poultry. The best dietary sources of iodine include seafood like seaweed and fish, dairy products like milk, and iodized salt (Hall & Hall, 2020). Potassium is abundant in foods like bananas and oranges, spinach and other greens, beans and other legumes, milk, and other dairy products. Strawberry fruit and spinach leaves, for example, both contain nitrates.
Role in Physiology
Iron is required for a wide variety of vital physiological processes. The primary function is to help the body transport oxygen from the lungs (Hall & Hall, 2020). Potassium gulates fluids, muscle contractions, and electrical activity in the body. The body’s production of nitric oxide from nitrates has several beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. Since nitric oxide may relax and dilate blood vessels, it has the potential to lower blood pressure and boost blood flow. Due to its function in producing thyroid hormones, iodine is vital for regulating core body temperature and blood pressure.
Daily Requirements
When unsure about how much of a specific supplement to take, it is better to get advice from a doctor. Nitrates from food sources have a dietary reference intake of around 3.7 mg/day for adult males and 2.7 mg/day for adult women genders (National Institutes of Health (NIH), 2022a). The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iron is 0.27mg from birth to 6 months, 11mg for 7-12 months, 7mg for 1 to 3 years, and 10mg for 9 to 13 years in both genders (NIH, 2022b). Potassium intake for adults should be 4,700 milligrams per day, while iodide intake should be 150 micrograms each day (NIH, 2022a). Therefore iron needs vary with the physiological condition, age, and sex.
Diseases Resulting from Deficiency
Iron deficiency has been linked to many diseases and conditions, making it one of the most widely-spread mineral deficiencies worldwide. Anemia is often caused by a lack of iron in the body (Pasricha et al., 2020). Hypokalemia, often known as a potassium deficit, may cause symptoms such as weakness, cramps, and abnormal heart rhythms. At its worst, it may cause a patient to stop breathing or suffer a heart attack. A lack of iodine is the leading preventable cause of mental retardation worldwide. Foods like leafy vegetables and beets have plenty of nitrates; thus, nitrate deficiency is unusual. Methemoglobinemia, a condition in which the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen is impaired, may occur in response to deficits.
Global Distribution of Deficiency
Anemia is often associated with low iron stores in various parts of the globe. Low-Human Development Index (HDI) countries have a higher prevalence of iron deficiency (ID), disproportionately affecting females (Wang et al., 2022). Countries with a higher human development index have a smaller gender gap in iron deficiency. Among children under the age of 10, it was shown that boys had a higher risk of ID than girls (Wang et al., 2022). Because potassium is present in many foods, potassium shortage is unusual. Some populations may be at greater risk of potassium shortage than others. The lack of iodine is a global problem, although it is most severe in developing countries. Iodine deficiency is particularly severe in certain parts of Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America (Eastman & Zimmermann, 2018). Leafy greens, beets, and celery all have high levels of nitrates. Hence nitrate deficiency is unusual.
Recommendations to Overcome Deficiency
The most frequent dietary deficit, especially among children and pregnant women, is a lack of iron. A diversified diet with foods rich in iodine, potassium, and nitrate may help treat or prevent these deficiencies. Iodine deficiencies may be avoided or treated by eating meals high in this mineral. When an iodine deficiency is endemic in a place, people will typically use iodized salt as a treatment. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, and dark leafy greens, all of which may be useful in ensuring that people get the recommended daily allowance. Nitrates may be obtained by eating leafy greens, beets, and celery.
References
Eastman, C. J., & Zimmermann, M. B. (2018). The iodine deficiency disorders. National Library of Medicine. Web.
Hall, J. E., & Hall, M. E. (2020). Guyton and Hall textbook of medical physiology. (14th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.
National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2022). Office of dietary supplements – iron. Web.
Pasricha, S.-R., Tye-Din, J., Muckenthaler, M. U., & Swinkels, D. W. (2020). Iron deficiency. The Lancet, 397(10270), 233–248. Web.
Pullakhandam, R., Kulkarni, B., & Rajkumar, H. (2019). Ironing out the iron requirements of children and ddolescents. Indian Pediatrics, 56(7), 547–548. Web.
Silbey, R. J., Alberty, R. A., Papadantonakis, G. A., & Bawendi, M. G. (2022). Physical chemistry. John Wiley & Sons.
Wang, M., Gao, H., Wang, J., Cao, C., Ying, X., Wei, Y., Yu, Z., Shao, J., Dong, H., & Yang, M. (2022). Global burden and inequality of iron deficiency: Findings from the global burden of disease datasets 1990–2017. Nutrition Journal, 21(1). Web.