Dietary and trace metal micronutrients

Dietary and trace metal micronutrients represent a broad category of essential inorganic elements and organic compounds required in small quantities for human health (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements). This group includes trace metals such as iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese, which are indispensable for biological processes including oxygen transport, DNA synthesis, and antioxidant defense (StatPearls, Micronutrients). They do not constitute a single therapeutic target but rather serve as vital components of cellular machinery, often acting as enzymatic cofactors or structural elements (PubMed, PMC3956646). Clinical relevance arises from both deficiency states, leading to conditions like anemia or scurvy, and toxicity states resulting from over-accumulation or genetic metabolic disorders (WHO, Micronutrients). Pharmacological management involves the administration of mineral salts for supplementation or the use of chelating agents to mitigate metal toxicity (PubChem).

Other names

Essential mineralsTrace elementsMicronutrientsDietary mineralsTrace metals

Micronutrients function primarily as essential cofactors for enzymes or as integral components of metalloproteins, facilitating biochemical reactions, structural stability, and electron transfer (StatPearls).