The Importance of Vitamins and Minerals for a Healthy Body

Books – Hossam Al Shaqoury

Friday, 02 June 2023 08:00 PM

considered as vitamins Minerals are essential nutrients because they perform hundreds of roles in the body, there is a fine line between getting enough of these nutrients which is healthy and getting too much of them can harm you, and a healthy diet remains the best way to get adequate amounts Of the vitamins and minerals you need, according to what was published by the website betterhealth

essential nutrients for your body

Every day your body produces skin, muscle and bone. It produces rich red blood that carries nutrients and oxygen to distant outposts, and sends nerve signals that travel thousands of miles of brain and body pathways. It also forges chemical messengers that travel from one organ to another, issuing instructions that help sustain your life..

But to do all this, your body needs some raw materials. This includes at least 30 vitamins, minerals and nutritional components that your body needs but cannot make on its own in sufficient quantities..

And vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients – because they work collectively, they perform hundreds of roles in the body. They help strengthen bones, heal wounds, and boost the immune system. They also convert food into energy and repair cellular damage.

Vitamins and minerals are often called micronutrients because your body only needs trace amounts of them. However, failure to obtain these small amounts almost guarantees disease.

Diseases that can result from a lack of vitamins

scurvy

Ancient sailors knew that going for months without fresh fruit or vegetables—the main sources of vitamin C—caused bleeding gums and the lethargy that comes with scurvy..

blindness

In some developing countries, people still go blind from vitamin A deficiency.

rickets;

Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, a condition characterized by weak, weak bones that can lead to skeletal deformities such as bowed legs. In part to combat rickets, the United States has fortified milk with vitamin D since the 1930s.

The benefits of vitamins

Just as a deficiency of key micronutrients can cause great harm to your body, getting adequate amounts can provide a huge benefit. Some examples of these benefits:

strong bones

A combination of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium and phosphorus protects your bones from fractures.

Prevents birth defects

Taking folic acid supplements early in pregnancy helps prevent birth defects of the brain and spine in the offspring.

healthy teeth

Not only does the mineral fluoride help with bone formation, it also prevents tooth decay from starting or getting worse.

Difference between vitamins and minerals

Although they are all considered micronutrients, vitamins and minerals differ in key ways. Vitamins are organic and can be broken down by heat, air or acid. Minerals are inorganic and hold on to their chemical structure.

One of the main functions of key minerals is to maintain the proper balance of water in the body. Sodium, chloride, and potassium take the lead in doing so. Three other key minerals – calcium, phosphorus and magnesium – are important for bone health. Sulfur helps stabilize protein structures, including some of those that make up hair, skin, and nails.