The human body requires many vitamins and minerals in order to function properly. Although eating a balanced and healthy diet often provides the full amount of the necessary vitamins and minerals, deficiencies can cause symptoms or lead to the onset of disease. In order to monitor daily intake, the Institute of Medicines Food and Nutrition Board created daily recommended intake charts, known as dietary reference intakes --- DRI, listing the amount of each type of vitamin and mineral a person should consume each day, according to the United States Department of Agriculture guidelines.
Essential Vitamins
The body requires 13 essential vitamins in order to function. Scientists classify some of these essential vitamins as fat-soluble, meaning they are stored in fat tissues of the body and others as water-soluble, meaning the body must use the vitamin immediately because it cannot store most water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin B12, a water soluble vitamin, remains the only vitamin that fails to follow this rule, as the liver stores B12 for many years, according to MedLine Plus. The 13 essential vitamins include A, C, D, E, K, B1---thiamine, B2---riboflavin, B3---niacin, B5---pantothenic acid, B7---biotin, B6, B12 and B9---folic acid.
Essential Minerals
Essential minerals, which should more accurately be termed essential elements, include any chemical element required for life, except for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen --- as these make up organic molecules. Scientists separate the group of essential minerals further, with seven macrominerals and 14 trace minerals. The macrominerals include calcium, chlorine, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and sulfer. Trace minerals include chromium, zinc, manganese, copper, iron, fluorine, cobalt, tin, iodine, selenium, vanadium, nickel, molybdenum, iodine and selenium.
Various Measures of Adequacy
The Food and Nutrition Board determines the DRIs using various measures of adequacy and safety, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition. The estimated average requirement --- EAR, provides the estimated amount needed to meet the requirement for half the healthy individuals. The recommended daily allowance describes the amount needed to meet the requirements for nearly all those in a specific life stage and gender. In the absence of determining the EAR, the Adequate Intake --- the mean intake level --- can be used to determine the DRI.
Deficiency
Those who fail to consume the recommended daily intake of a vitamin or mineral could develop symptoms of deficiency. Deficiency of vitamin A can cause night blindness that could lead to total blindness. A vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy, a condition characterized by general weakness, anemia, red spots on the skin and bleeding membranes. An iron deficiency causes anemia while an iodine deficiency leads to a goiter --- an enlarged thyroid gland. Failing to get enough vitamin D can affect the amount of calcium absorbed, leading to rickets in children --- a condition that causes soft bone, dental deformities, impaired growth and skeletal deformities, according to MedLine Plus.
Sources
Foods provide a variety of vitamins and minerals. Dairy products, those made from milk, contain calcium along with vitamins A, D and the B-vitamins. Fruits and vegetables serve as a good source of vitamins and minerals. In those who fail to get the recommended daily intake through foods, supplements can help boost levels.
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