The Specific Uses of Minerals or Elements in the Body-Oxygen

December 2006: Volume 1 Number 12

Oxygen [O] – Oxygen is the most numerous of all the elements on earth and also in the body. Most of the oxygen in the body is contained in the water molecules throughout the body. Oxygen combines with carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, but principally silicon. Oxygen is used to make other molecules such as sugars, carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, proteins, nucleoproteins and nucleic acids.

Oxygen is associated with every molecule in the body and is essential in the process of respiration in animals. Our greatest source of oxygen is from the water we drink. That is why it is very important to ingest the amount of water our bodies need, which is at least 8 glasses of water per day.

As you know, oxygen also comes from the air we breathe along with carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), nitrogen (N2) and other elements. Out of those elements we use keep about 20% of the O2 and 2.2% of the N2 we receive from the air we breathe. We exhale about 98.9% more CO2 and release about 82% more water than we breathe into our lungs. This is another reason we need to consume water.

Oxygen also comes into our bodies from the things we eat, drink or absorb through the skin and is eliminated through the skin, urination and bowel movements. As you can see, large amounts of oxygen come and leave the body in a variety of ways. A considerable amount of oxygen is lost from the evaporation of sweat on our skin. Yes, we need to drink more water.

Oxygen is transported by the circulatory system by a red blood cell with the positive element iron, which is needed to bind the negative ion of oxygen before transport. Oxygen is required to maintain maximal activity in muscles and return them to their resting state by converting lactic acid to glucose and replenishing ATP and phosphocreatine stores. Skeletal muscles need ATP and phosphocreatine to function in muscular contractions. The element oxygen is used in a chemical reaction to replace these molecular structures. Oxygen intake decreases as we get older, which causes a decrease in muscle mass and strength. Insufficient oxygen levels can cause multiple organs to fail. Fevers, bacterial infections, painful areas and seizures can cause an increase in oxygen consumption.

I can not stress how important it is to be adequately hydrated with water every moment. We need to maintain the proper water level in our bodies to balance all the other factors for optimal health. Everyone has different requirements, but we all need to consume more water.

We will discuss the Carbon (C) atom in our next lecture as a continuation of the specific uses of minerals or element in our bodies.

© Copyright 2006 The Specific Uses of Minerals or Elements in the Body – Oxygen