Vitamins & Minerals

Vitamins and Minerals are essential micronutrients which although only required by the body in small amounts, play a vital role in body in variety of metabolic processes. They keep us healthy and help our bodies function in numerous ways.

Vitamins and Minerals are not produced by our body, so we need to meet the body's requirement of these nutrients from the food we eat.

What are Vitamins?

Vitamins are organic substances that are generally classified as either Fat Soluble or Water Soluble.

Different vitamins serve different purposes to the way our body functions. There are 13 vitamins in total and 8 of these come from the B-group of vitamins

Water-Soluble Vitamins:

Water-soluble vitamins are packed into the watery portions of the foods you eat. They are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as food is broken down during digestion or as a supplement dissolve.
Because much of your body consists of water, many of the water-soluble vitamins circulate easily in your body.
Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, such as Biotin (vitamin B7), Folic acid (folate, vitamin B9), Niacin (vitamin B3), Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), Riboflavin (vitamin B2), Thiamine (vitamin B1), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Folate must dissolve in water before they can be absorbed by the body, and therefore cannot be stored.
Kidneys continuously regulate levels of water-soluble vitamins, any water-soluble vitamins unused by the body is primarily lost through urine.

Role of Water Soluble vitamins in Body :

Although water-soluble vitamins have many tasks in the body, one of the most important is helping to free the energy found in the food you eat. Others help keep tissues healthy. Here are some examples of how different vitamins help you maintain health:

Release energy. Several B vitamins are key components of certain coenzymes (molecules that aid enzymes) that help release energy from food.
Produce energy. Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, and Biotin engage in energy production.
Build proteins and cells. Vitamins B6, B12, and Folic acid metabolize amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and help cells multiply.
Make collagen. One of many roles played by vitamin C is to help make collagen, which knits together wounds, supports blood vessel walls, and forms a base for teeth and bones.

Fat-soluble vitamins:

Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K gain entry to the blood via lymph channels in the intestinal wall. Many fat-soluble vitamins travel through the body only under escort by proteins that act as carriers.
These vitamins are used throughout the body, but excesses are stored in the liver and fat tissues.
As additional amounts of these vitamins are needed, your body taps into the reserves, releasing them into the bloodstream from the liver.

Role of Fat-Soluble vitamins in body:

Together this vitamin quartet helps keep your eyes, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system in good repair.

Here are some of the other essential roles these vitamins play:

Build bones. Bone formation would be impossible without vitamins A, D, and K.
Protect vision. Vitamin A also helps keep cells healthy and protects your vision.
Interact favourably. Without Vitamin E, your body would have difficulty absorbing and storing vitamin A.
Protect the body. Vitamin E also acts as an antioxidant (a compound that helps protect the body against damage from unstable molecules).

What are Minerals?

Minerals are inorganic elements present in soil and water, which are absorbed by plants or consumed by animals.

Minerals like with calcium, sodium, and potassium, there is a range of other minerals, including trace minerals (e.g. Copper, Iodine, And Zinc) needed in very small amounts.

Trace minerals carry out a diverse set of tasks. Here are a few examples:

Iron is best known for ferrying oxygen throughout the body.
Fluoride strengthens bones and wards off tooth decay.
Zinc helps blood clot, is essential for taste and smell, and bolsters the immune response.
Copper helps form several enzymes, one of which assists with iron metabolism and the creation of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood.

The other trace minerals perform equally vital jobs, such as helping to block damage to body cells and forming parts of key enzymes or enhancing their activity.

The difference between Vitamins and Minerals.

Although they are all considered Micronutrients, Vitamins and Minerals differ in basic ways. Vitamins are organic and can be broken down by heat, air, or acid.

Minerals are inorganic and hold on to their chemical structure.

So why does this matter?

It means the minerals in soil and water easily find their way into your body through the plants, fish, animals, and fluids you consume. But it is tougher to shuttle vitamins from food and other sources into your body because cooking, storage, and simple exposure to air can inactivate these more fragile compounds. Due to which body’s requirement of Vitamins is not met, if not supplemented can results in deficiency of these nutrients.

How Vitamins And Minerals Benefits Your Health?

Vitamin D: - Vitamin D is involved in Calcium absorption (promoting healthy bones and teeth), Immune function, brain, nervous system health, protects bone, muscle and Heart health and regulates insulin levels and supports diabetes management.

Vitamin C: - Vitamin C also known as ascorbic acid is necessary for the growth, development and repair of all body tissues. It's involved in many body functions, including formation of collagen, absorption of iron, the proper functioning of the immune system thereby boosting immunity, wound healing, and the maintenance of cartilage, bones, and teeth.

Vitamin K: - Vitamin K plays a role in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and regulating blood calcium levels.

Vitamin E: - Vitamin E is a nutrient that's important to vision, reproduction, and the health of your blood, brain and skin. Vitamin E also has antioxidant properties.

Vitamin A: - Vitamin A is important for normal vision, the immune system, and reproduction. Vitamin A also helps the heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs work properly.

B complex vitamins:- B complex helps plays an important role in metabolic process which helps given you energy, supports brain health, essential role in red blood cell formation, helps with the optimal function of the digestive and nervous systems, and boosts skin & hair health, improves memory, helps in production of certain hormones and improves mood.

Zinc: - Zinc may effectively reduce inflammation, boost immune health, reduce your risk of age-related diseases, speeds up wound healing, helps in metabolic activity and improve acne.

Calcium: - Calcium is a mineral most often associated with healthy bones and teeth, although it also plays an important role in blood clotting, helping muscles to contract, and regulating normal heart rhythms and nerve functions.

Magnesium: - Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady.

Phosphorous: - Phosphorus play an important role is in the formation of bones and teeth. It plays an important role in how the body uses carbohydrates and fats. It is also needed for the body to make protein for the growth, maintenance, and repair of cells and tissues.

Selenium:- Selenium plays a key role in maintaining thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, boosts immune system, protects cells and tissues from oxidative stress, gives relief from arthritis, gout and eczema.

Although it is recommended to meet daily micronutrient requirement through regular diet. However, nutrient deficient foods, pollution and stressful lifestyle can make it difficult to meet these requirements.

A Vitamin and Mineral Supplement can therefore form a crucial part of diet for all adults so as to help meet them their daily essential micronutrient requirements. Athletes and physically active individuals have higher requirements of Vitamins and Minerals and are at risk of developing a deficiency, which may hamper their performance.