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Not All Minerals Are Created Equal - PART ONE

by Dr. Steven E. Whiting, PhD

This article is from the Journal of the Institute of Nutritional Science, June, 1996. Further information on the Institute's Journal, services and other publications may be obtained from:

The Institute of Nutritional Science 9528 Miramar Road Suite 180 San Diego, CA 92126
Tel: 1-800-454-8464











Factors That Affect Mineral Uptake & Absorption

Tissue samples from animals and humans have shown anywhere from 65 to 75 individual elements, so the first point of concern should be locating a product that provides the full spectrum of minerals. When further evaluating a mineral supplement for human use several factors come to the surface as being relevant. Such factors as pH, electromagnetic circuitry, particle size and source contribute to the final ability for the body to derive benefit from the minerals ingested. The following chart breaks the three basic types of mineral supplements down and shows how they rate in each category along with the subsequent absorption percentage. (Figure 1.0)

Figure 1.0

Type of



Particle Size




Soils & Clays



Positive (+)

10 - 20%


Soils & Clays



Positive (+)

35 - 60%





Negative (-)

90 - 98%


Minerals essentially come from one of two sources, either inorganic, being from rocks, clays, seabeds etc., or organic which means that the minerals have been processed through a plant metabolism. This process alters the mineral in some subtle yet vitally important ways namely with regard to the electrical circuitry. For this reason minerals that come from plant sources that contain the full spectrum of minerals would be the best source. After all, humans like all other animals, were created to eat plants, not soil!

Particle Size

There is a law in physical chemistry that states, the smaller the object or particle the greater the surface. This is easier understood if you picture a basketball in your mind and imagine the amount of surface around the outside. Now imagine if that basketball were filled with small marbles. If you measured all the surface around each marble it would be many times greater than that around the big basketball.

The amount of surface of a mineral particle is important since the body attacks and breaks down minerals by attaching to their surface. The greater the surface the greater the absorption, hence the smaller the particle the greater the potential for absorption. Colloids are very small particles that suspend in liquids such as water. These particles contribute to overall absorption due to the immense surface the body has available to acidify and break them down.


pH stands for power of hydrogen and refers to how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH scale runs from 0 through 14. The mid point, number 7 is neutral. Everything lower than 7 is acidic and everything higher than 7 is alkaline.

In order for minerals to be properly absorbed, they need to be acidic. When we consume inorganic minerals which are always quite alkaline, the body must attempt to acidify them for absorption. This is done in several ways but early acidification of minerals occurs through hydrochloric acid from the stomach.

This accounts for why we have greater difficulty absorbing minerals as we grow older. The natural hydrochloric acid production decreases with age and dietary abuse. Organic colloidal minerals are naturally acidic, about 3.0 to 5.5, and this further contributes to their absorption.

Electromagnetic Circuitry

We have the least data on the final factor that affects mineral absorption. Current research under way at this time will hopefully shed further light upon this mysterious property. Every element has two charges, an ionic charge which is either positive or negative and an electromagnetic charge which is also either positive or negative. They do not necessarily have to be the same.

The ionic charge of an element is always the same and never varies no matter what form the mineral may take. The electromagnetic energy or charge however can vary with each element depending upon certain circuitry within the atom. If you picture 2 magnets, they are both made of the same material or substance yet one pole is positive and one is negative.

All so called inorganic minerals are positive in their electromagnetic circuitry. When a living plant takes these positive minerals up into its internal biochemistry the electromagnetic circuitry is somehow altered through the biochemical process of photosynthesis, making it negative. This negative electromagnetic energy has been called the 'life energy' because it is opposite of the human electromagnetic circuitry which is positive. Since opposites attract, the negative circuitry is drawn to the body like a magnet!

We can see by this discussion that if a mineral had all of these various factors in the right order, the absorption potential would be increased by many times. The ideal situation for maximum absorption from a mineral supplement would be when it is organic instead or inorganic, colloidal in size rather than just ground or powdered rock, has a naturally occurring acidic pH instead of highly alkaline and is negatively charged electromagnetically instead of positive which repels inside the body. A liquid mineral supplement that possessed all these factors in one would he almost 100% absorbable.

This brings us to a discussion of the many liquid trace mineral products that have recently made their way into the marketplace. Are they all created equal just because they are liquid? What about tablets and capsules that profess to contain bio-available minerals?

Let's address the tablet/capsule issue firstly since it is relatively easy to understand. When we refer to colloidal trace minerals we often use the term 'bio-electrical' or 'bio-available.' The prefix 'bio' in front of a word means 'life', hence life electrical or electrical circuitry that supports & nourishes the living system.

All life has one thing in common, it needs moisture to survive. This is especially true when we are considering electrical potential. Any physical chemist can tell you that electro-chemical reactions occur in the presence of moisture or water. The same holds true for these 'life-electrical' minerals. If you totally remove the moisture the element would lose its bio-electrical charge and revert to the inorganic electro-magnetic charge which is positive. Therefore, at the present time, there is no way to accomplish this convenience. Several researchers are working on this but so far have failed. The encapsulated tableted 'colloidal minerals' we have tested have not retained their bio-electrical charge.

Not All Liquid Minerals Are Created Equal Either













  1. Price, Weston A. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, Keats Publishing, Inc.
  3. Passwater, Richard A. PhD et al Trace Elements, Hair Analysis and Nutrition, 1983 Keats Publishing Inc.
  5. Todd, Gary P., MD. unpublished observations
  6. Popp, Fritz Albert. Bioelectronic Respons of Cellular Stimulation
  7. Mervyn, Len PhD. Minerals And Your Health, Keats Publishing, Inc.
  8. Bland, Jeffrey, PhD. Medical Applications of Clinical Nutrition, Keats Publishing, Inc

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