Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. Your body relies on them for proper functioning; without them, health problems such as scurvy (bleeding gums and listlessness suffered by British sailors due to insufficient fruit consumption) may ensue.
To maximize the effects of these vitamins and minerals, it's essential to eat a well-rounded diet consisting of whole and minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and lean proteins.
Vitamins
Vitamins are essential compounds required in small quantities for healthy metabolism, and can be found in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and protein foods. Common vitamin deficiencies include A, C, D E K with fatigue, hair loss muscle weakness as well as poor eye health being just some examples of potential consequences.
The daily requirements for various vitamins vary based on age, gender, and health conditions. One way to increase vitamin intake is taking multivitamin supplements containing multiple recommended nutrients in one dose; such products can often be found at local grocery stores or pharmacies. Eating various food groups also contains many important sources of vitamins and minerals.
Most micronutrients play an essential role in gene regulation and acting as cofactors in enzyme reactions, meaning a deficiency can alter DNA and increase chronic disease risk.
Micronutrients play an integral part in maintaining optimal growth and body functioning at every life stage, yet their significance often goes unrecognized by healthcare professionals. Healthcare providers should recognize when patients may be deficient in certain nutrients, and work closely with dietitians to ensure adequate intake.
Interest in micronutrients as preventative agents and treatment solutions for various diseases has grown steadily over time, yet evidence that they provide clinical benefit remains limited and requires further study.
Physicians and nurses must understand the significance of identifying patients who are at risk of micronutrient deficiencies and refer them to dietitians for comprehensive nutritional assessments and tailored guidance. Healthcare providers must also remain alert to potential excess nutrient intake due to inappropriate supplementation; to this end, healthcare professionals should familiarise themselves with four main micronutrient categories - water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, macrominerals (also referred to as major minerals), and trace minerals - so as to distinguish situations in which taking supplements could prove helpful from those where it might harming.
Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients required in small amounts by our bodies in order to perform specific functions. Since humans cannot produce them themselves, it must come through food. They can be divided into water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins and trace minerals; water-soluble vitamins provide energy production while immune function, blood clotting as well as immune protection, while minerals contribute to growth, bone health, fluid balance and other processes in our bodies. A diet rich in nutrient-rich foods should provide all of these elements needed by the body.
Minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron zinc and copper - minerals essential for muscle contraction and nerve transmission as well as blood pressure regulation and bone development.
Many minerals found in our diet contain antioxidant properties that can reduce cell damage from oxidation. Examples of such antioxidants are tocopherols (vitamin E), carotenoids (vitamin A), selenium, manganese and zinc.
Fruits and vegetables provide many essential vitamins, such as Vitamin C, D, K and folate. Vitamin K helps prevent bleeding in the digestive tract while Vitamin D assists calcium absorption. Folic acid contributes to new cell formation as well as regulating hormone levels while Vitamin A promotes cell growth while helping prevent birth defects.
Trace minerals are needed in very small amounts for essential functions in our bodies, including cell membrane osmotic pressure regulation, pH regulation and buffer action regulation and hormone production synthesis. They include boron, manganese, molybdenum, iron fluoride and zinc as essential trace elements.
People at risk of deficiency include pregnant women, young children, the elderly and those living with chronic illnesses. This may be partially caused by inadequate dietary intake but also due to physiological requirements - for instance, infants require higher amounts of certain vitamins and minerals for healthy growth and development.
Essential Fatty Acids
Fatty acids are vitally important for proper function and health, yet our bodies cannot produce fat on their own - therefore dietary sources must provide it. Two primary fatty acids include omega-3 and omega-6 which contain polyunsaturates with carbon-carbon double bonds in the o-3 position; omega-9 may also be produced through adding an additional cis double bond at this position.
The body can synthesize nonessential fatty acids from protein and carbohydrate molecules present in food it consumes, as well as creating saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated and monounsaturated monounsaturates from carbon groups present in carbohydrates and proteins. Unfortunately, however, humans cannot synthesize polyunsaturated omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturates from any other sources; humans themselves can generate omega-3s from cells within themselves but must get LA and ALA through food consumed through consumption of foods consumed through consumption of food or beverages containing such elements.
Omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment, vision development in infants and children, brain development and immune system function. Omega-6 fatty acids promote cell growth and reproduction and skin and hair growth while helping regulate metabolism; both types can be found in vegetable oils, nuts and oily fish while omega-6s can also be found in vegetable oils, meat/poultry/dairy products/some processed foods.
These omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are produced in the liver using delta (D) 12 and D15 desaturase enzymes, with preference shown toward omega-3 parent fatty acids by these desaturase enzymes; their affinity can be determined by measuring plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n-3)/arachidonic acid (12:4n-6) levels.
Essential fatty acid deficiency is uncommon among those who follow a balanced diet, but can occur under conditions that interfere with fat absorption and metabolism, including chronic fat malabsorption and cystic fibrosis. To combat deficiency symptoms such as dry, scaly skin and poor wound healing, doctors can recommend eating foods rich in essential fatty acids like nuts butters, vegetable oils and oily cold-water fish or intravenous liquid fatty acid emulsion injection.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are one of the three primary energy substrates. Composed of mono-, di-, and polysaccharides (monosaccharides contain only one carbon atom while disaccharides contain multiple carbon atoms), carbohydrates provide significant sources of fiber as well as essential vitamins such as riboflavin, folate, vitamin B6 and iron.
Carbohydrate quality is crucial to our bodies, as it determines how much sugar will be stored as glycogen and when glucose will enter our bloodstream to supply energy to fuel our bodies. Poor carb quality has been linked with obesity and chronic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
As part of a healthy diet, it is vital to include foods rich in carbohydrates such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables into our daily meals to meet dietary fiber requirements. Carb-rich beverages such as juices and soft drinks may be effective in providing micronutrients - recent research showed that diets high in nutrient-fortified beverage consumption led to greater B vitamin, folic acid, and iron intakes than diets that consumed non-fortified beverages.
Fats, proteins and carbohydrates are integral parts of a nutritious diet; however, vitamins and minerals - also known as micronutrients - play just as significant a role. Their benefits range from protecting immunity to strengthening bones and sharpening cognition.
Micronutrient deficiency is an alarmingly widespread issue across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Low-income households may find access to or cost of nutrient-rich foods prohibitive, or poor dietary decisions like dieting for weight loss or eliminating entire food groups can limit meeting one's nutrient needs.
Prevention and treatment strategies to address micronutrient deficiency include increasing availability of foods high in essential micronutrients; using multivitamin and mineral supplements as part of a healthy diet; and treating any underlying causes contributing to malnutrition such as digestive or inflammatory disorders. Yet many individuals still don't receive enough vitamins and minerals in their daily diet for optimal health.