Generally, patients receiving intravenous alimentation show low GI tract absorption, which results in a huge loss of miscellaneous trace mineral with dysfunction of metabolism and storage of miscellaneous, will be influenced. Also, sedatives or certain amino acid in the intravenous alimentation are known to induce excessive excretion of miscellaneous through the kidney.

Therefore, long term use of intravenous alimentation without trace minerals causes nutritional deficiencies. Especially in the advanced countries including England, Canada, and America, most medical institutions add Cr, Cu, Mn, se, Zn, Fe into the TPN solution routinely to prevent deficiencies in trace minerals of TPN patients following the report written by expert panel from Nutrition Advisory Group of American Medical Association in 1979

Reactive Oxidative Species (ROS) occurs more frequently in TPN patients, surgical patients, and chronic disease patients and it reduces immune function and delays recovery speed. However, trance minerlas including Selenium, Zinc, Copper, and Manganese are the components for various antioxidative enzymes that inhibit oxidation by ROS. Therefore, if these minerals are supplied, activity of antioxidative enzymes will increase, and oxidative stress from reactive oxygen will decrease, and recovery speed of wounds will increase.