On Wednesday, 28 November 2018 17:45:16 UTC, wrote:

Let's look at this a bit more closely:

Aluminum Oxide, Titanium, Strontium, Barium, Zirconium, Fluorine, Cerium, Rubidium, Chlorine, Lanthanium, Nickel, Neodymium, Praeseodymium, Gallium, Cadmium, Scandium, Molybdenum, Cobalt, Lithium, Niobium, Samarium, Thorium, Mafnium, Cesium, Gadolinium, Holmium, Dysprosium, Uranium, Bromine, Europium, Tin, Antimony, Ytterbium, Terbium, Tungsten, Mercury, Silver, Tantalum, Thuliam, Luteium, Indium, Shenium, Beryllium, Erbium, Thallium, Bismuth, Germanium, Iridium, Rhodium, Palladium, Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen.

The above are included in the "72" list as advertised by any number of trace-mineral supplement sites.

as ever not all agree with that list

Not listed are the more obvious items such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium. Which get you to the 72.

Cadmium is highly toxic (and cumulative) in other than vanishingly small amounts. And, is listed amongst the Most toxic elements together with Beryllium, Chromium, Selenium (necessary, but too much is highly toxic), cesium and a few others. Brute fact: Most of the items on that first list are sufficiently toxic that any amount one could see in its pure form would be a bad idea to ingest. And even in its most common salt (sodium chloride as one example), moderation would be advised at the least, and avoidance more likely.

I don't think anyone suggests easting great amounts of trace minerals, so no problem

The problem with listing items as 'necessary for life' without further discussion is that the issue of toxicity is ignored. Vitamin A is good. Too much is toxic. Iron is good, too much is toxic - and so forth.

it's not ignored at all

There is a theory that Human blood apart from specific cells approximates the structure of seawater when the human precursors first popped up - and so the need for these "72" were born. And as with most life, certain creatures 'fix' certain elements - such as mushrooms and selenium, bananas and potassium, shrimp and iodine - you get the picture. Omnivores - creatures with long guts, but a single stomach - generally are exposed to all that they need based on their eating habits. But, not always. Goiter and Iodine is an example of that phenomenon.

Cutting to the chase, the problems with identifying _every_ trace element a

a) That an element is present does not make it necessary.
b) If the mechanism by which it functions is not understood, then neither is the difference between therapeutic and toxic levels.

that's not logical. The chemical link between boron & arthritis isn't known afaik - icbw - but the pattern of high arthritis in low boron countries & vice versa is very much noticed. It's also not hard to find out what dose & form people have been taking & find that it's safe. No mysteries there. Lots of what goes on in the body we don't fully understand - or often understand much about at all.

c) Enough may be enough, but too much is quite often deadly. And in the case of some - very subtly deadly.

not sure how death can be subtle.

d) How individuals metabolize varies. And therefore tolerance to some elements. Cats, dogs, and many primarily carnivores cannot tolerate common foods humans enjoy. And birds will eat choke-cherries, mistletoe berries, bittersweet and hemlock with no ill effects. Hummingbirds and bees will fertilize foxglove and acanthus without consequence.

sure. not a problem.

Point being that Humans do not know when to stop.

Oh we do. The method of filtering out unsafe medical treatments that has been used for millennia may seem a bit crude but it does work. When that's what you've got it's what you use - or go without the cure.


NT