Table 1.

General characteristics, influence of minerals on pregnancy and fetal development, and influence of minerals on child growth and development.

Mineral	General Characteristics	Influence of Minerals on Pregnancy and Fetal Development	Influence of Minerals on Child Growth and Development
Iodine	thyroid hormones [15,16] brain development [55] redox balance [20] relationship with selenium [21]	neuronal development of children [19] mental retardation [17,58] fetal hypothyroidism [17,19,20,21,56]	delay in development [97] association with autism [98] association with attention deficit [98] association with hyperactivity disorder [98] drop in IQ points [2,55] results of alphabetization [99]
Selenium	antioxidant activity [21] action in the immune system [16,26] present in the thyroid gland [22]	intolerance to glucose [29,59,60,61] alterations in the lipidic profile [29,59,60,61] mental and psychomotor delay [29,59,60,61] oxidative stress in the mother and the fetus [61] premature birth, miscarriage [62] problems in the neural tube of the newborn [63]	oxidative stress in the premature [43] triggers cardiovascular problems [29] insulin resistance [29] neuronal disorders [22,23,76,103] secretion (increase) of insulin [104]
Iron	oxygen transport [30,31,32] production of erythrocytes [30,31,32] transport of enzymes [30,31,32] maintenance of the immune system [30,31,32] synaptogenesis [33,71] synthesis of neurotransmitters [33,71] synthesis of neurotrophin [33,71] myelinization [33,71]	premature birth or low birth weight [32,34,69] miscarriages during the first trimester 68] reduction in fetal growth and weight [31,34] neuronal changes [34,35,72,73] association is negative in obese pregnant [72] oxidative stress, risk of pre-eclampsia [69] incidence of insulin resistance in pregnancy [57,76] diabetes mellitus type 2 in pregnancy [57,76]	delayed speech [90] delays in development [90] behavioral disorders [90] obese children, neurodegenerative diseases [90]
Zinc	regulation of T-helper cytokines [82] participates in neurogenesis [83] cognitive development [83] maintains brain function [83] located in the bones and skeleton muscles [40]	premature birth [78] complications at childbirth [82] neurological deficits [85]	infections and nanism [78] functions in natural barriers in the skin and mucosas [108] morbimortality at birth [109] increased severity of infectious diseases [109] growth deficit [109] physiological alterations [109]
Calcium	functions in bone tissue [45] signal transduction [86] muscular contraction [86] enzymatic regulation [86] blood coagulation [86]	premature birth [86] pre-eclampsia [86] restriction of intra-uterine growth [87] low weight at birth [87]	nutritional rickets [115] bone demineralization [116,117] dental enamel hypoplasia [118] emotional problems and hyperactivity [114]
Magnesium	formation of Mg-ATP [51] protein synthesis [52] synthesis and degradation of DNA [52] anaerobic phosphorylation of glucose [52] mitochondrial oxidative metabolism [52] antioxidant effect [54] part of the parathyroid gland [13] bone remodeling [13]	severe pre-eclampsia [91] premature birth [93] apgar scores in the newborn [93] hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy [93]	hypoparathyroidism [13] hypocalcemia [13] impaired bone growth [13] cognitive capacity and processing [52] lack of concentration [52]