Learning goals case 1
1. Which micronutrients are there and what are their functions?
Micronutrients describe vitamins and minerals. Your body needs smaller amounts of
micronutrients relative to macronutrients. Humans must obtain micronutrients from food
since your body cannot produce vitamins and minerals — for the most part. That’s why
they’re also referred to as essential nutrients.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds made by plants and animals which can be broken down by heat,
acid or air.
Water-soluble vitamins = Most vitamins dissolve in water and are therefore known as water-soluble.
They’re not easily stored in your body and get flushed out with urine when consumed in excess.
Water-soluble vitamins play an important role in producing energy but also have several other
functions. most B vitamins act as coenzymes that help trigger important chemical reactions. A lot of
these reactions are necessary for energy production.
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine): Helps convert nutrients into energy, is coenzyme.
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): Necessary for energy production, cell function and fat metabolism.
Constituent of coenzyme.
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): Drives the production of energy from food, constituent of coenzymes.
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): Necessary for fatty acid synthesis. Constituent of coenzyme A
that has a central role in energy metabolism.
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): Helps your body release sugar from stored carbohydrates for energy
and create red blood cells.
- Vitamin B7 (biotin): Plays a role in the metabolism of fatty acids, amino acids and glucose.
- Vitamin B9/B11 (folate): Important for proper cell division. Important for the development of
the unborn child.
- Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): Necessary for red blood cell formation and proper nervous system
and brain function.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): Required for the creation of neurotransmitters and collagen, the
main protein in your skin. Vitamin C acts as a co-factor in enzymatic reactions, as a waste
consumer of free radicals in antioxidant processes & and as a component in hydroxylation
reactions that provide stability of the connective tissue and wound healing.
,Fat-soluble vitamins = Fat-soluble vitamins do not dissolve in water.
They’re best absorbed when consumed alongside a source of fat. After consumption, fat-soluble
vitamins are stored in your liver and fatty tissues for future use.
- Vitamin A: Necessary for proper vision and organ function
- Vitamin D: Promotes proper immune function and assists in calcium absorption and bone
growth
- Vitamin E: Assists immune function and acts as an antioxidant that protects cells from
damage
- Vitamin K: Required for blood clotting and proper bone development
, Minerals
Minerals are inorganic, exist in soil or water and cannot be broken down.
Macrominerals = Macrominerals are needed in larger amounts than trace minerals in order to
perform their specific roles in your body.
1. Which micronutrients are there and what are their functions?
Micronutrients describe vitamins and minerals. Your body needs smaller amounts of
micronutrients relative to macronutrients. Humans must obtain micronutrients from food
since your body cannot produce vitamins and minerals — for the most part. That’s why
they’re also referred to as essential nutrients.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds made by plants and animals which can be broken down by heat,
acid or air.
Water-soluble vitamins = Most vitamins dissolve in water and are therefore known as water-soluble.
They’re not easily stored in your body and get flushed out with urine when consumed in excess.
Water-soluble vitamins play an important role in producing energy but also have several other
functions. most B vitamins act as coenzymes that help trigger important chemical reactions. A lot of
these reactions are necessary for energy production.
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine): Helps convert nutrients into energy, is coenzyme.
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): Necessary for energy production, cell function and fat metabolism.
Constituent of coenzyme.
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): Drives the production of energy from food, constituent of coenzymes.
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): Necessary for fatty acid synthesis. Constituent of coenzyme A
that has a central role in energy metabolism.
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): Helps your body release sugar from stored carbohydrates for energy
and create red blood cells.
- Vitamin B7 (biotin): Plays a role in the metabolism of fatty acids, amino acids and glucose.
- Vitamin B9/B11 (folate): Important for proper cell division. Important for the development of
the unborn child.
- Vitamin B12 (cobalamin): Necessary for red blood cell formation and proper nervous system
and brain function.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): Required for the creation of neurotransmitters and collagen, the
main protein in your skin. Vitamin C acts as a co-factor in enzymatic reactions, as a waste
consumer of free radicals in antioxidant processes & and as a component in hydroxylation
reactions that provide stability of the connective tissue and wound healing.
,Fat-soluble vitamins = Fat-soluble vitamins do not dissolve in water.
They’re best absorbed when consumed alongside a source of fat. After consumption, fat-soluble
vitamins are stored in your liver and fatty tissues for future use.
- Vitamin A: Necessary for proper vision and organ function
- Vitamin D: Promotes proper immune function and assists in calcium absorption and bone
growth
- Vitamin E: Assists immune function and acts as an antioxidant that protects cells from
damage
- Vitamin K: Required for blood clotting and proper bone development
, Minerals
Minerals are inorganic, exist in soil or water and cannot be broken down.
Macrominerals = Macrominerals are needed in larger amounts than trace minerals in order to
perform their specific roles in your body.
