A-Z of Vitamins and Minerals & their benefits

Introduction

The human body performs hundreds of functions daily. The multiple organs work in concert to keep the body functional. The heart pumps the blood throughout the body. Lungs capture the oxygen from air and the red blood cells transport this oxygen to every cell in the body. The nervous system sends hundreds of thousands of signals through sensory neurons to control the movements of bones and muscles. The digestive system helps to breakdown the food to extract nutrition so that the cells must be provided with energy. Other than that, there go multiple repairs and maintenance functions such as healing of wounds, bone formation, making blood cells and skin cells.

Our body requires raw materials to perform these functions. Other than the macronutrients the Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats, our body needs small amounts of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are the substances that our body cannot manufacture on its own and can only obtain from the food that we eat. These vitamins and minerals are so essential that our body cannot function well without them.

Vitamins:

Vitamin	Important Functions	UK Recommended Dietary Allowances	Deficiency Disease	Sources and Foods
Vitamin A	Boosting the Immune System Helping vision in dim light Protecting the lining of sensitive body parts	Age: 19 – 64 0.7 mg/day for men 0.6 mg/day for women	Night Blindness	Cheese, Eggs, Oily Fish, Fortified Low-Fat Spreads, Milk and Yoghurt, Liver, Spinach, Carrots, Mango, Papaya, Apricot
Vitamin B1	Helping in food break down The health of the nervous system	Age: 19 – 64 1 mg/day for men 0.8 mg/day for women	Beriberi	Peas, Fresh and Dried Fruit, Eggs, Whole Grain Bread, Breakfast Cereal, Liver
Vitamin B2	The health of skin, eyes and nervous system	Age: 19 – 64 1.3mg a day for men 1.1 mg a day for women	Ariboflavinosis, Glossitis, Angular Stomatitis	Milk, Eggs, Fortified Breakfast Cereal, Oats, Cooked Beef, Mushrooms, Rice,

	Releasing energy from food			Yoghurt
Vitamin B3	Releasing energy from food Keeping the nervous system healthy	Age: 19 – 64 16.5 mg a day for men 13.2 mg a day for women	Pellagra	Meat, Fish, Wheat Flour, Eggs, Milk
Vitamin B5	Releasing energy from food	Must be taken every day	Paresthesia	Chicken, Beef, Potatoes, Porridge, Tomatoes, Kidneys, Eggs, Broccoli, Rice, Bread
Vitamin B6	Allowing the body to use stored energy Making Hemoglobin	Age: 19 – 64 1.4 mg a day for men 1.2 mg a day for women	Anaemia, Peripheral Neuropathy	Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Bread, Oatmeal, Brown rice, Eggs, Vegetables, Soybeans, Peanuts, Milk, Potatoes
Vitamin B7	Breaking down fat	Bacteria in the bowel makes Biotin	Dermatitis, Enteritis	Raw Egg Yolk, Liver, Peanuts, Leafy Green Vegetables
Vitamin B9	Forming Red Blood Cells The health of the Nervous System	200 micrograms of folate a day	Megaloblastic Anemia	Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Liver, Leafy Green Vegetables, Peas, Chickpeas, Cereals
Vitamin B12	Making Red Blood Cells Keeping the Nervous System Healthy Releasing energy from food Using Folic Acid	1.5 micrograms a day for adults of age 19 – 64	Anaemia	Meat, Salmon, Cod, Milk, Cheese, Eggs, Cereals
Vitamin C	Protecting cells and keeps them healthy Maintaining healthy skin, bones, cartilage Healing wounds	40 mg a day for adults of age 19 – 64	Scurvy	Orange and Orange Juice, Red and Green Peppers, Strawberries, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Potatoes
		10 micrograms a day for adults of age 19 –		Salmon, Sardines, Herring, Mackerel, Red

Vitamin D	Keeping bones, teeth, muscles healthy	64 Babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms	Rickets	Meat, Liver, Egg Yolks, Cereals
Vitamin E	Maintaining healthy skin and eyes Strengthening the immune system	Age: 19 – 64 4 mg a day for men 3 mg a day for women	Deficiency is very rare.	Plant Oils such as Soya, Corn and Olive Oils, Nuts and Seeds, Wheat germ
Vitamin K	Heals the wounds properly	1 microgram a day for each kilogram of the bodyweight	Bleeding Diathesis	Leafy Green Vegetables, Vegetable Oils, Cereal Grains

Minerals:

Mineral	Important Functions	UK Recommended Dietary Allowances	Deficiency Disease	Sources and Foods
Calcium	Building Strong Bones and Teeth Regulating Muscle Contractions Controlling Heart Beat Blood Clotting	Adults aged 19 – 64 need 700 mg/day	Rickets in children Osteoporosis	Milk, Cheese, Broccoli, Cabbage, Okra, Soya Beans, Tofu, Nuts, Bread, Sardines, Pilchards
Iodine	Making Thyroid Hormones Keeping cells and the metabolic rate of healthy	Adults aged 19 – 64 need 0.14 mg/day	Goitre	Seaweed, Grains, Eggs, Iodized Salts, Sea Fish, Shell Fish
Iron	Making Red Blood Cells Carrying oxygen around the body	8.7 mg for men over 18 Women aged 19 – 50 need 14.8 mg/day 8.7 mg for women over 50	Iron Deficiency Anaemia	Liver, Meat, Beans, Nuts, Dried Fruits, Brown Rice, Cereals, Soy Bean Flour, Green Leafy Vegetables
Chromium	Influences the behaviour of Insulin Hormone Provides energy from food	25 micrograms/day for adults	Weight Loss, Confusion, Impaired Coordination, Increased risk of Diabetes	Meat, Bread, Oats, Lentils, Broccoli, Potatoes, Spices
				Fish, Nuts, Green

Cobalt	A part of Vitamin B12	1.5 micrograms/day of Vitamin B12	Anaemia	Leafy Vegetables, Cereals
Copper	Producing Red and White Blood Cells Triggering the release of iron to form haemoglobin	Adults aged 19 – 64 need 1.2 mg/day	Fatigue, Weakness, Reduced Iron Levels	Nuts, Shellfish, Offal
Magnesium	Turning food into energy Ensuring normal functioning of Parathyroid gland	Age: 19 – 64 300 mg a day for men 270 mg a day for women	Tremor, Poor Coordination, Muscle Spasm, Loss of appetite	Green Leafy Vegetables, Nuts, Brown Rice, Bread, Fish, Meat, Dairy Products
Manganese	Making and activating enzymes in the body	Very small amounts that you get from the daily diet	Impaired growth, Impaired reproductive function, Skeletal abnormalities	Tea, Bread, Nuts, Cereal, Green Vegetables
Molybdenum	Making and activating proteins involved in a chemical reaction Repairing and making genetic material	Very small amounts that you get from the daily diet	Deficiency does not occur in humans	Nuts, Tinned Vegetables, Cereal such as Oats, Peas, Leafy Green Vegetables, Cauliflower
Phosphorus	Building strong bones and teeth Releasing energy from food	Adults need 550 mg/day	Bone diseases such as Rickets and Osteomalacia	Red Meat, Dairy foods, Fish, Poultry, Bread, Brown Rice, Oats
Potassium	Controlling the balance of fluids in the body Helping Heart muscles work properly	Adults aged 19 – 64 need 3500 mg/day	Chronic vomiting, Diarrhea, Excessive Sweating, Blood Loss	Bananas, Broccoli, Parsnips, Brussels Sprouts, Pulses, Nuts, Seeds, Fish
Selenium	Helping Immune System work properly Helping damage to cells and tissues Improving Reproduction	Age: 19 – 64 0.075 mg a day for men 0.06 mg a day for women	Keshan Disease	Brazil Nuts, Fish, Meat, Eggs
Sodium Chloride	Keeping the levels of fluids in the body balanced Digestion of food	Adults need 6 g/day of salt	Headache, Nausea, Vomiting Fatigue	Ready Meals, Meat products, Cereals, Cheese, Tinned Vegetables, Bread
Zinc	Making new cells and enzymes Processing Carbohydrates,	Age: 19 – 64 9.5 mg a day for men 7 mg a day for women	Growth retardation, loss of appetite, hair	Meat, Shell Fish, Milk, Cheese, Bread, CerealsMeat, Shell

Proteins and Fats in food,

Healing Wounds

loss

Fish, Milk, Cheese, Bread, Cereals

Conclusion:

From the information recorded in the tables above, it can be fairly concluded that without vitamins and minerals, several of the body functions would not be performed. Vitamins and minerals are inevitable parts of our daily diet. Any deficiency can be fatal. But the bright side of the story is that most vitamins and minerals are a part of the diet we consume. Some specific foods even contain more than one vitamins. Dairy products, for example, contain many vitamins and minerals. Hence we need to balance our diet and makeup if there is any deficiency in our body of a vital vitamin or mineral.

A-Z of Vitamins and Minerals & their benefits

Vitamins:

Minerals:

Conclusion:

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