The intestinal tract is no exception. It is imperative that adequate amounts of water are available throughout our gastro-intestinal tract. Without a gut surplus, many biochemical activities cannot be pursued and poor digestion ensues along with poor absorption. Minimal amounts of inorganic minerals are present at any time Most inorganic mineral salts interfere with each other's absorption. As there is a very small segment of the ileum for absorption of these forms of minerals, there is much competition at the available sites.
Several minerals share the same cell for absorption.
For instance, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and molybdenum all share one gastro-intestinal transport cell. Too much excess of any of these elements will block the absorption of the other minerals in that group and produce a potential malabsorption state with consequent deficiency. Therefore, megadosing of these minerals with supplements, or high intake from any other source, is contra-indicated. True chelation means the mineral is bound, in some form, in a food matrix or other base material such as protein, lipid, polysaccharide or combination. This bonding, for true chelation to occur, is happening at the molecular level.