Vitamins & Minerals

What are Vitamins and Minerals?

Vitamins and minerals are substances that our bodies need to grow, develop, and function properly.  Each vitamin and mineral has a specific job. 
  • Vitamins are organic substances that are made by plants or animals. 
  • Minerals are inorganic substances that come from the earth's soil and water, and are absorbed by plants. 
Very often, vitamins and minerals work in tandem to benefit our body.  For example, Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb the amount of calcium (a mineral) it needs to form strong bones. [1]

There are 13 vitamins that our body needs: A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate).

There are 2 categories or types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble. 
  • Fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K, dissolve in fat and can be stored in your body.
  • Water soluble vitamins, such as C and B complex vitamins cannot be stored in the body, except in insignificant amounts, and must be consumed on a daily basis. Water soluble vitamins must be dissolved in water before they can be absorbed by the body.

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies

Vitamin and/or mineral deficiency or excess can be the cause of a myriad of symptoms that result in decreased health. These include, to name just a few, osteoporosis, a weakened immune system, disorders of cell metabolism, certain forms of cancer, symptoms of premature aging, and poor psychological health.  As of 2005, there are twelve vitamins and about the same number of minerals that are recognized as "essential nutrients", meaning that they must be consumed and absorbed in order to prevent deficiency symptoms and death. [2]

Recommended Daily Allowances

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences has developed Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), that identify the recommended intake of vitamins and minerals for healthy people. The three main types of reference values included in the DRIs are:

  • Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) - which recommends the average daily intake that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of 97-98% of healthy individuals in each age and gender group. [2]
  • Adequate Intakes (AI) - which is set when there is insufficient scientific data available to establish a RDA. AI's meet or exceed the amount needed to maintain a nutritional state of adequacy in nearly all members of a specific age and gender group. [4]
  • Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) - which is the maximum daily intake unlikely to result in adverse health affects. [3]
International Units (IU)

The International Unit (IU) is a unit of measure for the amount of substance that is contained within a specific food.  It is used for the measurement of both drugs and vitamins/minerals.  Thus, an IU per serving for a specific vitamin/mineral for a particular food identifies that amount of the designated vitamin/mineral that is present in a serving of that particular food.

Please be aware that the IU is dependent on the potency of a substance, and each substance has a different IU to milligram conversion. For example, 1000 IU of Vitamin C has a different weight than 1000 IU of Vitamin A.



Sources:
[1] Dept. of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Nutrition for Everyone".
[2] Nutrition, from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrition

[3] Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D and Fluoride. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1999.

[4] Office of Dietary Supplements, NIH Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D. http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind/aspb

 
Calcium

Calcium is needed for muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and sending messages through ...

 
Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, and cell division. It also helps to regulate our immune system.

 
Vitamin B2 (ribolflavin)

Vitamin B2 is a water soluble vitamin that plays an important role in helping our body convert carbohydrates into glucose (sugar), which is then used ...

 
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Vitamin B3 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps our bodies convert carbohydrates into blood glucose, which is then used to provide energy for our bod...

 
Vitamin B5

short description

 
Vitamin B6

short description

 
Vitamin B7

short description

 
Vitamin B9

Folic acid, also known as folate, Vitamin B9, and Pteroylglutamic Acid, is a type of B-complex vitamin that is necessary for the production and forma...

 
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that helps maintain healthy nerves and red blood cells, and aids in the formation of DNA, the genetic material in...

 
Vitamin C

 
Vitamin D

Vitamin D can be found in milk, fish liver oil, fortified margarine and cereals.

 
Vitamin E

Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils such as sunflower, soy, safflower, olive, cottonseed, canola and wheat germ. Generally, health experts agree...

 
Vitamin K

short description

 
Potassium

short description

 
Sodium

The consumption of too much sodium can cause high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease. In general, you should try not to consu...

 
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, helps our body convert glucose (blood sugar) into energy, and keeps our mucous membranes healthy. Vitamin B1 is al...

Daily Tips

Establishing New Food Habits is Much Easier if You Focus on and Take Action on One Food Group at a Time

Sunday, April 26, 2009
read more...

Healthy Eating is an Oppurtunity to Expand Your Range of Choices by Trying Foods You Don't Normally Eat

Saturday, April 25, 2009
read more...

Check Out the Nutritional Information on Websites for Restaurants (Especially Fast Food) Before You Go Out to Eat

Friday, April 24, 2009
Knowing this information can help you make better decisions.
read more...
 :