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Micronutrients
The body requires very small amounts of vitamins and minerals to play very important roles within the body Vitamins and minerals are usually regularly available from a balanced healthy diet The usual amount of food eaten by a normal adult each year is 820Kg of this only 350grams will be from vitamins or minerals
Vitamins
These neither supply energy or contribute to body mass Vitamin D is the only vitamin the body can produce by itself therefore the rest need to be obtained from the diet There are 13 different vitamins and are classed as water soluble or lipid soluble Lipid soluble vitamins are = A, D, E, K Water Soluble vitamins are = C, B6, B1, B2, Niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folic acid, B12.
Minerals
The role of minerals in the body Structure the formation of bones Maintain heart rhythm and muscular contractility Regulation of cellular metabolism (control energy production)
Calcium Combines with phosphorus to form bones 1% of calcium used for muscle action and nerve transmission Essential for blood clotting and transport of fluids across cell membranes Prolonged calcium deficiency can cause osteoporosis which makes bones brittle. Taking part in regular exercise can help this problem Phosphorus Helps with bone and teeth strength Plays a major part in energy production
Magnesium Regulates energy production Helps store glucose as glycogen in muscles Helps break down glucose, fatty acids and amino acids in energy production Iron 3-5 Grams in body available from meat and bread Helps to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of blood Helps to transport oxygen with the bodies cells Anaemia can occur if there is an iron deficiency this result in feelings of tiredness and loss of appetite. Women need more iron than men because they loss iron when they have periods Athletes can get sports anaemia where they lose iron through sweat
The Electrolytes Sodium/Potassium/Chlorine These minerals make up what we call salt We lose salt through sweat when we exercise We therefore need to take in enough electrolytes through our diet to ensure the correct electrolyte balance. Sodium and Chlorine play a major role in regulating extra cellular fluid exchange Potassium is mostly intracellular All three play a part in the transmission of electrical nerve impulses To much sodium can cause hypertension and stress.