1
Trace elements in human nutrition
Michael T Deans
Contents
1 Preface
2 Introduction, origin of life
4 Trace element nutrition
4 I. Motility
5 II. Sensitivity
6 III. Excretion
6 IV. Respiration
7 V. Growth
8 VI. Rigidity
9 VII. Assimilation
10 VIII. Reproduction
12 IX. Water pumping
14 References
Preface
In 1967, a chance observation led me to propose a ferroelectric tetragonal variant of ice-
Ic, ice-It, undergoes a photoelectric transition at ~72 K releasing infrared laser light of
wavelength λ ~ 4μ, ‘ice-light’. Researchers focus on extreme conditions, nobody’s tried
pouring water into liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure.
Life originated when snow fell into polar pools of liquid nitrogen and ice-It
crystallizing at its surface released ice-light, approximating Pi ~ Pi bond energy. On reaching
equatorial waters, ice-light polarized by multiple reflection photo-phosphorylated deoxy-
nucleotides, creating chiral DNA. Some formed transfer RNA analogues, ‘transport DNAs’.
They lined pores through proto-cell membranes with H-bonds.
tDNAs embedded in ‘coacervate’ proto-cell membranes, used ice-light energy to fill
them with life’s prerequisites. When a tDNA was replicated and the cell burst in two, each
daughter cell could repeat the process, life had started. Mutant tDNAs provided a varied
diet. Eventually, a family of 64 types evolved; each matching a substrate-carrier complex.
The carriers mostly consisted of trace element ions.
All forms of life inherit the same atomic alphabet and molecular vocabulary. Diets
deficient in micronutrients have arisen as human civilizations evolve. By cataloguing data
from medical, veterinary and pharmaceutical experience, traditions, philosophies and
beliefs, nine mutually independent biochemical systems have emerged. Each has an
associated nutrient requirement, chemistry and pathology. They offer a comprehensive
guide for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most common maladies.
2
Introduction, origin of life
In February 1967, I surmised that ice
crystallizing in liquid nitrogen distorted a
silica helium thermometer bulb and
suggested it was a proton-ordered tetragonal
variant of cubic ice1. All its molecular
dipoles are aligned and its crystals contract
on cooling to accommodate the irregular
tetrahedral shape of water molecules. It
undergoes a
ferroelectric
phase transition2
at ~72 K,
releasing latent
energy as infrared
laser light, ice-
light, wavelength
λ ≈ ~4μ. Linus
Pauling showed that
ice has residual
entropy3 at 0 K, with its hydrogen bonds randomly oriented:
O•••H–O | O–H•••O.
My model for the origin of life assumes snow falling
into polar pools of liquid nitrogen during an extreme primordial ice age caused it to boil.
Water molecules carried to the surface crystallized to form ice It. Cyclic temperature
fluctuations drove its phase transition, issuing laser light with energy matching Pi ~ Pi bonds.
Multiple reflection by ice in clouds and on Earth’s surface delivered polarized light to
equatorial waters, photo-phosphorylating deoxy-nucleotides. They polymerized, forming a
DNA ‘noodle soup’, some forming transfer RNA analogues, ‘transport DNAs’, tDNAs.
tDNAs line membrane pores with H-bonds, depolarized by ice-light, propelling
charged trace element-substrate complexes into proto-cells. Their requirements determine
life’s atomic alphabet and a molecular vocabulary of carrier-substrate complexes.
Fig 1. Cubic-tetragonal
transition
Fig 2. Hole through
tRNA4
3
Fig 5. Pump uses membrane potential, Pi ~ P
i bond or ice-light
energy and lock-and-key substrate recognition
Fig 4. Periodic table of the elements showing essential,
toxic and unused elements with no biological role
H He Li Be B C N O F Ne
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe
Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Ti Pb Bi Po At Rn
Fr Rh Ac Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Ess Tox n/u
Fig 3. Ice-light makes DNA for origin of life
4
Trace element nutrition
I present nine mutually independent, mathematically orthogonal chemical systems,
each has an associated set of tDNAs, substrates, carriers, glands, hormones, vitamins and
health issues. Their number is determined by the symmetry of ‘minions’5:
# SYSTEM TISSUE CARRIER COMPLEXES PATHOLOGY
1 motility muscle Ca++
| Mg++
and SO3=
spasticity
2 sensitivity nerve Na+
| K+ and adrenalin depression
3 excretion kidney Mn++
and salt kidney failure
4 respiration lung I+ and O2.H2O bipolar
5 metabolism liver Cu++
and amino-acids growth defects
6 rigidity bone SiF6= | AlF6
≡ and apatite Alzheimer’s
7 assimilation gut Zn++
and glucose diabetes
8 reproduction gonads Ag+ and pyrophosphate cancer
9 water-pumping heart Ca++
| Mn++
and SeO3= heart disease
Table 1. Nine independent biological pathways
I. Motility
Energy is conducted through the membrane as
solitons by Vitamin A, alternately retinal or retinol
depending on pH, converting the sulphur in glutathione
to sulphite. Retinal’s conjugated (-C─C=C-)n bonds
conduct energy through the membrane as solitons6.
Sulphite and
selenite exchange
magnesium and
manganese respectively
for calcium. Magnesium catalyzes hydrolysis of ATP,
releasing photons of Pi ~ Pi bond energy, replacing life’s
original energy source, ice-light. The conversion of
chemical to mechanical energy in striated muscle involves
their ~2μ long ‘sarcomers’ contracting to resonate with
these photons. Silver is carrier for exchanging creatine and
creatinine phosphates. Creatine phosphate replenishes ATP,
sustaining muscle contraction.
Fig 6. Retinol & retinal
SO3
=
and SeO3
=
exchange ions -
>
Fig 7. SO3
=
and SeO3
=
exchange ions
5
II. Sensitivity
Nerve transmission transmits pain, catecholamines
(adrenalin. noradrenalin and dopamine) exchange
sodium and potassium at synapses. Sodium ions are the
same shape and size as H2O, forming a large hydrate,
Na+.28H2O, slowing cell chemistry by making the cell
sap viscous. Potassium ions bind less water, enabling
faster reactions.
H
H-bonded catecholamine rings
with 6- and 4-members exchange 2 K+
for 3 Na+. Cell charge and metabolic
rate change, the ‘fight or flight’
reaction7. Codeine and morphine create
larger complexes, preventing pain by
blocking the pump. Pain sensitivity
increases when more pumps are enrolled
to compensate, leading to drug
addiction.
Fig 9. Sodium hydrate
Fig 10. Catecholamines form 4- and 6-member rings round Na+
and K+
. Valinomycin mimics that round K+
.
Morphine and codeine form larger rings, blocking the tDNA.
Fig 8. Silver acts as carier for creatine and creatinine exchange
6
III. Excretion
Manganese ions form chloride complexes: MnCl3−, MnCl4
= and MnCl6
4−, carrying salt,
controlled by aldosterone, angiotensin, rennin, histamine and aspirin8. The ‘chloride shift’ is
catalyzed by carbonic anhydrase, a zinc-dependent enzyme, exchanging chloride with
bicarbonate, controlling pH: CO2 + H2O ↔ HCO3- + H
+.
IV. Respiration
Iron in erythrocyte haemoglobin transports oxygen,
breathing exchanges it for carbon dioxide. The thyroids pack
iodine into thyroxin, protons displace purple iodonium, I+
carrier for oxygen hydrate, O2.H2O. Iodine protects littoral
seaweeds from tidal fluctuations in oxygen concentration,
their colours match those of I+ and I
-.
Protons accelerated through tDNAs cause nitrogen,
oxygen and nitric oxide to bond with nicotinamide’s amide
group. Bacteria deploy this process to fix nitrogen, releasing
hydrogen, more efficient than the Haber process9.
Oxygen transport accounts for atmospheric
oxygen, equivalent to photolysis of water. Nitric oxide
controls vasodilation. Cyanide and carbon monoxide
block this tDNA.
Iodine deficiency causes swollen thyroids, goitre. Nerve cell oxygenation governs
mood, mutant tDNAs cause bipolar disorder, characterized by mania or depression with
excess or deficient oxygen. Lithium and iodine’s diagonal relationship in the periodic table
enables lithium to substitute for iodine to treat the condition. Iodide accumulation in the eyes
causes exopthalmos.
Fig 11. Thyroxin delivers
iodine, proton displaces I+
Fig 12. Nitrogen fixation, oxygen release, cyanide poisoning
and nitric oxide activation
7
V. Growth
Copper carries amino acids and the anterior pituitary gland packs it into growth
hormones. During protein synthesis on the endoplasmic reticulum, tRNAs transfer copper-
amino acid complexes through the membrane to ribosomes, c.f. Biuret test.
Failure causes gigantism
and dwarfism. Wilson’s disease
arises when copper accumulates in the eyes. Copper supplements
and bracelets may relieve
arthritis.
Strings of tDNAs bound to differentiation DNA, like tRNAs bound to mRNA, encode
‘hook’ proteins, determining cell differentiation. Biotechnologists could take a page from
nature’s book.
1. Eggs, sperm and immune system leukocytes have 1 hook
2. Spirogyra filaments have 2 hooks
3. Sponge sheets have 3 hooks
4. Worms’ bi-layers have 4 hooks
5. Liver and other organs use 5 hooks
6. Six hooks allow tumour and cancer growth, leukocytes control them.
Fig 13. Hook proteins define Fig 14. Copper controls protein
tissue morphology synthesis
8
VI. Rigidity
Calcium
has a high affinity with
fluoride, c.f. fluorspar, CaF2. Both the
parathyroid and adjacent coevolved thyroid
glands incorporate halides to hormones.
Continuous secretion of parathyroid
hormone prevents high fluoride concentration in these glands. Vitamin D stores ~265 nm
UV sunlight, matching Si─F bond energy for
assembling silicon hexafluoride at low pH:
SiO2 + 6 F- + 4 H
+ + UV-light → SiF6
= + 2 H2O.
Silicon hexafluoride carries calcium phosphate, apatite, maintaining bones and teeth.
The low pH associated with kidney failure and menopause reduces phosphate availability
and causes osteoporosis. Since phosphate is scarce, plants employ the same substrate-carrier
complex to form hard parts from silica. Air polluting sulphur and nitrogen oxides entering
stomata cause leaf-fall10
. Liming the soil isn’t effective, reducing pressure for legislative
action, acid rain arising from sulphur in diesel exhaust is unabated.
Fig 15. UV light primes vitamin D
to synthesise silicon hexafluoride
Fig 17. PTH delivers fluoride, vit A transfers energy from vit D to
synthesise SiF6
=
, carrier for apatite maintaining the skeleton
Fig 16. SiF6
=
-apatite complex
9
Acid air pollution and tobacco smoke render the cavity behind the nose acid,
promoting inappropriate silicon hexafluoride synthesis. When it passes along the olfactory
nerves to the brain, its breakdown releases fluoride, causing Alzheimer’s Disease11
. Fluoride
disrupts protein folding, yielding the characteristic protein tangles. (Those found in prion
diseases12
arise when a mutant tRNA misinterprets the mRNA sequence and incorporates the
wrong amino acid to some proteins. They fold the wrong way and aggregate to form tangles,
if the mutant tRNA becomes embedded in these proteins, it renders them infectious agents.)
Vitamin D deficiency in infancy causes rickets, corrected by cod liver oil, UV lamps
or sunlight. Tooth enamel hardens when the hydroxyl group in apatite is replaced with
fluoride. Fluoridation of water supplies counters tooth decay; cups of tea also supply
fluoride. Administering fluorinated anaesthetics promotes the synthesis of enzymes to
destroy them. Four days later, fluoride
is excreted as aluminium hexafluoride. The
simultaneous clearance of brain fluoride temporarily relieves dementia, suggesting
approaches to its prevention and treatment.
VII. Assimilation
When food is anticipated
(remember Pavlov’s dog) or its taste,
smell or presence is detected, the
pancreatic β-cells secrete zinc-insulin.
Zinc is carrier for βDglucose, priming
tDNA pumps. Glucose transport
mediates carbohydrate metabolism in
all forms of life. It maintains a steady
sugar concentration in animal blood
and the xylem and phloem of plants.
Some is stored as glycogen in the liver,
forms starch in leaves or is converted
to fat.
Zinc binds to the ‘triangle of
sweetness’13
found in insulin and
glucagon, a hormone synthesized in
pancreatic α-cells, disabling glucose
transport by returning zinc
to the pancreas. The triangle’s also found in barbiturates and Lgulonate derived from vitamin C.
LGulonate takes zinc to places insulin can’t reach. Vitamin C deficiency reduces zinc needed for
collagen synthesis, causing scurvy in ancient mariners, affecting their skin, fingers toes and
gonads, until limes rich in the vitamin were added to their food supply. Zinc sulphide in
Calamine™ lotion treats skin complaints
Fig 18. Vitamin C derivative
Lgulonate
and βDglucose complex with zinc
10
In 1923, Banting and Best received a Nobel prize for discovering insulin, in 1969
another Nobel laureate, Dorothy Hodgkin14
, determined its structure. Defective glucose
transport causes diabetes, originally diagnosed by sweet-tasting urine. Zinc accumulating in
the eye’s vitreous humour damages the retina, causing blindness. Diabetics often suffer
kidney damage and foot problems. Monitoring the zinc content of their diets and implanting
a device to measure both zinc and glucose levels might improve management.
Zinc controls our appetites for food and sex. Appetizers such as oysters and caviar
containing zinc are aphrodisiacs increasing libido and encourage snacking. Eating disorders
anorexia and bulimia respond to zinc supplements. Copper coil contraceptives prevent sperm
getting enough zinc to acquire glucose for swimming.
Bilirubin, released when adult haemoglobin replaces foetal haemoglobin should be
conjugated with glucose for excretion, else neonatal jaundice arises. Bilirubin getting to the
brain causes seizures, though normally treated by exposure to blue light, colostrum15
or
sucking a midwife’s zinc-based pewter spoon provides the necessary zinc.
Rhinoviruses causing colds and flu enter nasal cells via tDNAs; zinc and vitamin C
supplements16
prime them with zinc, blocking virus uptake. Binge drinking diverts zinc to
the liver to burn the alcohol, causing inebriety by preventing the brain getting enough sugar,
suggesting approaches to treating alcoholism. Barbiturates have the same effect, explaining
the lethality of combining barbiturates with alcohol.
Beryllium, lead and indium all mimic zinc. The Victorians used beryllium as a poison,
calling it ‘glucinium’ for its sweet taste. Ancient Romans died from using lead acetate as a
sweetener. Indium is diagonally related to zinc in the periodic table, endocrine glands may
exchange it with other divalent ions. A plethora of hormones are involved in regulating
obesity, indium supplements might replace gastric bands for managing obesity
.
VIII. Reproduction
The pineal gland distributes silver in 6-member serotonin rings similar to those
catecholamines form around potassium. Silver porphyrin17
is pink, the colour of leaf buds.
As described for motility, retinal transfers energy from silver porphyrin as solitons for
converting phosphate to pyrophosphate (Pi to PPi). The PPi complex with arginine provides
the atomic ingredients for copying DNA at cell division. Anti-cancer drugs mimic this
complex. The uses of Pi for managing energy, DNA synthesis and maintaining the skeleton
are handled separately.
11
Silver repairs tissues and regulates sleep, when deficient cancers may develop. Silver
colloids were widely used in medicine before the advent of antibiotics. Bone pathology is
assessed by assaying alkaline phosphatase.
Fig 19. Serotonin and Fig 20. Anti-cancer drugs mimic the
melatonin distribute Ag arginine-PPi complex
from the pineal gland
Fig 21. Arginine– PPi
Fig 22. Vit A conveys energy from Ag
complex porphyrin, converting Pi to PP
i
for transport by arginine
complex
12
IX. Water pumping
Membrane potential prevents water diffusing across. Phospho-mevalonate, the residue of saturated
fat breakdown, transports water across membranes,
it’s named after the herb Valerian, aka ‘all heal’.
Phospho-mevalonate releases a water molecule
when it forms a lactone ring. Water pumping involves
exchanging it with phospho-mevalonolactone.
Manganese is cofactor for enzymes
polymerizing mevalonate to cholesterol,
essentially a waste product. It has evolved
to make steroid hormones.
The posterior pituitary gland packs
selenium into oxytocin and vasopressin.
α-tocopherol, vitamin E transmits energy
through the membrane as solitons,
oxidising selenium to selenite; as
described under ‘Motility’, it exchanges
calcium for manganese.
B
Cholesterol synthesis from
mevalonate
Eight ways to regulate blood pressure
Phosphomevalonate
transports water
13
Blood pressure disorders can be corrected by:
1. Regulating the tDNA exchanging phospho-mevalonate for its lactone.
2. Restricting saturated fat consumption.
3. Attention to both high and low density lipids transporting cholesterol.
4. Controlling manganese, cofactor for catalysis of cholesterol synthesis.
5. Exercising and taking aspirin to regulate calcium levels.
6. Controlling sulphur metabolism and glutathione production by the liver.
7. Avoiding methyl mercury preventing pituitary uptake of dimethyl selenium.
8. Correcting selenium and vitamin E deficiency.
Selenium deficiency arises from precipitation during water purification18
, displacement
by fertilizers such as superphosphate containing sulphur19
, growing crops in soils with low
selenium concentrations, using high temperatures when preparing and preserving food20
, and
poor nutrition. Selenium deficiency causes hypertension during pregnancy, is the probable
cause of deaths from heart attacks and strokes. It causes cancers of the tissues specializing in
pumping water, i.e.: breast, bowel, cervix and prostate.
Breast cancer distribution correlates with surface geology21
, ‘hard’ water from
limestone and igneous deposits, e.g. those found in Snowdonia, contain most selenium.
Presumably it’s recycled from early life, sea floor manganese nodules may also reflect life’s
selenium-dependency. European royal families’ longevity may be attributed to rich, high
selenium diets.
Selenium supplementation in animal husbandry22
provides the best evidence for our
selenium dependency. It protects cattle from hypertension during pregnancy, sheep from
white muscle disease, and pigs from heart failure en route to market. Precedents for
augmenting diet are:
Limes for scurvy
Iodine for goitre
Cod liver oil to prevent rickets
Fluoridation of the water supply to prevent tooth decay
Supplementing selenium promises to prevent heart attacks and common cancers, it might
prevent or treat Ebola, characterised by water loss.
14
References
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