Your body needs vitamins and minerals, two separate classes of micronutrients, every day to function properly. There are 13 different vitamins and 16 different minerals. Each vitamin is categorized based on how your body absorbs it and each mineral is categorized based on the amount your body needs, and thus the amount you must obtain through your diet.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Your body uses dietary fat to properly absorb the fat-soluble vitamins, which can be stored in your tissues for use when your dietary intake falls short. The fat-soluble vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. Vitamin A helps keep your vision strong and maintains the health of your skin and mucus membranes in your gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Vitamin A also aids in tissue repair, which allows wounds to heal. Vitamin D allows your body to absorb calcium and phosphorus, which ensures that your bones are strong. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and an anticoagulant, protecting your cell membranes and ensuring that your blood clots normally. Vitamin K is noted for its role as a coagulation factor, allowing your blood to clot properly.
Water-Soluble Vitamins
The water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and enter your bloodstream immediately after you eat them. Because the water-soluble vitamins travel in water, your body cannot store them. The water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C and the B vitamins, which include vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, folate, pantothenic acid and biotin. Vitamin C allows your body to produce collagen, which is a protein in your body that helps hold your tissues together and aids in wound healing. The B vitamins work together as coenzymes, which help enzymes produce chemical reactions in your body. An important role of the B vitamins is to convert the food you eat into energy your body can use.
Major Minerals
The major minerals are named for the fact that your body requires large amounts of them to function properly, so you must consume large amounts in your diet. The major minerals include sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur and chloride. Most of the sodium and chloride in your body is located outside your cells, while potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulfur are inside your cells. These major minerals work together to maintain fluid balance in the body. Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium also help keep your bones healthy and strong.
Trace Minerals
The word "trace" literally means a minute or barely detectable amount of a substance. Trace minerals are given their name because your body only requires very small amounts of them to function properly. Because of the small amount required by the body, you only need to eat small amounts, usually under 20 mg, of trace minerals in your diet. The trace minerals include iron, zinc, manganese, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, iodine, chromium and selenium.
Chromium and iodine help control the action of certain hormones, such as insulin and thyroid hormones. Iron helps your body build red blood cells, and fluoride keeps your teeth healthy. Iron, zinc, copper, manganese and molybdenum work as cofactors to help chemical reactions take place.
Member Comments