Skip to main content

Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application: Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals

Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application
Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals
    • Notifications
    • Privacy
  • Project HomeNatural Sciences Collection: Anatomy, Biology, and Chemistry
  • Projects
  • Learn more about Manifold

Notes

Show the following:

  • Annotations
  • Resources
Search within:

Adjust appearance:

  • font
    Font style
  • color scheme
  • Margins
table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Table Of Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. About the Authors
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Updates Made to OER
  9. Unit 1 – Designing A Healthy Diet
    1. Introduction to Designing a Healthy Diet
    2. Nutrition and Health
    3. An Introduction to Molecules
    4. Classification of Nutrients
    5. Defining Nutrient Requirements: Dietary Reference Intakes
    6. Understanding Food Labels
    7. Tools for Achieving a Healthy Diet
  10. Unit 2 — Nutrition Science and Information Literacy
    1. Introduction to Nutrition Science and Information Literacy
    2. The Scientific Method
    3. Types of Research Studies and How To Interpret Them
    4. Healthy Skepticism in Nutrition Science
    5. Fact-Checking Online Health and Nutrition Information
    6. Who Are the Experts in Nutrition Science?
    7. Finding Accurate Sources of Health and Nutrition Information
  11. Unit 3 – Molecules of Life: Photosynthesis, Digestion, and Metabolism
    1. Introduction to Molecules of Life
    2. Organization of Life
    3. Photosynthesis and Metabolism
    4. The Digestive System
    5. Disorders of the GI Tract
    6. Food Intolerances, Allergies, and Celiac Disease
  12. Unit 4- Carbohydrates
    1. Introduction to Carbohydrates
    2. Types of Carbohydrates
    3. Carbohydrate Food Sources and Guidelines for Intake
    4. Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates
    5. Glucose Regulation and Utilization in the Body
    6. Fiber – Types, Food Sources, Health Benefits, and Whole Versus Refined Grains
    7. Sugar: Food Sources, Health Implications, and Label-Reading
    8. Sugar Substitutes
  13. Unit 5- Lipids
    1. Introduction to Lipids
    2. The Functions of Fats
    3. Lipid Types and Structures
    4. Fatty Acid Types and Food Sources
    5. Digestion and Absorption of Lipids
    6. Lipid Transport, Storage, and Utilization
    7. Lipid Recommendations and Heart Health
  14. Unit 6- Protein
    1. Introduction to Protein
    2. Protein Structure
    3. Protein Functions
    4. Protein in Foods and Dietary Recommendations
    5. Protein Digestion and Absorption
    6. Health Consequences of Too Little and Too Much Dietary Protein
    7. Protein Food Choices and Sustainability
  15. Unit 7 — Body Weight and Health
    1. Introduction to Body Weight and Health
    2. Energy Balance: Energy In, Energy Out—Yet Not As Simple As It Seems
    3. Measures of Body Size, Body Composition, and Metabolic Health
    4. Risks of Too Little and Too Much Body Fat
    5. Eating Disorders
    6. Complex Causes of Excess Weight
    7. Solutions for Improving Health
  16. Unit 8 – Vitamins and Minerals Part 1
    1. Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals
    2. Vitamins Important for Vision
    3. Vitamins and Minerals as Antioxidants
    4. Dietary Supplements
    5. Sources of Vitamins and Minerals
    6. Classification of Vitamins and Minerals
    7. Vitamins and Minerals Involved In Fluid And Electrolyte Balance
  17. Unit 9 – Vitamins and Minerals Part 2
    1. Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals Part 2
    2. Vitamins and Minerals Involved in Energy Metabolism
    3. Introduction to Bone Health
    4. Other Minerals Important to Bone Health
    5. Vitamin D: Important to Bone Health and Beyond
    6. Vitamins and Minerals Involved in Blood Health
    7. Calcium: Critical for Bones and Throughout the Body
  18. Unit 10 — Nutrition and Physical Activity
    1. Introduction to Nutrition and Physical Activity
    2. Essential Elements and Benefits of Physical Fitness
    3. Fuel Sources for Exercise
    4. Nutrient Needs of Athletes
  19. Unit 11 — Nutrition Throughout the Lifespan
    1. Introduction to Nutrition Throughout the Lifecycle
    2. Nutrition in Pregnancy and Lactation
    3. Nutrition in Early Infancy
    4. Nutrition in Later Infancy and Toddlerhood
    5. Raising Healthy Eaters
    6. Nutrition in Adolescence
    7. Nutrition in Older Adults
  20. Glossary

Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients, and by definition, they make up a relatively small part of our diet. However, when it comes to vitamins and minerals, a little bit goes a long way. They have many essential jobs in our bodies.

For example, if you’ve taken a drink of water today, you can thank the minerals that serve as electrolytes, helping to balance fluids in the body. If you’ve taken a breath of air, you can thank the vitamins and minerals that act as antioxidants, protecting vital molecules from free radical damage. If you’ve taken a step, you can thank the vitamin D, calcium, and other minerals that make your bones strong. If you’ve moved a muscle, you can thank the many vitamins and minerals that serve as cofactors in metabolic reactions, which unlock the energy contained in nutrients so that your body can use it.

A photograph of a variety of tomatoes that are different colors (red, yellow, green and deep purple).

There are some 13 vitamins and 16 minerals important to human nutrition, and each serves multiple functions in the body. Entire books have been written about each one, and we could easily spend a whole term learning about all of these amazing nutrients. But as this is an introductory course, we’ll use the next two units to introduce you to some of the most interesting vitamins and minerals, with a focus on those that are commonly limiting in the human diet.

We’ll begin this unit with a general introduction to vitamins and minerals, and we’ll consider the role of dietary supplements in meeting our vitamin and mineral requirements. Then, we’ll spend the remainder of this unit and the next exploring major functions of vitamins and minerals, where we find them in food, and what happens if we consume too little or too much of each.

Unit Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

  1. Classify the vitamins as fat-soluble or water-soluble, including differences in absorption, storage, and toxicity.
  2. Identify the major minerals and trace minerals, including factors that impact absorption and bioavailability.
  3. Identify common food sources of vitamins and minerals and how processing affects nutrient retention in foods.
  4. Describe how vitamins can be made in the body through provitamins and intestinal bacteria.
  5. Define dietary supplements and describe how supplements are regulated and the concerns with their safety and efficacy.
  6. Identify guidelines and recommendations for choosing nutrition supplements and for their appropriate use.
  7. Describe the role of electrolytes in fluid balance, as well as the more specific functions, food sources, and effects of deficiency and toxicity for sodium, potassium, and chloride.
  8. Describe the general function of antioxidants, as well as the more specific functions, food sources, and effects of deficiency and toxicity for vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium.
  9. Describe how vitamin A and beta-carotene contribute to normal vision, and know common food sources and effects of deficiency and toxicity of vitamin A.

Image Credits:

“assorted-color tomatoes” by Vince Lee on Unsplash (license information)

Annotate

Next Chapter
Vitamins Important for Vision
PreviousNext
Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Fitness

Copyright © 2020

            Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application Copyright © 2020 by Alice Callahan, PhD; Heather Leonard, MEd, RDN; and Tamberly Powell, MS, RDN is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Powered by Manifold Scholarship. Learn more at
Opens in new tab or windowmanifoldapp.org