Nightmare

A virtually undisputed fact is mineral deficiency. Observe the titanic
output of websites, articles, and supplements visible today. The
majority of mineral websites quote a 1936 source - Senate Document #264,
as scientific proof that dietary minerals were generally inadequate for
optimum health.
"...most of us are suffering from certain diet deficiencies which cannot
be remedied until deplete soils from which our food comes are brought
into proper mineral balance."
"The alarming fact is that food...now being raised on millions of acres
of land that no longer contain enough...minerals are starving us, no
matter how much of them we eat."
"Lacking vitamins, the system can make use of minerals, but lacking
minerals, vitamins are useless."
Senate Document 264
74th Congress, 1936
The same document went on to quantify the extent of mineral deficiency:
"99% of the American people are deficient in minerals, and a marked
deficiency in any one of the more important minerals actually results in
disease."
Congressional documents are not generally highly regarded as scientific
sources, and other reference texts cite other percentages. The figures
quoted by Albion Laboratories, the world leader in patents on
supplemental minerals, are somewhat lower, but the idea begins to come
across:
DEFICIENCY - U.S. Population
Magnesium 75%
Iron 58%
Copper 81%
Manganese 50%
Chromium 50%
Zinc 67%
Different studies will show different figures, of course, but there is
certainly no lack of explanation for mass deficiencies of mineral
intake. The most obvious of these is soil depletion and
demineralization. In 1900, forests covered 40% of the earth. Today, the
figure is about 27%. (Relating Land Use and Global Land Cover, Turner,
1992).
Aside from hacking down rainforests in order to raise beef cattle or to
build condos, one of the main reasons for the dying forests is mineral
depletion. According to a paper read at the 1994 meeting of the
International Society for Systems Sciences, this century is the first
time ever that "mineral content available to forest and agricultural
root systems is down 25%-40%." Less forests means less topsoil. In the
past 200 years, the U.S. has lost as much as 75% of its topsoil,
according to John Robbins in his Pulitzer-nominated work Diet for a New
America. To replace one inch of topsoil may take anywhere from 200-1000
years, depending on climate. (Utah Teachers Resource Books)
Demineralization of topsoil translates to loss of productive capacity.
Contributing further to this trend is the growing of produce that is
harvested and shipped far away.
The standard NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium) fertilizer farmers
commonly use is able to restore the soil enough to grow fruits and
vegetables which are healthy looking, but may be entirely lacking in
trace minerals. The inventor of the entire NPK philosophy, Baron von
Leibig, recanted his theories before he died when he saw the
deficiencies his methods were fostering as they became the agricultural
standard in both Europe and America.
Mineral depletion in topsoil is hardly a controversial issue. The
question is not if, but how much. Plants are the primary agents of
mineral incorporation into the biosphere. The implication for our
position on the food chain is simply: lowered mineral content in produce
grown in U.S. topsoil. Not much argument here.
I have not found any source that insists that the mineral content of
American topsoil is as good today as it was 50 years ago. Generally,
studies talk in terms of how much, if any, minerals are still present.
The second contributor to mineral deficiency within the population is
obviously, diet. Even if our produce did contain abundant minerals, less
than 4% of the population eats sufficient fruits and vegetables to
account for minimal RDAs. To compound matters further, mass amounts of
processed food, excess protein, and refined sugars require most of our
mineral stores in order to digest it and remove it. The removal process
involves enzymes, which break things down. Enzyme activity, remember, is
completely dependent on minerals like zinc and copper and chromium. No
minerals - no enzyme action. In addition, milk and dairy products,
alcohol, and drugs inhibit the absorption of these minerals, further
depleting reserves. So it is cyclical: refined foods inhibit mineral
absorption, which then are not themselves efficiently digested because
of diminished enzyme activity. And then we go looking for bugs as the
cause of disease?