Download Lipids: Fats, Oils, Waxes, etc

In the body, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats combine with other substances to yield energy and build
tissues. These chemical reactions are assisted by enzymes that need specific vitamins to function and these
chemical reactions take place in specific parts of the body. Our bodies were created to be able to convert food
into energy but in order to do this it needs three critical elements. Used together they are, vitamins, minerals,
and enzymes.
Some Functions of Vitamins in our Bodies
Vitamin D - Bone Health, immune system health, heart health.
Folic acid is necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA) and the formation of red blood cells.
Vitamin C-healthy skin, tendons, bones, and supportive tissues.
Vitamin A, also called retinol has a direct role in vision and is a component of a pigment present in the retina of
the eye.
Vitamins are any of several organic substances that are essential for our normal health and growth.
Vitamins are distinct from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in function, as well as in the quantities in which we
require them. If a vitamin is absent from our diet or is not properly absorbed, a deficiency disease specific to
that vitamin may ensue such as scurvy or rickets.
The two main classes of vitamins have different results in the body. Water-soluble vitamins cannot be
stored by your body, while fat-soluble vitamins can. The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. The water
soluble one are C, various B complex, P and others. Vitamins A and D are the two vitamins which are stored in
the liver for future use. If you ingest more water-soluble vitamins than you need each day, the excess will be
eliminated in your urine.
However, if you ingest more fat-soluble vitamins than you need, the excess will be stored. Over time,
these stored vitamins can build up and cause health problems. For example, an extreme excess of vitamin A can
cause hair loss, blurred vision, and liver damage.
Recommended daily allowances (RDA) are useful guides to knowing how much vitamins you need.
However, several factors for examples, genetic variation; presence of specific disease states; therapeutic use of
certain drugs; infestation with parasites; relative proportions of other dietary constituents, food additives, or
contaminants; environmental stresses; and stimulation of growth rate, can affect how much vitamins we need at
any particular time.
So, vitamins are any of several organic substances that are essential for our normal health and growth.
Vitamins are distinct from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in function, as well as in the quantities in which we
require them. If a vitamin is absent from our diet or is not properly absorbed, a deficiency disease specific to
that vitamin may ensue such as scurvy or rickets.
Rickets- Lack of Vitamin D
Scurvy- Lack of Vitamin C“Limeys” – A term for British sailors because In the 17th and 18th centuries, sailors suffered
terribly from scurvy, a condition caused by a lack of vitamin C. Vitamin C comes mainly from fresh
fruits and vegetables, but these foods aren't exactly easy to come by when you're at sea for months
at a time.
2 main Classes of Vitamins
1. Fat-soluble-
MINERAL
GUIDE
The body is powered by enzymes which are present in every living cell. Enzymes work accelerating
chemical reactions. Enzymes cannot work, however, without co-factors, and each enzyme is designed to work
with a particular co-factor.
You have heard of these co-factors, they are called "minerals." Unless an enzyme is accompanied by its
co-factor/mineral, or a substitute co-factor/mineral, it will simply sit around doing nothing. There are eighteen
co-factor/minerals in human nutrition. They are, in alphabetical order: calcium, chlorine, chromium, cobalt,
copper, fluorine, iodide, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium,
sulfur, vanadium and zinc. Some of these can substitute for each other, and in this way the body maintains a
survival advantage in time of dietary imbalance.
Elements you require in inorganic form are called minerals.
There are two types of minerals: macro-minerals and trace minerals. Your body needs larger amounts of macrominerals like calcium, sodium and potassium. Trace minerals, on the other hand, are only needed in small
amounts. Common trace minerals include iron, zinc, selenium and chromium.
Like vitamins, you only need small quantities of most minerals. However, your body needs larger amounts of
some minerals, such as calcium. If a person is not able to eat a variety of foods from the basic food groups, then
a mineral supplement may be necessary. However, except for certain unusual health conditions, very few
persons should need more than 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance for any single nutrient. Large
doses of mineral supplements can be harmful too. For example, excessive sodium intake is associated with high
blood pressure in some individuals.
SODIUM, a macromineral is actually necessary to regulate your blood pressure and blood volume. The more
salt you have in your blood the more water you will retain to balance out the concentration of salt in your cells.
So, without sodium, you wouldn't have any blood pressure at all (not good) but too much and your blood
pressure can be very high.
High blood pressure puts stress on the walls of your arteries
and veins weakening them and can be a cause of heart disease,
strokes and heart attacks.
The problem with sodium is that Americans
are consuming way too much of it. Many of the foods
we eat naturally contain sodium. However, many
of the processed foods we buy have large amounts
of sodium and we aren’t fully aware of all the
sodium we eat every day!
Calcium is an important macromineral that is absolutely necessary for healthy bones and teeth. It helps your
heart and nerves function properly and helps your blood to clot. Scientists used to think that calcium intake was
important only up to age 20 to 30, when bone growth and development are complete. Research has made clear
that adequate calcium intake is important throughout life. It's especially important for young women and
women entering menopause to get enough of this essential.
Iron, a trace mineral, prevents anemia and keeps your red blood cells healthy. In fact iron is an essential part of
hemoglobin, a part of the red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout your body. You also store iron in your
muscle tissues and it's an essential part of many of your body's proteins and enzymes.
Iodine is needed for the normal metabolism of cells. Metabolism is the process of converting food into
energy. Humans need iodine for normal thyroid function, and for the production of thyroid hormones.
The body does not make iodine, so it is an essential part of your diet. Iodine is found in various foods but to
ensure adequate ingestion it is added to salt which most everyone uses in their diet. If you do not have enough
iodine in your body, you cannot make enough thyroid hormone. Thus, iodine deficiency can lead to
enlargement of the thyroid –goiter.
In some cases taking too much of a mineral can make it hard for your body to absorb other vitamins. But you
don't want to be deficient in minerals, either. You can avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies by eating a wide
variety of fruits, vegetables, protein sources, whole grains and dairy products every day.