Vitamins and Minerals

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

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 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 • Antioxidant- protects body from free radicals • Maintains strong immune system *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-the-six-major-nutrients-4-5-vitamins-and-minerals/ • http://www.theresearchpedia.com/health/health-benefits-of-foods/vitamin-a-deficiency-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

Vitamins and Minerals