oa Trace Elements: Are They Important?

Our daily food contains:

• 3 – major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium)

• 6 – minor nutrients (calcium, chloride, magnesium, iron, sodium, sulphur)

• 5 – trace elements as monitored and maintained in agricultural soils (boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, zinc)

• 3 – trace elements as added at other stages of our nutrition (iodine in table salt; cobalt in salt licks for cattle & sheep; and selenium in fortified chicken feed)