As the Soil Becomes Minerally Depleted,
the Seas Become Minerally Enriched

Our philosophy at Trace Minerals Research has always been that theEarth was created with theperfect balance of all the nutrients that humans need to be healthy and happy. The only problemis that over the years humans have become victims of the water cycle. Dr. U. Aswathanarayanastates, "Soil erosion leads to the depletion of essential nutrient elements in crops grown indepleted soils. When people consume a diet derived from such crops, the intake of essentialelements becomes inadequate. This leads to the impairment of the relevant physiologicalfunctions, and causes disease."1 For millions of years, every sprouting seed andtowering tree has dissolved minerals to ionic form and raised them from the depths of the soilwhere they could easily be washed away by water. To add to this problem, aggressive farminghas further depleted the soils. Furthermore, many fertilizers and pesticides bind trace mineralsin the soil so that fewer minerals are absorbed by fruits and vegetables.

The importance of minerals in the soil and their effects on human health are not new concepts. Dr. Alexis Carrel, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1912, states, "Soil is the basis of allhuman life and our only hope for a healthy world . . . . All of life will be either healthy orunhealthy according to the fertility of the soil. Minerals in the soil control the metabolism ofcells in plant, animal and man . . . . Diseases are created chiefly by destroying the harmonyreigning among mineral substances present in infinitesimal amounts in air, water and food, butmost importantly in the soil." Even the AMA recognizes the importance of minerals in our diet. "Variations in the distribution of certain minerals in the environment are known to have aneffect on health."2

The lack of minerals in our soil is evidenced through the need for constant fertilization. Plantsneed nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, chlorine, carbon, boron, sulfur, potassium, magnesium,phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper manganese, and molybdenum, some of which are commonlyreplaced through fertilizers to provide maximum crops through minimum investment. However,humans are known to additionally need calcium, sodium, fluorine, bromine, chromium, iodine,silicon, selenium, beryllium, lithium, cobalt, vanadium and nickel, which would not necessarilybe replaced through fertilization for plants.3

This continual cycle of soil depletion and minor replacement of minerals through fertilization onconjunction with a diet of processed foods has left many Americans deficient in minerals andtrace minerals. This does not need to be the case. To discover where the minerals havedisappeared, we need to follow the water cycle. As water goes through the constant cycle fromevaporation to precipitation, minerals are transported through rivers and streams where it is themcollected in the seas thereby creating a natural equilibrium.

Today, Trace Minerals Research harvests minerals and trace minerals from the Great Salt lake, auniquely rich and pure desert sea. These minerals are the basis for each of their unique productsand help provide a strong foundation for balanced supplementation.


1. Aswathanarayana, U. Professor. Trace Substances, Environment and Health. Science-Reviews, London, 1: 1994, pp. 222-223.

2. American Medical Association. The American Medical Association Encyclopedia ofMedicine. Ed. Charles B. Cayman. Random House: 1989, p. 409.

3. Schuss, A.G. Keynote lecture, Texas Conference on Nutrition and Behavior, University ofTexas at Austin, October 8, 1982; and Schuss, A.G. Nutrition and Behavior. Journal of AppliedNutrition, 1983; 35:30-43.