Vitamins and minerals are as essential for living as air and

water. Not only do they keep your body healthy and functional,
they protect you from a variety of diseases.
Vitamins and minerals get thrown together, but they are quite
different. Vitamins are organic substances produced by plants
or animals. They often are called "essential" because they are
not synthesized in the body (except for vitamin D) and therefore
must come from food.
Minerals are inorganic elements that originate from rocks, soil,
or water. However, you can absorb them indirectly from the
environment or an animal that has eaten a particular plant.

Two types of each

Vitamins are divided into two categories: water soluble—which
means the body expels what it does not absorb—and fat
soluble where leftover amounts are stored in the liver and fat
tissues as reserves. The water-soluble vitamins are the eight B
vitamins (B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, B-7, B-9, and B-12) and
vitamin C. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K.

Vitamin Sources
Water soluble:
B-1: ham, soymilk, watermelon, acorn squash
B-2: milk, yogurt, cheese, whole and enriched grains
and cereals.
B-3: meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains,
mushrooms, potatoes
B-5: chicken, whole grains, broccoli, avocados,
mushrooms
B-6: meat, fish, poultry, legumes, tofu and other soy
products, bananas
B-7: Whole grains, eggs, soybeans, fish
B-9: Fortified grains and cereals, asparagus, spinach,
broccoli, legumes (black-eyed peas and chickpeas),
orange juice
B-12: Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, fortified soymilk
and cereals
Vitamin C: Citrus fruit, potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries,
tomatoes, Brussels sprouts

Fat soluble:
Vitamin A: beef, liver, eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, sweet potatoes,
carrots, pumpkins, spinach, mangoes
Vitamin D: Fortified milk and cereals, fatty fish
Vitamin E: vegetables oils, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts
Vitamin K: Cabbage, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, kale

Minerals
Major:
Calcium: yogurt, cheese, milk, salmon, leafy green vegetables

Chloride: salt
Magnesium: Spinach, broccoli, legumes, seeds, whole-wheat bread
Potassium: meat, milk, fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes

Sodium: salt, soy sauce, vegetables

Trace:
Chromium: meat, poultry, fish, nuts, cheese

Copper: shellfish, nuts, seeds, whole-grain products, beans, prunes

Fluoride: fish, teas

Iodine: Iodized salt, seafood
Iron: red meat, poultry, eggs, fruits, green vegetables, fortified bread

Manganese: nuts, legumes, whole grains, tea

Selenium: Organ meat, seafood, walnuts

Zinc: meat, shellfish, legumes, whole grains

Micronutrients are one of the major groups of nutrients your body needs. They
include vitamins and minerals.

Vitamins are necessary for energy production, immune function, blood clotting
and other functions. Meanwhile, minerals play an important role in growth,
bone health, fluid balance and several other processes.

This article provides a detailed overview of micronutrients, their functions and

implications of excess consumption or deficiency.

What Are Micronutrients?

The term micronutrients is used to describe vitamins and minerals in

general.

Macronutrients, on the other hand, include proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Your body needs smaller amounts of micronutrients relative to macronutrients.

That’s why they’re labeled “micro.”
Humans must obtain micronutrients from food since your body cannot produce
vitamins and minerals — for the most part. That’s why they’re also referred to
as essential nutrients.

Vitamins are organic compounds made by plants and animals which can be
broken down by heat, acid or air. On the other hand, minerals are inorganic,
exist in soil or water and cannot be broken down.

Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. They’re critical for several

important functions in your body and must be consumed from food.

Vitamin Name Deficiency effects

Deficiency causes beriberi. Symptoms o

this disease of the nervous systeminclude
weight loss, emotional
disturbances, Wernicke
encephalopathy(impaired sensory
Vitamin B1 thiamine perception), weakness and pain in the
limbs, periods of irregular heartbeat,
and edema(swelling of bodily
tissues). Heart failureand death may occ
in advanced cases. Chronic th

Riboflavin deficiencycan
cause ariboflavinosis, which may result
in cheilosis(cracks in the lips), high
sensitivity to sunlight, angular
cheilitis, glossitis(inflammation of the
Vitamin B2 riboflavin tongue), seborrheic dermatitis or pseudo-
syphilis (particularly affecting
the scrotumor labia majora and
the mouth), pharyngitis (sore
throat), hyperemia, and edema of
the pharyngeal and oralmucosa.

Deficiency, along with a deficiency

of tryptophan causes pellagra. Symptom
include
aggression, dermatitis, insomnia, weakne
Vitamin B3 niacin mental confusion, and diarrhea. In
advanced cases, pellagra may lead
to dementia and death (the 3(+1) D's:
dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and
death).
 Deficiency can result
Vitamin B5 pantothenic acid in acne and paresthesia, although it is
uncommon.

Vitamin B6 deficiencycauses seborrhoeic

Vitamin B6 pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine dermatitis-like eruptions, pink eye and
neurological symptoms (e.g. epilepsy).

Deficiency does not typically cause

symptoms in adults but may lead to
impaired growth and neurological
Vitamin B7 biotin disorders in infants. Multiple carboxylase
deficiency, an inborn error of metabolism
can lead to biotin deficiency even when
dietary biotin intake is normal.

Deficiency results in a macrocytic anemia

and elevated levels of homocysteine.
Vitamin B9 folic acid Deficiency in pregnant women can lead
to birth defects.

Deficiency results in a macrocytic anemia

elevated methylmalonic
acidand homocysteine, peripheral
neuropathy, memory loss and other
cognitive deficits. It is most likely to occ
among elderly people, as absorption
Vitamin B12 cobalamin through the gut declines with age; the
autoimmune disease pernicious anemia i
another common cause. It can also
cause symptoms of mania and psychosis
In rare extreme cases, paralysis can
result.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins do not dissolve in water.

They’re best absorbed when consumed alongside a source of fat. After

consumption, fat-soluble vitamins are stored in your liver and fatty tissues
for future use.

The names and functions of fat-soluble vitamins are:

  Vitamin A: Necessary for proper vision and organ function (17).

 Vitamin D: Promotes proper immune function and assists in calcium

absorption and bone growth (18).

 Vitamin E: Assists immune function and acts as an antioxidant that

protects cells from damage (19).

 Vitamin K: Required for blood clotting and proper bone development

(20).

RDA or AI (adults > 19

Nutrient Sources
years)

Retinol (liver, dairy, fish), carotenoids

Vitamin A 700–900 mcg
(sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach)

Vitamin D Sunlight, fish oil, milk 600–800 IU

Vitamin E Sunflower seeds, wheat germ, almonds 15 mg

Vitamin K Leafy greens, soybeans, pumpkin 90–120 mcg

Macrominerals
Macrominerals are needed in larger amounts than trace minerals in order to
perform their specific roles in your body.

The macrominerals and some of their functions are:

 Calcium: Necessary for proper structure and function of bones and teeth.
Assists in muscle function and blood vessel contraction (21).
  Phosphorus: Part of bone and cell membrane structure (22).

 Magnesium: Assists with over 300 enzyme reactions, including regulation

of blood pressure (23).

 Sodium: Electrolyte that aids fluid balance and maintenance of blood

pressure (24Trusted Source).

 Chloride: Often found in combination with sodium. Helps maintain fluid

balance and is used to make digestive juices (25).

 Potassium: Electrolyte that maintains fluid status in cells and helps with
nerve transmission and muscle function (26).

 Sulfur: Part of every living tissue and contained in the amino acids
methionine and cysteine (27Trusted Source).

RDA or AI (adults > 19

Nutrient Sources
years)

Calcium Milk products, leafy greens, broccoli 2,000–2,500 mg

Phosphorus Salmon, yogurt, turkey 700 mg

Magnesium Almonds, cashews, black beans 310–420 mg

Sodium Salt, processed foods, canned soup 2,300 mg

Chloride Seaweed, salt, celery 1,800–2,300 mg

Potassium Lentils, acorn squash, bananas 4,700 mg

Garlic, onions, Brussels sprouts,

Sulfur None established
eggs, mineral water
 PRESIDENTIAL DECREE No. 491 June 25, 1974
CREATING A NATIONAL NUTRITION COUNCIL AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
WHEREAS, malnutrition is seriously affecting
millions of our people;
WHEREAS, malnutrition retards mental and
physical development of our children, weakens
their resistance to infections resulting in
unnecessary loss of human lives through high
infant and child mortality rates;
WHEREAS, studies indicate that infants and young
children, pregnant women and nursing mothers are
most vulnerable to malnutrition;
WHEREAS, there is a multiplicity of government
agencies engaged in various aspects of nutrition
activities;
WHEREAS, there are various food programs in the
country such as the Green Revolution, Masagana
99, Palayan ng Bayan, Masaganang Maisan and
others which are aimed at providing for food
sufficiency;
WHEREAS, there is a close interlinking relationship
between food, education and nutrition;
WHEREAS, Executive Order 285, series of 1971,
vested in the National Food and Agriculture Council
the responsibility to coordinate all nutrition
programs in the country;
WHEREAS, coordination has proven to be of great
value in integrating the food and nutrition efforts
of the various agencies;
WHEREAS, one of the objectives of the New Society
is to bring about social, economic, and political
reforms to eventually improve the quality of life of
every Filipino;
WHEREAS, the nutrition program, being concerned
with human resource development, is a vital and
integral part of social reform and economic
development;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS,
President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers
vested in me by the Constitution do hereby adopt,
approve and make as part of the law of the land,
the following:

What is the main cause of rickets?

The most common cause of rickets is a lack of vitamin D or calcium in a child's diet.
Both are essential for children to develop strong and healthy bones. Sources of vitamin D
are: sunlight – your skin produces vitamin D when it's exposed to the sun, and we get
most of our vitamin D this way.

What is the main cause of polio?

The polio virus usually enters the environment in the feces of someone who is infected. In
areas with poor sanitation, the virus easily spreads from feces into the water supply, or, by
touch, into food. In addition, because polio is so contagious, direct contact with a person
infected with the virus can cause polio.

scurvy
Symptoms of scurvy result from severe vitamin C deficiency. They include bleeding sores, tooth
loss, anemia, and a reduced rate of healing for injuries.

What disease can you get from lack of vitamin A?

Other causes of vitamin A deficiency are inadequate intake, fat malabsorption, or liver
disorders. Deficiency impairs immunity and hematopoiesis and causes rashes and
typicalocular effects (e.g., xerophthalmia, night blindness).

What diseases are caused by lack of vitamin K?

Worldwide, vitamin K deficiency causes infant morbidity and mortality. Vitamin K
deficiency causes hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, which usually occurs 1 to 7 days
postpartum. In affected neonates, birth trauma can cause intracranial hemorrhage.

FOOD PYRAMID:
 Fat Soluble Vitamins - A, D, E, K

Vitamin A - discovered in 1913

What it does:
 helps eyesight
 keeps skin healthy
 helps with growth of body organs (like bones)
Foods that have vitamin A:
 liver, fish, milk, butter, eggs, carrots
Deficiency problems:
 night blindness, poor growth, dry skin

Vitamin D - made in the skin by the sun

What it does:
 helps bones grow strong
Foods that have vitamin D:
 egg yolks, liver, butter, milk
Deficiency problems:
 rickets (deformed bones), weak bones
Vitamin E -
called the
antiaging
vitamin
What it does:
 protects
lungs
against
pollution
damage
 helps keep
heart
healthy
 may help
protect
against
cancer
Foods that have
vitamin E:
 sweet
potatoes,
peanut
butter,
sunflower
seeds,
spinach,
nuts
Deficiency
problems:
  nerve
destruction,
red blood
cell
destruction

Vitamin K -
made by
bacteria in our i
What it does:
 helps make
blood clot
 helps keep
bones
healthy
Foods that have
vitamin K:
 liver,
cabbage,
lettuce,
spinach,
milk, meat,
eggs
Deficiency
problems:
 hemorrhage