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A Partial List of the 72+ Trace Elements in Seafood

[ I have not yet been able to find a complete trace element analysis of seafood - or of human tissue - and do not know if such an analysis exists. ]

Our daily food, as produced by our modern agriculture, contains:

3 - major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - or N-P-K);
6 - minor nutrients (calcium, chloride, magnesium, iron, sodium, sulphur) and
5 - trace elements as monitored and maintained in agricultural soils
(boron, copper, manganese, molybdenum, zinc) and
3 - trace elements as added at other stages of our nutrition
(iodine in table salt; cobalt in salt licks for cattle and sheep; and selenium in fortified chicken feed)
- for a total of 8 (!) nutritional trace elements.

All of the above vital nutrients are generally available in adequate amounts in today's agriculturally grown food products. However, since cobalt and selenium are added to livestock feed, rather than to the soil, pure vegetarians are at some risk of cobalt and selenium deficiencies.

However, all living things need about 72 (!) biological trace elements - as found throughout nature and in all wild plant and animal life - for the normal function of their metabolism, reproductive and immune systems. Today, the only readily available food which still contains the complete natural range of the 72 biological trace elements is seafood.

Further, and although the trace element zinc is routinely monitored and maintained in agricultural soils, there are very strong indications (a sharp rise of birth defects in new-borns) that we do not get enough zinc in our daily food.

Trace elements - also called trace minerals - occur in the soil, and are needed for the normal function of all plant and animal metabolic, reproductive and immune systems in miniscule traces; hence the name trace elements. One part per million, and often less, is typical of the amounts needed.

Although far from complete, the following is the most extensive list of biological trace elements as found in a representative cross-section of seafood, which I have been able to find. They are listed here in their amounts (in parts per million), their status of recognition by the biomedical and agricultural sciences, and their availability in our agriculturally produced food.

Note - Dec. 1998: Very recent research indicates that we need somewhere around 72 trace elements for our health and well being - and surprisingly, even micro-miniscule traces of the 'heavy' elements, among them lead, mercury, cadmium, asf. However, we are getting far too much of the heavy metals already through industrial and chemical pollution.

Biological Trace Elements In Seafood

Trace Element
(Ag) silver
(Al) aluminum
(Au) gold
(B) boron
(Ba) barium
(Be) beryllium
(Bi) bismuth
(Br) bromine
(Nb) niobium
(Cd) cadmium
(Ce) cerium
(Co) cobalt
(Cr) chromium
(Cs) caesium
(Cu) copper
(Fe) iron
(Ga) gallium
(Ge) germanium
(Hg) mercury
(I) iodine
(In) indium
(Ir) iridium
(La) lanthanum
(Li) lithium
(Mg) magnesium
(Mn) manganese
(Mo) molybdenum
(Ni) nickel
(Os) osmium
(Pb) lead
(Pd) palladium
(Pt) platinum
(Ra) radium
(Rb) rubidium
(Sb) antimony
(Se) selenium
(Si) silicon
(Sn) tin
(Sr) strontium
(Te) tellurium
(Th) thorium
(Ti) titanium
(Tl) thallium
(V) vanadium
(W) tungsten
(Zn) zinc
(Zr) zirconium

Amount
.000004
.193000
.000006
.019400
.001276
.000750
.016000
6.70000
.014000
.005200
2.70000
.001227
.024000
.074600
.000635
.089560
.001400
.000005
.000190
.062400
.001500
ultra trace
.000019
.000007
.213000
.123500
.001592
.003500
ultra trace
.000014
ultra trace
ultra trace
ultra trace
.000005
.000142
.000043
.164200
.000006
.074876
ultra trace
ultra trace
.000012
.000293
.000531
.000033
.003516
.000001

Status and nutritional availability in our agriculturally grown foods
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
plentiful in all soils; but we are getting too much due to air pollution
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
adequately maintained in agricultural soils
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food (*)
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food (*)
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food (*)
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
added to salt licks for cattle, sheep; not maintained in the soil
recently recognized as vital to our health, but unknown in agriculture
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
adequately maintained in agricultural soils
adequately maintained in agricultural soils
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
industrial pollutant (?), and detrimental to our health
adequate; and added to table salt, rather than the soil
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
partially recognized; vital to our mental health, but not maintained in soils
adequately maintained in most agricultural soils
adequately maintained in most agricultural soils
adequately maintained in agricultural soils
recently recognized as vital to our health, but unknown in agriculture
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
industrial pollutant (?); and detrimental to our health (*)
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
added only to fortified chicken feed; deficient in all other food
recently recognized, and plentiful in soils
recently recognized as vital to our health, but unknown in agriculture
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food
recently recognized as vital to our health, but unknown in agriculture
vital but not recognized: deficient or absent from our food
adequately maintained in most agricultural soils
vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food

amounts are in parts per million

All the trace elements contained in seafood and listed here as
"vital but not recognized; deficient or absent from our food"
and
"recently recognized as vital to our health, but unknown in agriculture" (plus those as yet not analysed for) are the reason why the incidence of breast cancer rate among Sinhalese women is 21 time lower, among Chinese women 10 time lower, and amon Japanese women 5 times lower than in the Western nations - as well the reason for their longevity and much lower incidence of many other physical and neurological diseases!

* bismuth - is a chief ingredient in some patent medicines
* bromine - also a chief ingredient in some patent medicines
* cadmium - overabundant in many areas due to industrial pollution and, consequently a severe health hazard - while deficient in many soils far from industrial areas, with other severe consequences to our health
* lead - the most recent research strongly suggests that we also need a miniscule trace of lead to stay healthy.However, and in any case, most of us have far too much lead in our system due to pollution.

Update: Mar. 2000: There is now a slowly emerging recognition that we most probably need the complete spectrum of the 84 naturally occurring elements of the Earth in our nutrition to stay healthy and well.

All comments are most welcome, and I'll gladly answer any questions you may have. pweis@shaw.ca

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