Vitamins and Minerals

Essential Nutrients

Perform hundreds of roles

Healthy diet is best way to obtain these nutrients

Fine line between getting enough and having too much
Micronutrients – Your body only
needs tiny amounts
Vitamins vs. Minerals
Vitamins – Organic, can be
broken down by heat, air, or acid
Minerals – Inorganic, they retain their chemical structure
Why does this matter?
Minerals can easily find their way into your body through
food, vitamins often are destroyed through cooking
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Absorbed directly into the bloodstream
through digestion or as supplements dissolve
 Kidneys regulate levels
 Excess is excreted through urine

Names of Water-Soluble Vitamins
B-Complex
B1 – Thiamine
B2 – Riboflavin
B3 – Niacin
B4 – (None)
B5 – Pantothenic Acid
B6 – Pyridoxine
B7 – Biotin
B8 - (None)
B9 – Folic Acid
B10 – (None)
B11 – (None)
B12 – Cobalamin
Vitamin C – Ascorbic Acid
Water-Soluble Vitamins
What They Do:
 Releases energy in food – B Complex Vitamins

Produce energy – Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic
Acid, Biotin

Build protein and cells – B6, B12, Folate

Make collagen – Vitamin C
Deficiency of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Beri-Beri –
 Weight loss, body weakness and pain
 Inflammation of the nerves and heart failure
Sources:
Fortified breads
and cereals,
fish, lean meats
and milk
Deficiency of Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Pellagra
 Diarrhea, Dermatitis, Dementia, Death
Sources:
Red meat
and whole
grains
Deficiency of Vitamin C

Scurvy
Sources:
Citrus fruits,
strawberries,
potatoes,
broccoli
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Travel through the body by proteins
 A, D, E, K
 Excesses are stored in liver and fat tissues
 Liver releases excesses as needed

Fat-Soluble Vitamins
What They Do:
Build Bones – Vitamin A, D, K
Protect Vision – Vitamin A
Promotes Absorption of Calcium – Vitamin D
Protect the Body – Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
Blood Clotting – Vitamin K
***Stored in your body for long periods of time; an excess
amount of these vitamins can be toxic.
Deficiency of Vitamin A

Blindness
Deficiency of Vitamin D

Rickets – a weakening and softening of the bones
Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
Antioxidant- protects body from free radicals
 Maintains strong immune system
 Known as the “Love Vitamin”

*Deficiencies are Very Rare
Too much Vitamin E:
 Bleeding in the Brain
 Risk of Birth Defects
Vitamin K
Minerals
Major
 Calcium
 Chloride
 Magnesium
 Phosphorous
 Potassium
 Sodium
 Sulfur
Trace
 Chromium
 Copper
 Fluoride
 Iodine
 Iron
 Manganese
 Selenium
 Zinc
Major Minerals
What They Do:
 Maintain the proper balance of water in the body –
Sodium, Chloride, Potassium

Important for healthy bones – Calcium, Phosphorous,
Magnesium

Stabilize protein structures (Hair, Skin, Nails) – Sulfur

***Needed in larger amounts and stored in the body
Trace Minerals
What They Do:
 Blood formation and function – Iron
 Strengthens bones/prevents tooth decay – Fluoride
 Body growth and maturation – Zinc
 Bone and cartilage development, - Copper
 Protects against cancer – Selenium
 Formation of thyroid hormones – Iodine
 Maintains blood sugar levels – Chromium
 Heals wounds – Manganese
***Needed in very small amounts
Resources

http://www.helpguide.org/harvard/vitamins_and_minerals.htm

http://maxpotentialsports.com/2013/09/14/3-vitamins-minerals/

http://www.medimanage.com/my-worries/articles/all-about-kidney-stones.aspx

http://www.genalivings.com/the-first-stabilizer-of-health-get-nutritionally-sound-thesix-major-nutrients-4-5-vitamins-and-minerals/

http://www.theresearchpedia.com/health/health-benefits-of-foods/vitamin-adeficiency-excess-and-vitamin-a-supplements

http://www.thachers.org/rickets_photos.htm

http://indulgy.com/post/4Zv0AswhZ1/natural-sources-of-vitamin-e-health-benefits-o

http://www.yorkvision.co.uk/news/shiver-me-timbers-scurvy-on-campus

http://listverse.com/2012/03/16/top-10-vitamin-deficiencies/

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/importance-trace-elements-human-body-4684.html