As minerals are consumed and extracted from the foods we ingest (or the supplements we take), they pass from the stomach into the duodenum mostly in their free ionic state. Here, within this chemical-rich environment, minerals may become naturally chelated by free form amino acid and free peptides. Once chelated, they are then immediately prepared to proceed through the epithelial cells of the muscosal lining of the duodenum into the blood stream. The critical point where this process can break down is whether or not there are sufficient numbers of free form amino acid within the duodenum for chelation to take place. If minerals are not naturally chelated, they must remain within this environment awaiting the passive tidal flux of ionic transport before they can be transported into the blood stream.

More specifically, the body has a slight problem when attempting to quickly absorb raw mineral complexes of salts and alkaloids (eg., MgSO4), free ionic minerals (Cu2+, Fe2+/3+, etc), and/or colloidal complexes. (colloidal minerals are simply mixtures of raw mineral salts, alkaloids, and ionic minerals in a liquid suspension or dried within a loose flux.) Without chelation, these minerals can only be absorbed by the body by energy-dependent driven and passive diffusion processes, a much slower and less guaranteed process of absorption than for minerals which have been naturally chelated. Moreover, these un-chelated minerals must all compete with many of the same mineral uptake sites in the mucosa lining of the gut, slowing the process of "tidal infusion" even further.

On the other hand, free form amino acids become ionized molecules in aqueous solutions, such as the gut, naturally having a resting electric potential and capable of responding to the alkalinity and acidity in the medium in which they are found. Because of this they are called isoelectric (isoelectric pH or pI) and demonstrate free active migrational tendencies according to the pH of the gut. Amino acids are also zwitterions or dipolar ionic molecules which bear charged groups of opposite polarity, and thus exhibit properties of ionic compounds, being more soluble in polar than nonpolar solvents.

What this means, specifically, is that these unique chemical characteristics make them exceptionally active transport mechanisms and chelating agents, especially to all minerals in solution and allows any mineral to be quickly chelated (or enveloped) within their versatile structures. Most importantly, once a mineral becomes chelated, competitiveness for energy-dependent driven and passive diffusion processes (as outlined above) are completely circumvented. Chelated minerals are no longer dependent upon the passive processes of "tidal infusion" as are un-chelated colloidal/ionic minerals. Most simply, there are no longer any delays or "long waiting lines" to get into the body. Thus, chelated minerals attain "a higher status" and bypass all of this and are immediately absorbed into the blood stream without waiting for some passive system to initiate the process of absorption on which all other minerals, including un-chelated raw, colloidal and ionic, must depend.

Thus, the absorption of all trace minerals, whether they are raw, in colloidal solution or flux and/or are ionized, will always be enhanced via natural chelation by free form amino acids and peptides. But without natural chelation, all minerals must wait for the "tides" of passive diffusion and energy-dependent absorption processes before they can be appropriately assimilated.

Therefore, the only way to ensure the fastest way of trace mineral absorption is to provide free form amino acids in order to allow the body's chemistry to properly chelate them within the gut.

Selected References:

Cerewski, F.L., Ridlington, J.W., in Hurley, L.S., Keen, C.L., Lonnerdal, B. and Rucker, R.B., eds: Trace Elements in Man and Animals, Plenum, New York, N.Y., 1988.

Linder, M.C., ed: Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism with Clinical Applications, Second Edition, Appleton & Lange, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1991.

Lehninger, A.L., Nelson and D.L., Cox, M.M., Principles of Biochemistry, Second Edition, Worth Publishers, New York, N.Y., 1993.

Mertz, W., ed: Trace Elements in Human and Animal Nutrition, Fifth Edition, Vol 1 & 2, Academic Press, New York, N.Y., 1986.

Scriver, C.R., Beaudet, A.L., Sly, W. S., and Valle, D., eds: The Metabolic and Molecular Bases of Inherited Disease, Vol 1,2,3, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1995.

Voet, D. and Voet, J.G., Biochemistry, Second Edition, John WIley & Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y.,1995.

Valentine, J.l., Campaion, D.S., Schluchter, M.D. and Massey, F.J., in Howell, J.McC., et al, eds: Trace Element Metabolism in Man and Animals. Canberra: Australian Academy of Science, 1981.

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