Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients, meaning they cannot be produced by the body from other substances in the diet and must be obtained through food. Vitamins are categorized as follows:
Water-soluble: vitamin C and the eight members of the vitamin B complex
Fat-soluble: Vitamins A, D, E, and K
Only vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12 are stored in significant quantities in the body.
Some minerals are needed in relatively large amounts (about 1 to 2 grams per day) and are considered macronutrients. These include calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus (mainly present in the body in the form of phosphates), potassium, and sodium.
Minerals required in small amounts and considered micronutrients are also called trace minerals or trace elements. They include chromium, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. Except for chromium, all these minerals are incorporated into enzymes or hormones necessary for metabolism. Chromium helps the body maintain normal blood sugar levels. Trace minerals such as arsenic, cobalt, fluorine, nickel, silicon, and vanadium, which may be essential in animal nutrition, are not yet considered indispensable in human nutrition. Fluorine helps stabilize the mineral content of bones and teeth by forming a stable compound with calcium, contributing to the prevention of dental decay.
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