Why take chelated minerals?

Minerals are key nutrients that every athlete needs; the body needs them to function. And what about chelated minerals?

Theoretically, you could obtain nearly adequate amounts of all the various micronutrients from food; well, many people do, but they are not athletes. That is where chelated minerals can make a difference.

Active people, including athletes, have it harder because they lose minerals through sweat and urine, making it especially difficult to obtain adequate amounts of the minerals that enhance performance.

The thing is, most athletes have a sort of nutritional routine due to their supposedly well-thought-out food choices, but as we know, most athletes settle on around 20 “acceptable” foods and rotate them week after week. However, they do not always consume the complete foods or compounds from certain food groups, leaving them deficient in vitamins or minerals.

Remember that minerals affect various aspects of bodily function, such as growth, bone health, muscle contractions, fluid balance, and many other processes.

The critical point is that many are difficult to absorb, so the supplement industry has designed technologically bonded or chelated compounds to improve this vital aspect, generating a great deal of interest recently.

What does chelation mean?

The word chelation is derived from the Greek word ‘chele’, meaning claw. Pronounced key-lay-shun, the chemical definition is: one substance takes hold of another substance.

More technically, the word chelation means: firmly binding a metal ion (mineral) to an organic molecule (amino acid) to form a ring structure. The resulting ring structure protects the mineral and facilitates absorption.

What are chelated minerals?

Of course, there is always the option of raiding your mother’s medicine cabinet for your vitamins. Good thinking, but it is very likely that the minerals in your mother’s formula are not chelated, nor are they likely to contain more than a trace of the minerals you need to maintain your health while training hard.

The actual definition of a chelated mineral is quite long, so it is enough to say that it involves the double bonding of an amino acid to a mineral.

They are bound to a chelating agent, which is normally organic compounds or amino acids that help prevent the minerals from interacting with other compounds.

The process ensures an amino acid chelate that is not only small enough to pass through the intestine, but also small enough to be transported directly to your cells.

Non-chelated mineral formulations, particularly:

• At worst, they are not absorbed, and
• At best, they are absorbed nominally because most of the foods we eat contain chemicals that inhibit their absorption.

Okay, you can take non-chelated mineral supplements between meals and that might work, as long as your stomach is completely empty, but that does not happen very often unless you are anorexic.

Then there is the problem of stomach upset; many minerals make your stomach rebel unless they are taken with food.

Ultimately, chelated minerals, such as those contained in the mineral base available in next-generation formulas, can be taken with food (or on an empty stomach) without worrying about absorption problems or stomach upset.

What are the types of chelated minerals?

Most minerals are available in chelated form; some of the most common include calcium, zinc, copper, magnesium, potassium, cobalt, chromium, and molybdenum. They are generally made with an amino acid or an organic acid.

These amino acids are commonly used to make chelated minerals:

• 1) Aspartic acid: used for zinc aspartate, magnesium aspartate, among others.
• 2) Methionine: used for copper methionine, zinc methionine, among others.
• 3) Monomethionine: used for zinc monomethionine.
• 4) Lysine: used for calcium lysinate.
• 5) Glycine: used for magnesium glycinate.

In contrast, the organic acids used to manufacture these chelated minerals include:

• 1) Acetic acid: used to develop zinc acetate, calcium acetate, among others.
• 2) Citric acid: used to manufacture chromium citrate, magnesium citrate, among others.
• 3) Orotic acid: used to manufacture magnesium orotate, lithium orotate, among others.
• 4) Gluconic acid: used to manufacture iron gluconate, zinc gluconate, among others.
• 5) Fumaric acid: used to manufacture iron fumarate (ferrous).
• 6) Picolinic acid: used to develop chromium picolinate, manganese picolinate, among others.

Does the stomach determine mineral absorption?

Mineral absorption depends on what is in your stomach and intestines when you ingest a mineral. One mineral can affect the absorption of another, for better or worse. For example:

• Fat increases, and fiber decreases, mineral absorption.
• Vitamin C significantly increases iron absorption from plant foods.
• Taking calcium and iron together reduces the absorption of both minerals.
• Taking large amounts of zinc notably inhibits copper absorption.

Chelation or the lack of chelation is insignificant compared with the varying conditions of your digestive system, except in situations of nutritional deficiency, such as illness, physical stress, or injury.

Do Chelated Minerals Have Better Absorption?

Chelated minerals are often promoted as having better absorption than non-chelated minerals. Several studies have compared the absorption of the two.

For example, a study of 15 adults found that chelated zinc (such as zinc citrate and zinc gluconate) was absorbed around 11% more efficiently than non-chelated zinc (such as zinc oxide) [1].

Similarly, a study of 30 adults found that magnesium glycerophosphate (chelated) raised blood magnesium levels significantly more than magnesium oxide (non-chelated) [2].

Additionally, some research suggests that taking minerals in their chelated form may reduce the total amount needed to consume to reach healthy blood levels. This is important for people at risk of excessive mineral intake, such as iron overload.

However, these findings should be interpreted with caution, since they do not distinguish between an athlete and a non-athlete, who have significantly different digestive tracts. These differences can affect mineral absorption.

Although current research is mixed, more research on chelated minerals is needed, although they ultimately appear to be more effective.

In some situations, taking the chelated form of a mineral may be more appropriate.

• For example, they may benefit older adults. As you age, you may produce less stomach acid, which can affect mineral absorption [3].
• Because they are bound to an amino acid or an organic acid, they do not require as much stomach acid to be digested efficiently [4].

Similarly, people who experience stomach pain after taking supplements may benefit from them, since they rely less on stomach acid for digestion.

Why DO minerals matter?

If you are an athlete or bodybuilder, you sweat and are therefore likely to have a zinc deficiency, which, together with selenium, maintains high testosterone levels and supports the immune system. That is a mineral deficiency you certainly should not develop.

If you are already an adult, you are also likely to have a magnesium deficiency. Then there is exercise, which also applies to magnesium: the more you sweat, the more magnesium you eliminate.

• Magnesium alone is responsible for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the human body, ranging from muscle and nerve function to protein synthesis.
• Do you have insomnia, anxiety, or suffer from panic attacks? If so, it could well be the result of too little magnesium in your diet, or poor magnesium absorption through your diet or supplements.

Other important minerals such as chromium and vanadium help maintain regular blood sugar and insulin levels, which is more than fundamental for an athlete, and even more so for a bodybuilder.

It is enough to say that, while there are 11 essential minerals for human health, the 5 listed above are the ones that most often decrease in athletes' bodies and therefore should be used in chelated forms.

What does each mineral do in the body?

We will discuss the most important minerals for athletes, those that undoubtedly make a difference in sports nutrition.

Calcium:

• It is necessary for bone function and regeneration, muscle maintenance, hormone production, vascular health, and metabolism.

Electrolytes:

• Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and chloride are especially vital for athletes who deplete them through sweating.
• They help with muscle contractions and control blood pressure, fluid levels, and the body's pH homeostasis.

Iron:

• Red blood cell problems, which are essentially the inability of cells to transfer adequate oxygen through the blood vessels, can result from an iron deficiency.
• Since these cells are responsible for supplying oxygen to the muscles for numerous functions, iron is one of the necessary nutrients.

Magnesium:

• It is necessary for supplying oxygen to cells, minimizing cramps, and improving muscle protection during intense exercise and the muscle-building phase.
• It helps the body balance hormone levels and process fats and proteins, among other processes.

Selenium:

• The thyroid gland, circulatory system, and immune system benefit from this beneficial antioxidant.

Zinc:

• Red blood cell problems are essentially the inability of cells to transfer adequate oxygen through the blood.
• This trace mineral helps with faster muscle recovery, improved immunity, energy production, and testosterone support.

To access any of the minerals, keep in mind that a multivitamin or an isolated product always takes dosage and method of use into account.

What are the benefits of chelated minerals?

Traditionally, you could absorb all the minerals your body needs through the food you eat. However, with modern, intensive farming practices, minerals have been stripped from the soil. This is where chelated mineral supplements come into play.

• The body uses amino acid chelates (or chelated minerals) more effectively because they are absorbed better than inorganic minerals.

Your body poorly absorbs inorganic minerals. Inorganic minerals are those found in food and in inexpensive mineral supplements.

These inorganic minerals are poorly absorbed because they bind to other nutrient particles as they move through your digestive system. Once a mineral binds to other food particles, it is essentially neutralized and your body prevents you from using it; it is then excreted from the body unused.

• Unlike inorganic minerals, chelated minerals are protected as they travel through your digestive system.
• This shield, composed of amino acids, allows the minerals to safely reach the stomach, where your body can easily use them.
• In short, chelated minerals have greater bioavailability.

Remember that fitness vitamins and minerals are essential in a sports diet and that chelation will give you these extra benefits.

Taking supplements with or without food?

Most supplements should be taken with food to reduce the chances of causing an upset stomach and to stimulate digestion and improve absorption.

For a few, it really doesn't matter whether they're taken on an empty stomach. So which ones should you pay attention to?

• Iron, magnesium, and fish oil supplements are the most common culprits behind digestive discomfort when taken on an empty stomach, so be very careful to take them with a meal or snack.
• The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are better absorbed when taken with a meal or snack that contains at least a teaspoon of fat (around 5 grams of fat). The same applies to your multivitamin, which contains these vitamins. For example, if you are taking your multivitamin with breakfast, be sure to eat some almond butter with your oatmeal or avocado with your eggs and toast.
• For probiotics, it is recommended to take them with a meal or 30 minutes before a meal, rather than after eating.

Hydration also plays an important role. Fluid intake is especially important for breaking down the supplement tablet or capsule and dissolving water-soluble nutrients such as vitamin C and B vitamins.

The main exception to the rule of “take with food” for dietary supplements applies to certain types of minerals. In this case, only chelated minerals can be taken without food.

For every athlete, getting vitamins and minerals through natural foods is best; however, multivitamins are the ideal solution at any time.

Conclusions

Minerals are involved in a huge variety of metabolic and physiological processes in the human body. In athletic performance, they play physiological roles in muscle contraction, normal heart rhythm, oxygen transport, antioxidant activity, bone health, and immune function.

Many of these processes accelerate during exercise, so an adequate amount of these minerals is necessary for optimal performance, and that requires good bioavailability.

Many nutritious minerals are needed to maintain a healthy body, which helps athletes perform at their best. However, certain minerals do more of the heavy lifting to support athletic performance and, in many cases, these are minerals that are depleted more quickly during exercise. They include: calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, and sodium.

In general, regular non-chelated minerals are sufficient for most adults; however, in exceptional situations such as following a high-performance training program, chelated minerals may be required.

Finally, using vitamins and minerals correctly is essential for achieving optimal athletic performance. The following video prepared by MASmusculo discusses the importance of consuming them.