AFP - British and French scientists have identified several variants of a single gene that boost the risk of obesity, according to a study published Sunday in the British journal Nature.

Dietary mineral supplements come in many forms the best being minerals in a liquid supplement. Mineral supplements in this form contain more minerals, are non toxic, and are more readily absorbed into the body.

By contrast, dietary mineral supplements such as Tums, coral calcium, carbonates, lactates and minerals of metallic origin are only about 3-5% absorbable meaning that you would have to consume a lo of them for little benefit.

Another form of dietary mineral supplements includes amino acid chelates which are around 40-50% absorbable. Youll find these in many capsules and are commonly included in capsule supplements targeting a specific health challenge.

High quality plant derived dietary mineral supplements or colloidal minerals should ideally contain more than 70 minerals and have a concentration of around 15,000mg per litre. They are over 98% absorbable due to their natural negative charge and small particle size. Their plant-derived origin also renders them completely safe as they are wrapped in a plant amino acid coating.

Why Take Dietary Mineral Supplements

Today many people acknowledge that our food crops are grown in mineral depleted soil this means, for example, that the amount of iron in a pound of spinach grown in the early 1900s is about 30% more than you would find today.

These mineral deficiencies are further compounded by our use of fertilizers (that supply only nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium), pesticides, preservatives, long storage periods and our love of fast food.

These efficiencies then lead to diseases which many argue can be prevented or reversed by supplementing with dietary mineral supplements.

The common sense approach

Before you rush out and start buying supplements, the following dietary advice will save you from wasting your money. I'm not talking about showing you less expensive products - the first thing you should do is make some slight changes to your diet. This helps you absorb the supplements better and reduces the loss of minerals from the body.

• Eliminate junk food, carbonated soft drinks, sugar and other refined carbohydrates.
• Consume foods higher in minerals- such as green leafy vegetables.
• Drink more water in place of caffeine and soft drinks.
• If you sweat a lot and/or suffer from ay number of diseases, consider a mineral, multi-vitamin and essential fatty acid supplement program and monitor your results you should see changes inside three months.

Paul Newland is a health writer, sports training consultant and martial arts instructor and runs the Global-Longevity.com website. He is the author of numerous health information books and guides, including the Wellness Report, The Ultimate Antioxidant Report, The Selenium Report, The Ultimate Nutrient Guide and The Essential Fatty Acid Report and The Ultimate Sports Nutrition Guide - available Free (for a limited time) through Global-Longevity.com