Mineral Nutrition History: The Early Years

Seven minerals have been known since antiquity, some going back since 6000 B.C. Many years passed before the concept of essential nutrients developed. It was more of a trial and error method that various peoples gradually learned that certain diseases were associated in some way with diet and that specific foods were helpful in their treatments. It was not until the last half of the 19th century there was a realization that food was made up of classes of nutrients, which included an ill-def...