The Importance of Micro-nutrients and a multi-vitamin.

What are Micro Nutrients? Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in small amounts. Their impact on the body is critical, and some deficiencies can cause severe conditions. Some essential functions of vitamins and minerals are energy production, immune system, blood clotting, muscle synthesis, heart regulation, nerve regulation, growth, bone health, and fluid balance. Micronutrients are considered essential nutrients because the body must obtain them from eating food. In the following paragraphs, I will explain different kinds of vitamins and minerals and their roles in the body, and how much is the average daily consumption. A daily multivitamin helps ensure you meet daily doses and helps promote healthy body functions.

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Vitamins are divided into two groups, water-soluble vitamins, and fat-soluble vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water, and the excess gets flushed out with urine. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in your liver and fatty tissues for future use. Fat-soluble vitamins are best absorbed alongside a source of fat (olive oil is an excellent example of healthy fats and is easy to cook with). Here is a comprehensive list of vitamins and minerals and their functions in the body with recommended dietary allowances. (Note, these are based on an adult and are not the proper dosage for children). 1000 mcg (microgram)= 1 mg (milligram) 1000 mg= 1 gram. Water-soluble Vitamins: Vitamin B1 (thiamine):1.1-1.2mg. Helps convert nutrients into energy. Necessary for heart function and healthy nerve cells. It enables the body to use carbohydrates, essential for glucose metabolism. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin):1.1-1.3mg Necessary for energy production (carbohydrate to glucose) cell function and fat metabolism. It works with the other B vitamins and is vital for body growth and the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B3 (niacin): 14-16mg Drives energy production from food and helps keep your nervous system, digestive system, and skin healthy. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): 5mg. Necessary for fatty acid synthesis. Metabolizes food and plays a role in hormone and cholesterol production. Essential for making blood cells. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): 1.3mg. Helps your body release sugar from stored carbohydrates for energy.

Vitamin B6 helps form red blood cells and maintain brain function. This vitamin also plays an important role in the proteins that are part of many chemical reactions in the body. The more protein you eat, the more pyridoxine your body requires. Vitamin B7 (biotin): 30 mcg. Plays a role in the metabolism of fatty acids, amino acids, and glucose. Metabolizes proteins and carbs and helps produce hormones and cholesterol.

Vitamin B9 (folate/folic acid): 400 mcg. works with vitamin B12 to help form red blood cells. It is needed to produce DNA, which controls tissue growth and cell function. Any woman who is pregnant should be sure to get enough folate. Low levels of folate are linked to congenital disabilities such as spina bifida. Many foods are now fortified with folate in the form of folic acid.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): 2.4 mcg. Necessary for red blood cell formation and proper nervous system and brain function and helps metabolism. Quasi-vitamins (quasi-vitamins are a particular class of nutrients and are not considered vitamins or minerals. They include taurine, lipoic acid, choline, and carnitine).

Carnatine:500-2000mg. It helps the body turn fat into energy. It is important for heart and brain function and muscle movement. Choline: 1-3g. Choline is a special nutrient that is neither vitamin nor mineral but is a water-soluble compound. It is often grouped with the vitamin B complex and helps the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system.

Lipoic acid: 200-1800 mg. Antioxidant. It may help reduce inflammation, and skin aging promotes healthy nerve function and helps slow the progression of memory loss disorders.

Taurine: 500-3000 mg. Important functions in the heart and brain. Improves insulin sensitivity. It helps maintain proper hydration and electrolyte balance and digestion, supports the general function of the central nervous system and eyes, and regulates the immune system and antioxidant function. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): 75-90 mg. Required for creating neurotransmitters and collagen, the main protein in your skin, and it is an antioxidant that promotes healthy teeth and gums. It helps the body absorb iron and maintain healthy tissue, and it is also essential for wound healing.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins:

Vitamin A(Retinol, retinoic acid):700-900 mcg helps form and maintain healthy teeth, bones, soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin. It is necessary for good vision and organ function and has antioxidant properties.

Vitamin D:600-800 IU(15-20 mcg) Promotes proper immune function and assists in calcium absorption and bone growth. It is also known as the "sunshine vitamin" since the body makes it after being in the sun. Ten to 15 minutes of sunshine three times a week is enough to produce the body's vitamin D requirement for most people at most latitudes. People who do not live in sunny places may not make enough vitamin D. It is tough to get enough vitamin D from food sources alone. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. You need calcium for the normal development and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. It also helps maintain proper blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin E (tocopherol): 15 mg. It assists immune function and acts as an antioxidant that scavages loose electrons (free radicals) that damage the cells, protecting them from damage. It helps form red blood cells and uses vitamin K.

Vitamin K:90-120 mcg is Required for blood clotting and proper bone development. Macro-minerals: Calcium: 2000-2500 mg. Necessary for proper structure and function of bones and teeth. Assists in muscle function and blood vessel contraction regulates normal heart rhythms and nerve functions. Phosphorus:700 mg. part of bone and cell membrane structure (about 85% of the body's phosphorus is in the bones and teeth). It helps filter out waste in the kidneys and plays a role in how the body stores and uses energy. It also helps reduce muscle pain after a workout. Magnesium: 310-420 mg. Assists with over 300 enzyme reactions, including regulating blood pressure, muscle and nerve function, and blood sugar levels, and helps make proteins, bone, and DNA. Sodium: 2300 mg. An electrolyte that aids fluid balance and maintenance of blood pressure. Your body also needs sodium for your muscles and nerves to work properly. Chloride: 1800-2300 mg. Electrolyte. Often found in combination with sodium. It helps maintain fluid balance in your cells and is used to make digestive juices. Works with other electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. Potassium: 4700 mg. An electrolyte. It maintains fluid status in cells and helps with nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and blood pressure. Sulfur: There is no set daily amount. However, there have been findings for the daily allowance to be around 1000 mg per day. Part of every living tissue and contained in the amino acids methionine and cysteine. It has been found to help relieve joint pain and inflammation and improve the quality of skin, tendons, ligaments, fingernails, and other tissues by helping metabolize foods(Brennan, 2020). Trace Minerals: Iron: 8-18 mg. It helps provide oxygen to muscles and assists in the creation of certain hormones Manganese:1.8-2.3 mg. Helps the body form connective tissue, bones, blood clotting, and sex hormones. Assists in carbohydrate and fat metabolism, calcium absorption, and regulates blood sugar. It has also been shown to help support brain and nerve function. Cobalt: 5-8mcg. It helps produce red blood cells and produces antibacterial and antiviral compounds that prevent infections. Copper: 900 mcg. Required for connective tissue formation and normal brain and nervous system function. It plays a role in making red blood cells and maintaining the immune system. Zinc: 8-11 mg. Necessary for normal growth, immune function, and wound healing. Has been connected to your sense of taste and smell. Iodine: 150 mcg. Assists in making thyroid hormones that control the body's metabolism. The body also needs thyroid hormones for proper bone and brain development during pregnancy. Fluoride:3-4 mg. Necessary for the development of bones and teeth. It is taken by the teeth and helps resist acid and block the cavity-forming action of bacteria. Selenium: 55mcg. Important for thyroid health, reproduction, and defense against oxidative damage. It can help improve cognition, immune system function, and fertility. Brennan, D, MD. (2020). Foods High in Sulfur. Nourish by WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-sulfur#:~:text=The%20recommended%20daily%20allowance%20(RDA,shown%20to%20provide%20health%20benefits. Healthline. (2022). https://www.healthline.com/ Streit, L. (2018). HealthLine. Micronutrients: Types, Functions, Benefits, and more. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/micronutrients