Facts About Vitamins And Minerals: Check Introduction, Types

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What are Vitamins?

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Types of Vitamins

Fat-soluble Vitamins

Facts About Nutrients

Fat-soluble vitamins and their function

• Vitamin A (Retinol): Retinol functions as an antioxidant and promotes skin, eyes, and respiratory system health. It also plays a protective role against cancer.
• Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol): Aids in developing strong bones and teeth.
• Vitamin E (Tocopherols): Maintains healthy cell membranes and functions as an antioxidant.
• Vitamin K , phylloquinone, is necessary for healthy blood coagulation.

Water-soluble Vitamins

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Water-soluble vitamins and their function

• Vitamin B1 (Thiamin): Allows carbs to be converted into energy.
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) , which supports healthy skin and eyes, releases energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
• Niacin (Vitamin B3): Produces cholesterol and releases energy from protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
• Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5): Produces energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Degrades protein and aids in the formation of red blood cells.
• Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin): This breaks down fat and carbs and aids in producing red blood cells, nerve cells, and DNA.
• Folate (Folic acid): Aids in forming red blood cells and enzymes, as well as preventing neural tube problems; breaks down DNA material and lowers homocysteine levels (high levels are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease).
• Biotin: Degrades protein and lipids and encourages the development of solid nerve cells.

Facts About Human Body

What are Minerals?

Major minerals and their function

• Calcium: Builds the structure of bones and teeth; helps with blood clotting, neuron function, muscular contraction, and muscle contraction.
• Iron: A vital component of numerous enzymes and muscle proteins, iron transports oxygen throughout the body via red blood cells.
• Magnesium: Controls muscle contractions and nerve signals; contributes to several enzyme systems; helps to form the structure of bones and teeth.
• Phosphorus: Releases energy from carbs, lipids, and proteins; an essential component of many enzymes and DNA; collaborates with calcium to form bones and teeth.
• Potassium: Works with sodium to maintain water and acid-base equilibrium in the body and nerve impulses; involved in many enzyme systems.
• Sodium: Works with potassium to maintain water and acid-base equilibrium in the body and nerve impulses.

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Trace minerals and their function

• Chromium: By influencing insulin, chromium controls blood sugar levels.
• Copper: Produces colour pigments in the skin, hair, and eyes; supports the health of the neurological system and the production of red blood cells.
• Fluoride: Reduces tooth decay while strengthening teeth and bone.
• Iodine: Essential for healthy thyroid function and proper growth.
• Selenium: Selenium acts as an antioxidant, supports a robust immune system and disease resistance, and is essential for proper thyroid function.
• Zinc: Supports healthy development, wound healing, immune system function, reproduction, and sensory functions like taste, smell, and vision.

Environmental Issues and Solutions

Top Sources of Vitamins and Minerals

• Meat contains B1 vitamins (pork), B2, B6, and B12 vitamins, niacin, iron, magnesium, salt (cured meat), chromium, selenium, and zinc.
• Seafood contains vitamins A and D, calcium (found in oily fish), B vitamins (B2, B12), niacin, potassium, copper, iodine, selenium, and zinc.
• Kiwifruit, citrus fruits, and tomatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium.
• Red and orange veggies (carrots and capsicum) - Beta-carotene and vitamin C.
• Green vegetables provide vitamins B2, B6, C, and K, as well as niacin, folate, iron, and magnesium.
• Dried fruit contains calcium, iron, and potassium.
• Milk, yoghurt, and cheese are good sources of vitamins A, B2, B12, D, K, niacin, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, chromium, iodine, and zinc.
• Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamins B1, B2, B6, and E, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium (in salted nuts), copper, selenium, and zinc.
• Legumes/beans contain iron, zinc, and vitamin B1.

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Facts About Vitamins and Minerals

• Except for folic acid, vitamins are best absorbed naturally rather than as supplements.
• Loss of nutrients and vitamins is caused by heat, oxygen (when a fruit or vegetable is cut open and exposed to air), and light. When users purchase pre-cut vegetables or boil and steam them, they should remember this. Although vitamins A and E also suffer in chopped fruits and vegetables, vitamin C has the most impact.
• For most vitamins, we rely on external sources (food), but there are three exceptions. We naturally manufacture these three: vitamin D from a cholesterol-based substance, vitamin K from gut bacteria, and niacin from the amino acid tryptophan.
• Only humans, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, bats, and fish cannot synthesise vitamin C independently, which is an intriguing fact regarding vitamin C.
• Water-soluble vitamins (such as the C and B vitamins) are easily excreted by the body. Therefore they rarely cause toxicity when taken as supplements. Importantly, vitamin B6 is an exception. There have been reports of toxicity at high dosages of vitamin B6, which women take to relieve the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. At doses of 200 mg/day or more significant, vitamin B6 toxicity can manifest as neuropathy symptoms such as numbness in the hands and feet and trouble walking. Sources of B6 toxicity have also been linked to energy drinks like NOS.
• Supplementing with folic acid can help prevent neural tube defects. The American College of OB/GYN (ACOG) advises women to take 600 mcg of folic acid when pregnant and 400 mcg one month before conception. For this reason, the United States began folic acid-fortifying breakfast cereals in 1998.
• Vitamin poisoning from food is uncommon; supplement toxicity from large doses is far more common. Toxic levels of vitamin A are present in the polar bear's liver. Consuming 1/10th of a gram of polar bear liver meets your recommended daily amount.
• For the mineral magnesium (Mg), the absorption and bioavailability of Mg from mineral water are equivalent to those of Mg from meals or supplements.
• Foods are frequently supplemented and fortified with vitamins and minerals. Foods that have been fortified contain nutrients that do not naturally exist; adding vitamin D to milk is one example. Restoring the micronutrients that were lost during processing results in enriched food. A common example is wheat flour, which has iron, riboflavin, and folic acid put back after processing.
• Unregulated vitamin supplements exist. The FDA does not mandate pre-market testing, and producers are not obligated to prove the efficacy or safety of their products. Additionally, vitamin producers are not required to prove that the ingredients listed on the label are present in the final product.

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