Vitamins and minerals are substances that your body needs to function properly. In addition to carbohydrates, proteins and fats, which your body uses to make new tissue, vitamins and minerals are needed to ensure the health of your cells. vitamins and minerals also facilitate chemical reactions that are needed for your body to function optimally.
Vitamin Function
Vitamins are organic substances, the Centers for Disease Control notes, which means that they are synthesized by the plants and animals which humans consume. Vitamins are needed to help enzymes work properly. Enzymes are specialized proteins that work to speed up chemical reactions in the body. Vitamins can be an important part of these enzymes and are not used up as a part of the chemical reaction. This means we only need small amounts of these vitamins each day.
Solubility
Fat soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E and K, the Merck Manual explains. These vitamins dissolve well in oily or fatty environments, so they need fat in the diet to be absorbed properly. A low-fat diet or the use of medications that prevent fat absorption can lead to deficiencies in these vitamins. Other vitamins, including the C and the B vitamins, are water-soluble, which means that they can be more easily absorbed because the body is naturally high in water.
Macrominerals
The body needs macrominerals in quantities of a gram or more per day. These minerals include calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium, chloride and phosphate. Some of these are needed for muscle and nerve cells to work properly, as these molecules can be electrically charged. Calcium and phosphate are also needed to make bones and other hard structures in the body.
Trace Minerals
Trace minerals are substances that come from the earth, which, while critical for human life, are needed in much lower quantities than macrominerals. Some of these, such as copper and iron, are needed for the body to make red blood cells, the Texas Heart Institute reports. Iodine, another trace mineral, is needed for proper thyroid function, and chromium helps the body to use sugar properly. In the case of some of some trace minerals, such as manganese, selenium, and molybdenum, the mineral's role in the body is not totally understood, but it is certain that they have an important role in health.
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