We believe that almost everyone needs to be taking supplemental minerals. The reason is that modern farming practices have produced foods that are far less nutritious than they were in say, 1950. Many studies have shown that the mineral content of almost all food grown commercially has decreased considerably, sometimes 50% or more. The reason is that the minerals have been "mined" out of the soil by intensive farming with only a few artificial fertilizers added back, just enough to have a huge yield of good looking produce, but with far fewer vitamins, minerals and other important nutritional factors that should be in our food. So even if we eat the best looking food we can buy, it is still not of the quality that our parents and grandparents had access to.
When we started in the health food store business back in 1973, the kinds of minerals people were taking were things like dolomite, which is a rock that is very difficult to assimilate. Over the years better ways of delivering minerals have been discovered. The best ones seem to combine a mineral molecule with a protein molecule. Albion Labs has been in the forefront of this kind of mineral supplementation for many years. Recently they made a breakthrough in binding molecules of minerals to the amino acid glycine. Unlike other molecules used for binding which gets excreted unchanged in the urine, the amino acid glycine has nutritional value. This means that 100% of the mineral/amino acid compound has nutrient value.
Getting enough minerals is important for many functions in the body – the production of energy, making blood, bones and hormones, helping the immune system and for reproduction. Furthermore, balance—or the ratio of one mineral to another—is key to mineral utilization.
Bioavailability is perhaps the most important consideration when selecting a formula containing minerals. The body transports minerals across the intestinal wall by bonding (or chelating) them to amino acids. To increase bioavailability of supplementary minerals, special processing is needed to create a stable bond between the minerals and the amino acids. Albion Laboratories uses patented processes to assure bond stability. The result, which has been demonstrated, is that the bioavailability of Albion's chelates is superior. Some other products on the market, which are purported to be chelates, are merely mixtures of proteins and minerals that lose stability during digestion and consequently have lower bioavailability.
Many of the minerals in Super Minerals are bound to special molecules called dipeptides. This combination appears to improve absorption by enhancing the minerals' transport across the intestinal wall. Three very important features of the chelated minerals in Super Minerals assist in absorption: (1) the absence of an electrical charge, which renders them less likely to interact with other dietary substances such as phytates, other vitamins and minerals, or medications; (2) small molecular weights that facilitate transport across the intestinal mucosa; and (3) the chelates remain intact and stable throughout the ranges of pH in the digestive tract.
Another reason why Super Minerals stands apart from other mineral formulas on the market is because it contains malic acid. DimaCal is a special form of malic acid that participates in the energy production cycle. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot study using 400 mgs of malic acid three times a day (approximately the same amount as in Super Minerals) along with magnesium supported feelings of wellness in subjects' joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. Because of malic acid's role in energy production, NADH (which yields three ATPs) is formed and may therefore support muscle energy production. Malic acid is also thought to increase energy levels in healthy humans.
Vanadium is known as an ultra-trace element. Animal research suggests vanadium has important interactions with magnesium. It also appears to have positive effects on insulin and glucose metabolism.
We feel that most everyone could benefit from taking Super Minerals.
Super Minerals
Super Minerals contains very easily assimilable forms of Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Iodine, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, Molybdenum, Potassium and Vanadium as well as DimaCal, a special kind of malic acid that promotes energy production. The enzymes Protease and Amylase are added for even better digestion and uptake by the body.
