How do Mineral Transporters Work?

How do mineral transport substances work? They release an ion at a site where we want it to be released. We can write an address on the mineral — on the potential ion — and have it go where we want it to go so that it can exercise its function, either by activation of enzymes, by restoring structure or by sealing against potential aggression. It is simple, harmless, yet a vital principle. Transportation and absorption of minerals involve complex biochemical systems within all cells in the body. Minerals maintain electrical charges which are vital to body physics. Nutrients are only useful when they are readily available at the cellular level. Many nutrients move easily through cell membranes by diffusion. These substances are known to be nonpolar because they lack electrical charges. Positive mineral ions such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium may have more difficulty becoming “bio-available” (available for the body’s use) because they have such difficulty passing through cell membranes. For this reason, mineral transporters have been developed to enable a mineral ion to be carried directly to different parts of cells. An important thing to focus on is that this is all the Uptake of a mineral into a cell.

When we ingest a pill this is the Intake of the amount of the compound, but not the amount of the elemental form that our bodies will use. Most supplements out in the market today will meet regulations for the amounts we can Intake into our bodies based on what the bodies need. Sometimes this regulation accepts Intake and Uptake as equals, but the Uptake into the cells will not be at the rate that meets the needs of the body. This leads to a less informed consumer. Mineral transporters have much higher absorptions rates than most mineral salts out on the market.

The 4 types of Mineral Transporters and where they take minerals into a cell are:

• Orotate penetrates entire cell membrane and delivers mineral to intracellular structures (mitochondria)
• Arginate penetrates and delivers mineral to both cell plasma and inner layer of the outer cell membrane
• Aspartate penetrates and delivers mineral to inner layer of the outer cell membrane
• 2-AEP delivers mineral to outer layer of the cell membrane creating a sealing effect