Which mineral carries oxygen to cells and acts as a powerful antioxidant?

The mineral that is well-known for carrying oxygen to cells and serving as a powerful antioxidant is iron. Iron is a crucial component of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells, that binds to oxygen and transports it throughout the body. This function is essential for maintaining energy levels and overall physiological processes.

Additionally, iron also plays a role in various enzymatic reactions in the body, some of which are involved in protecting cells from oxidative stress, thereby contributing to its antioxidant properties. This makes iron critical not just for oxygen transport but also for protecting cells from damage caused by free radicals.

While other minerals like zinc and copper also have important roles in antioxidant defense systems, they do not function primarily as oxygen carriers in the body. Zinc is crucial for immune function and enzyme reactions, and copper plays a role in iron metabolism, but neither of them has the direct role in oxygen transport that iron has. Germanium, on the other hand, lacks sufficient evidence to support its importance in these specific functions, making iron the correct answer in this context.