Table 2 Different minerals and their beneficial properties outlined

Zinc

11 mg/day for men, 8 mg/day for women

Viscera, legumes, nuts, red meat, milk, eggs, cheese, cereals

Serves as a cofactor for metalloenzymes that repair cell membranes in innate barriers; helps in antibody production; enhances NK cell cytotoxic activity and phagocytic activity of macrophages and monocytes; helps in differentiation of immune cells; improves resistance to infections; helps in wound healing

[27, 47, 48]

Iron

8 mg/day for men, 18 mg/day for women

Viscera, legumes, nuts, red meat, eggs, seafood, potatoes

Regulates ratio between helper T and cytotoxic T cells; helps in IFN-γ production; essential for enzymes in immune cells; improves the growth of epithelial tissue in innate barriers

[27, 48]

Copper

900 μg/day for both men and women

Viscera, legumes, cheese, seafood, nuts, poultry, rabbit

Fights infectious agents in phagolysosomes of macrophages; needed to produce IL-2 and differentiation of T cells; improves NK cell activity; needed for monocytes and neutrophils to function

[27, 48]

Selenium

55 μg/day for both men and women

Sea salt, eggs, bread, mushroom, garlic, asparagus, nuts

Improves IFN-γ production; increases Th cells; maintains antibody levels; helps in differentiation of T lymphocytes; improves immune response to viruses; essential for the function of NK cells and leukocytes

[27, 49]

Magnesium

400–420 mg/day for men, 310–320 mg/day for women

Almonds, bananas, black beans, broccoli, brown rice, cashews, flaxseed

Helps in antigen binding to macrophages; modulates leukocyte activation; protects DNA from oxidative damage; cofactor in antibody production; required in antibody-dependent cytolysis

[27, 50]