GLOSSARY

Mineral Fortification adds a mineral to food for a nutritional purpose, without automatically establishing serving amount or overall product quality.

Fortification adds a mineral to food for a defined nutritional purpose, with compounds and national programs varying. Enrichment does not automatically improve sugar, salt or overall quality, and actual portions matter. Fortified plant drinks can address an athlete's calcium gap, but not every product is fortified. Add fortified foods and supplements together so a genuine gap is not replaced by inappropriate excessive intake.

Dairy or fortified alternatives, legumes, whole grains, nuts, produce and protein foods have different mineral profiles. No single food supplies everything in suitable proportions. For athletes, adequate energy and varied meals provide a practical foundation. Labels and actual portion sizes help locate genuine gaps rather than merely recognizing a food as a source or accumulating several products without evaluating intake.

The mass of a salt or supplement compound is not its elemental mass. Reliable labels specify the element per serving, and the number of capsules per serving matters. Bone, sleep and multimineral products or sports drinks can overlap. Align units and serving amounts before summing, so compound weight or package size is not mistaken for actual elemental intake.

For example, record minerals from legumes and dairy using actual portions; a source name without serving size does not establish daily adequacy.

Absorption depends on chemical form, serving amount, the food matrix, body needs and gastrointestinal function. A percentage measured for one product under study conditions is not a fixed value for every person and meal. Label quantity describes intake. Practical decisions also consider digestive tolerance, elemental amount and outcome evidence, rather than a high-absorption marketing statement alone.

Intake, absorption and body status are distinct. An apparently adequate food record can coexist with poor uptake from intestinal disease or medicines, while one low-intake day does not establish clinical deficiency. Interpret repeated food records, longer-term patterns, symptoms and suitable markers together. Fatigue after one training session is not a specific diagnostic test for an individual mineral.

Requirements vary with age, sex, life stage, absorption and some illnesses; population reference values are not identical personal prescriptions for athletes. Increased training can accompany greater food intake that supplies additional minerals. Before adding a supplement, assess actual eating, excluded food groups and documented losses rather than assuming the athlete label alone establishes a greater requirement for every element.