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How Does a Mineral Get Into a Cell?

Dietary minerals are inorganic substances that must be supplied by the diet, and are obtained from food. Once the food is ingested, minerals enter the cells of a person's body through either facilitated or active transport.

  1. Minerals in the Body

    • Once they have been ingested, minerals become dissolved in body fluids. In this form, they are called "salts." Because of their ionic composition these salts can have a positive or a negative electrical charge, which requires that they enter a cell through facilitated or active transport.

    Facilitated Transport

    • Facilitated transport occurs when minerals move from one side of a cell's membrane to the other through molecules that act as channels. The structure of these channels determines which minerals can pass through them.

    Active Transport

    • The active transport of minerals into a cell is different from facilitated transport in that it requires energy. The energy is needed to power the ion pumps in the cell's membrane, which move minerals into a cell at the same time as they move another molecule out of the cell.

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