Can eating spinach really replenish iron? How to supplement iron, copper, zinc, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, iodine, cobalt and other trace elements in the human body?

In our lives, have you ever heard the saying that spinach is rich in iron and makes people strong?

So is eating spinach really good for iron supplement? Some experts point out that it is unreliable to rely on spinach to meet the body's need for iron.

Because only 1/4 of the iron in spinach can be used, it is not necessarily better than the average vegetable. So it's not a good way to supplement iron by eating spinach. When it comes to iron supplement, what does this "iron" mean? The "iron" here refers to the essential trace element iron for the human body. Besides, do you know anything about these common trace elements?

Trace elements, compared with macro elements, generally speaking, life essential but little demand for bioactive substances, is trace elements, such as iron, copper, zinc, chromium, molybdenum, selenium, iodine, cobalt and so on. So, what do you know about the role of trace elements in the human body? How to supplement these trace elements?

The role of trace elements

Iron stores and transports oxygen. Iron deficiency will lead to iron deficiency anemia, decreased anti-infection ability and easy lead poisoning.

Iron-rich foods include animal blood, liver, chicken gizzards, cow kidneys, black fungus, soybeans, sesame paste and so on, especially the iron contained in animal blood, which is most easily absorbed by the human body.

Iodine can promote energy metabolism, physical and brain development, and iodine deficiency can cause goiter.

Iodine is abundant in seafood, such as kelp, shellfish, porphyra and iodized salt after artificial iodization.

Zinc can enhance the immune ability of the body's immune system, which is related to taste, smell and immunity, can regulate cell differentiation and gene expression, maintain the structure and function of biofilm, zinc deficiency will inhibit growth and decrease the immune function of the human body. it will also cause taste and olfactory dullness, growth retardation, sexual hypoplasia and so on.

Lean meat, pig liver, chicken liver, egg yolk and kelp are all rich in zinc, and zinc is the most abundant in fish, shrimp and oysters.

Copper is very important for some physiological functions of the human body, such as the formation of red blood cells, the absorption of iron, the formation of connective tissue and the support of the immune system.

The body itself cannot synthesize copper, so it must be ingested through diet. Shellfish, leafy greens, mushrooms, nuts and legumes are rich in copper.

Selenium has the effects of anti-oxidation, anti-tumor, promoting immunity, and can prevent diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Selenium deficiency can cause Keshan disease (also known as endemic cardiomyopathy), Kaschin-Beck disease or cardiomyopathy.

Foods such as grains, eggs and fish contain large amounts of selenium.

Trace elements need to be balanced with each other, so we should supplement them scientifically and rationally, not everything, but whatever we lack, otherwise it will be counterproductive.