Editing Dietary supplement (section)

===Minerals===
{{main|Mineral (nutrient)}}

Minerals are the [[exogenous]] [[chemical element]]s indispensable for life. Four minerals – [[carbon]], [[hydrogen]], [[oxygen]], and [[nitrogen]] – are essential for life but are so ubiquitous in food and drink that these are not considered nutrients and there are no recommended intakes for these as minerals. The need for nitrogen is addressed by requirements set for protein, which is composed of nitrogen-containing amino acids. [[Sulfur]] is essential, but for humans, not identified as having a recommended intake per se. Instead, recommended intakes are identified for the sulfur-containing amino acids [[methionine]] and [[cysteine]]. There are dietary supplements that provide sulfur, such as [[taurine]] and [[methylsulfonylmethane]].

The essential nutrient minerals for humans, listed in order by weight needed to be at the [[Dietary Reference Intake|Recommended Dietary Allowance]] or [[Adequate Intake]] are [[potassium]], [[chlorine]], [[sodium]], [[calcium]], [[phosphorus]], [[magnesium]], [[iron]], [[zinc]], [[manganese]], [[copper]], [[iodine]], [[chromium]], [[molybdenum]], [[selenium]] and [[cobalt]] (the last as a component of vitamin B<sub>12</sub>). There are other minerals which are essential for some plants and animals, but may or may not be essential for humans, such as [[boron]] and [[silicon]]. Essential and purportedly essential minerals are marketed as dietary supplements, individually and in combination with vitamins and other minerals.

Although as a general rule, dietary supplement labeling and marketing are not allowed to make disease prevention or treatment claims, the U.S. FDA has for some foods and dietary supplements reviewed the science, concluded that there is significant scientific agreement, and published specifically worded allowed health claims. An initial ruling allowing a health claim for calcium dietary supplements and [[osteoporosis]] was later amended to include calcium supplements with or without vitamin D, effective January 1, 2010. Examples of allowed wording are shown below. In order to qualify for the calcium health claim, a dietary supplement must contain at least 20% of the Reference Dietary Intake, which for calcium means at least 260&nbsp;mg/serving.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FDA-2004-P-0205-0006 | title = Food Labeling: Health Claims; Calcium and Osteoporosis, and Calcium, Vitamin D, and Osteoporosis | publisher = U.S. Food and Drug Administration | date = 29 September 2008 }}</ref>

* "Adequate calcium throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis."
* "Adequate calcium as part of a healthful diet, along with physical activity, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life."
* "Adequate calcium and vitamin D throughout life, as part of a well-balanced diet, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis."
* "Adequate calcium and vitamin D as part of a healthful diet, along with physical activity, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life."

In the same year, the European Food Safety Authority also approved a dietary supplement health claim for calcium and vitamin D and the reduction of the risk of osteoporotic fractures by reducing bone loss.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1609 | volume=8 | title=Scientific Opinion in relation to the authorisation procedure for health claims on calcium and vitamin D and the reduction of the risk of osteoporotic fractures by reducing bone loss pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 | year=2010 | journal=EFSA Journal | issue=5 | page=1609| doi-access=free }}</ref>
The U.S. FDA also approved Qualified Health Claims (QHCs) for various health conditions for calcium, selenium and [[Chromium(III) picolinate|chromium picolinate]].<ref name=FDA-QHC>{{cite web | url = https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm072756.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131126045549/https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm072756.htm | archive-date = 26 November 2013 | title = Qualified Health Claims: Letters of Enforcement Discretion | publisher = U.S. Food and Drug Administration | date = }}</ref> QHCs are supported by scientific evidence, but do not meet the more rigorous "significant scientific agreement" standard required for an authorized health claim. If dietary supplement companies choose to make such a claim then the FDA stipulates the exact wording of the QHC to be used on labels and in marketing materials. The wording can be onerous: "One study suggests that selenium intake may reduce the risk of [[bladder cancer]] in women. However, one smaller study showed no reduction in risk. Based on these studies, FDA concludes that it is highly uncertain that selenium supplements reduce the risk of bladder cancer in women."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm168527.htm | archive-url = https://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20171114183712/https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm168527.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2017-11-14 | title = Selenium and a Reduced Risk of Site-specific Cancers | id = FDA-2008-Q-0323 | publisher = U.S. Food and Drug Administration | date = 19 June 2009 }}</ref>