There are many elements a human simply cannot exist without. Of all 118 known elements, approximately 60 are found in the human body, though not all have known uses. Here are the top 20 most abundant in the body
- Oxygen- the most abundant element found in the body, making up a whopping 65% of you. Most of this is found in water (H2O).
- Carbon- necessary for life. bonds well and can be broken easily. Organic chemistry is centered around carbon. (18%)
- Nitrogen- found in amino acids (make up proteins) and nucleic acids (DNA) (3%)
- Calcium- most common mineral; stored in bones and teeth; important to bodily functions (ie protein regulation and muscle contractions (1.5%)
- Phosphorous- found in bone and ATP, which provides energy for cellular reactions and functions (1%)
- Potassium- important electrolyte; regulates heartbeat and electrical signaling in nerves (.25%)
- Sulfur- contained in 2 amino acids that help determine protein shape (.25%)
- Sodium- electrolyte; helps electrical signals in nerves, regulates amount of water in body (.15%)
- Chlorine- usually found as chloride; electrolyte that helps maintain fluid balance (.15%)
- Magnesium- helps with skeletal structure and muscles; essential in over 300 metabolic reactions (.05%)
- Iron- key in the metabolism; also found in hemoglobin in red blood cells (.006%)
- Fluorine- helps prevent tooth decay; found in bone (.0037%)
- Zinc- some proteins contain "zinc fingers" that regulate genes (.0032%)
- Copper- donates electrons in biological reactions; zinc needs copper to work (.001%)
- Iodine- essential to synthesis of thyroid hormones (.000016%)
- Selenium- necessary for some enzymes (.000019%)
- Chromium- regulates sugar levels in interaction with insulin (.0000024%)
- Manganese- necessary for certain enzymes, namely those that protect the mitochondria from harmful oxidants (.000017%)
- Molybdenum- transforms sulfur and nitrogen into usable forms (.000013%)
- Cobalt- found in vitamin B12 (important to protein formation and DNA regulation (.0000021%)