Vitamins and minerals are important for a healthy diet, but few of us know why. This lesson explores the different roles of vitamins and minerals in the human body.
It also provides some examples of good food sources for each vitamin or mineral. Vitamins and minerals may be classified as either micromineral (such as iron) or macrominerals (such as calcium).
Key Takeaways
- Vitamins are organic compounds that the body needs in small amounts to function properly, while minerals are inorganic compounds that are also needed in small amounts.
- Vitamins are either water-soluble or fat-soluble, while minerals are classified as either macrominerals or microminerals.
- Vitamins are obtained from food or supplements, while minerals are obtained from food, supplements, or minerals added to water.
Vitamins vs Minerals
Vitamins are essential for normal body function, and are divided into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Minerals are inorganic substances that the body needs in small amounts to carry out various functions, such as building bones and teeth, transmitting nerve impulses, and maintaining fluid balance.
Vitamins are substances that the body needs in small amounts to remain healthy. They are essential for good health but must be obtained through diet because the body cannot synthesize them.
People take vitamins to help themselves feel better. Vitamins can be consumed through food or taken as supplements.
Minerals occur naturally in the body. They are necessary for good health and normal metabolism. Minerals perform a variety of functions in the human body:
they help to build bones, regulate water balance, create vital enzymes, and improve nerve communication. Minerals work to promote healthy teeth.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Vitamins | Minerals |
|---|---|---|
| Formation | Organic Substances | Inorganic Substances |
| Found from | Plants and Animals | Soil and Rock |
| Heat | Can get destroyed | Can stand heat |
| Important for health | Yes | No |
| Type of chemicals | Carbon chemicals | Non-carbon chemicals |
| Soluble | Fat | Eaten in charged |
What are Vitamins?
There are 13 vitamins required for human health, all of which, except vitamin K and vitamin D exist in multiple forms.
Vitamins have diverse metabolic functions, including growth, development, or maintenance of bones; tissue repair; or enzyme function. These are found in the liver and fatty tissues.
Vitamins are a huge industry with multiple niches within it. People take vitamins to help themselves look better and live longer.
But not all vitamins offer the same health benefits, and some can even cause serious side effects or allergic reactions.
That’s why it’s so important for people to understand what they’re buying when they purchase vitamins.
Vitamins are organic compounds that your body needs to function healthily.
They help with several different functions, including the formation of hormones, the growth and repair of cells, and the production of energy. Vitamins can be consumed through food or taken as supplements.
Vitamins are organic substances present in food and are needed by the body for normal growth and maintenance. They are required in small amounts to help the body function normally.
They include thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, folic acid, vitamin B12, choline, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and beta-carotene.
What are Minerals?
Minerals play a very important role in our bodies, and their functions are too many to count. Some minerals are needed for building bones, while others help perform different metabolic processes.
It is found that the deficiency of these minerals can lead to various diseases if they are absent in our bodies for long periods.
The following list provides some information about all types of minerals present in the human body, along with their functions, sources, and deficiency symptoms.
There are many minerals present in the human body which play an important role in various body functions.
Minerals such as Calcium, Magnesium, and Phosphorus are consumed through diet and help to promote healthy bones and teeth.
Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body, while Potassium is an electrolyte that helps nerve impulses travel faster.
The rest of the minerals, like Sodium and Chloride, play a major role in the body’s everyday function by helping to maintain fluid balance and normal nerves.
Minerals help the body perform some of its functions and work together with other nutrients to form new cells.
This lesson will explain how some common minerals function in the human body and what roles they play in healthy living.
Main Differences Between Vitamins and Minerals
- Vitamins form from organic substances, while Minerals form from inorganic substances.
- Plants and animals obtain vitamins, but Minerals are found in soil and rock.
- Vitamins can be destroyed by cooking, but Minerals can withstand heat.
- Vitamins of all types are necessary for health, but all minerals do not count for health function.
- Vitamins are carbon chemicals, but Minerals are non-carbon chemicals.
- Vitamins are fat-soluble, but Minerals are eaten in charge.
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/147323000703500301
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/17/5/464.short
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