The Mineral Deficiency That Kills Your Gains Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness EatingSupplements The Mineral Deficiency That Kills Your Gains The 5 Minerals for Muscle by TC Luoma January 14, 2022January 3, 2022 Tags Building Muscle, Chromium, Magnesium, Nutrition & Supplements, Selenium, Tips, Vanadium, Zinc Can a Mineral Deficiency Lower Your T Levels If you're an athlete or lifter, you sweat and thus you're likely deficient in zinc, which, along with selenium, maintains high testosterone levels and the immune system. That's a mineral deficiency you certainly don't want. If you're a plain old human, you're also likely deficient in magnesium. By some estimates, up to 80 percent of Americans aren't getting enough magnesium and may be deficient. And then there's the exercise thing, which also applies to magnesium. The more you sweat, the more magnesium you ooze out. Magnesium alone is responsible for over 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 too poor absorption of magnesium through your diet or supplements. Other important minerals like chromium and vanadium help maintain regular blood sugar levels and insulin, the importance of which would take another 10,000 words to explore. Suffice it to say that while there are 11 minerals essential to human health, the 5 listed above are the ones that are most often in short supply in athletes and should thus be supplemented with their chelated forms. Why Chelated The actual definition of a chelated mineral is pretty long-winded, so suffice it to say that it involves double binding an amino-acid to a mineral. The process ensures an amino-acid chelate that's not only small enough to pass through the intestine, but small enough to be transported right into the cell itself. Mineral formulations that aren't chelated are problematical. At worst, they're not absorbed. At best, they're absorbed nominally because the majority of the foods we eat have chemicals in them that inhibit their absorption. Granted, you could take non-chelated mineral supplements in-between meals. That might work, provided your stomach was completely empty, but that doesn't happen very often unless you're anorexic. And then there's the problem of stomach upset. Many minerals cause your stomach to rebel unless they're taken with food. Chelated minerals, however, can be taken with food (or on an empty stomach) without fear of absorption problems and without fear of stomach upset. What to Buy Make sure to use chelated minerals manufactured by Albion Laboratories, as they're the leaders in the field of chelation. ElitePro Minerals, available here, is a solid choice. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Eating Tip Don t Lose Muscle While Dieting If you don't eat a certain amount of protein while dieting, you'll lose as much muscle as fat. Here's how many grams to shoot for. Building Muscle, Diet Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein, Tips TC Luoma October 6 Supplements Tip The Scoop on Vegetable Proteins Can you gain muscle from ingesting plant proteins like pea or wheat? A new study weighs in with a surprising answer. Nutrition & Supplements, Performance Proteins, Protein, Tips TC Luoma October 7 Eating Tip The Truth About Exogenous Ketones Sorry, keto crowd, science doesn't substantiate the hype. Carb Control, Nutrition & Supplements Dr Jade Teta October 2 Eating T Nation Twitter - The Magic Five Got only enough room in your cupboard for five foods or supplements? What, are you renting a single-family cave in Tora Bora? Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements T Nation December 11