Mineral Deficiency: Treatment

The treatment of deficiencies in sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphate, and iron usually involves intravenous injections of the deficient mineral.

Iodine deficiency can be easily prevented and treated by fortifying foods with iodine. Table salt is fortified with 100 mg potassium iodide per kg sodium chloride. Goiter was once common in the United States in areas from Washington State to the Great Lakes region, but this problem has been eliminated by iodized salt. Public health programs in impoverished countries have involved injections of synthetic oils containing iodine. Goiter is reversible but, cretinism is not.

Magnesium deficiency can be treated with a magnesium rich diet. If magnesium deficiency is due to a prolonged period of depletion, treatment may include injections of magnesium sulfate (2.0 mL of 50% MgSO₄). Where magnesium deficiency is severe enough to provoke convulsions, magnesium needs to be administered by injections or infusions. For infusion, 500 mL of a 1% solution (1 gram/100 mL) of magnesium sulfate is gradually introduced into a vein over the course of about five hours.

Zinc deficiency and copper deficiency are quite rare, but when they are detected or suspected, they can be treated by consuming zinc or copper, on a daily basis, at levels defined by the RDA.

Selenium deficiency in adults can be treated by eating 100 mg selenium per day for a week, where the selenium is supplied as selenomethionine. The incidence of Keshan disease in China has been reduced by supplementing children with 1.0 mg sodium selenite per week.

— Tom Brody, PhD