Understanding the Small Stuff - Micronutrients

I remember as a kid seeing multivitamins advertised on TV. They looked like these super tablets that had these things called vitamins and minerals that would help make my bones strong, give me lots of energy and stop me from getting sick. Mum never actually got me to have them but I remember thinking what are these things? 

Micronutrients

As covered in my last blog post carbs, fat and protein (kind of alcohol too) makeup our MACROnutrients which provide us with energy. Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, sodium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, iodine, potassium, chloride, iron, copper, sodium, phosphorus, fluoride and a few others are our MICROnutrients. Just like our macros, our micros are nutrients, therefore essential for life. However, they are needed in much smaller amounts (mainly milligrams and micrograms) compared to our macros which are needed in grams, hence the name MICROnutrients.

Functions

Unlike macros, our micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) do not provide us with energy directly. Instead our micros are used for specific functions in the body. Some micronutrients are important for the process of generating energy from our macronutrients, however directly they do not provide us with energy. They can be thought of as the keys to unlocking the energy in our food.  

There are many different vitamins and minerals and therefore in this blog post I will not be giving an extensive explanation of each of their functions however a list of their main functions are as follows:

Vitamins

• A: This is important for eye sight as well as reproduction (sperm development) and growth. Vitamin A is also an antioxidant. 

​ B (there are a group of B vitamins):

• Thiamine (B1): This B Vitamin is important for metabolizing carbohydrates and some amino acids (protein). 
• Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3) and Adenine (B4): These are all used as part of the process of making energy in our body.
• ​Pantothenic acid (B5): This has a role to play in hormone regulation (sex and stress hormones) and macro/energy metabolism,
• B6: This is slightly different to other B vitamins in that is important for neural transmission, creation of amino acids in the body, hormone regulation and brain development and function.
• ​Biotin (B7): Adrenal function, nerve function and metabolism of our macros.
• Folic Acid (B9): Works with vitamin B12 during DNA production
• ​Cobalamins (B12): DNA production and energy metabolism

 

• C: Antioxidant function, enzymatic functions (collagen, hormone regulation, energy production), increase iron absorption, detoxification and immune system function.
• D: Aids calcium absorption so important for bone health, also involved in muscle function and health and has antioxidant properties.
• E: Antioxidant protecting lipids and plasma membranes (the things around our cells) and DNA from free radical damage and mutations. 
• K: Blood clotting and bone health  

Minerals and Trace Elements
Minerals and trace elements are both inorganic substances however the difference is we need more of our minerals per day and they are in greater quantities in the body compared to our trace elements.

• Sodium: Electrolyte*
• ​Potassium: Electrolyte*
• Chloride: Electrolyte* and part of the acid in our stomach.
• ​Magnesium: This is quite an understudied nutrient. We know it is important for energy metabolism, as well as acting as an electrolyte* as well as making up bone and muscle.
• Calcium: Bone, teeth, nerve and muscle health as well as blood clotting and hormone release. Also has electrolyte* functions. 
• ​Iron: Oxygen carrying and storage in hemoglobin and myoglobin as well as enzymatic functions
• Zinc: Found in all cells and components of cells in the body and involved with over 200 enzymatic functions in mammals, also involved in DNA formation.
• ​Selenium: Thyroid function and antioxidant role
• Copper: Energy metabolism, iron metabolism, collagen, neurotransmitters, some of the enzymes involved with copper are important for blood coagulation and radical scavenging.
• ​Fluoride: Important for decreasing tooth decay and cavities. 
• Iodine: The only known function is in the involvement of thyroid production.  
• ​Phosphorus: Involved in a range of biochemical reactions as well as a component of bone and teeth.

* You will see that a lot of our minerals have functions as electrolytes in our body. Electrolytes are important for maintaining fluid balance in our cells and for other things like nerve impulses. They work together to create a salty environment both in our cells and outside our cells to ensure they can function properly. You could think of our cells as salt water fish that need a salty environment to function properly/survive. 

Ultra-trace elements: These are needed in really small quantities

• Chromium: Enhances the effect of insulin
• ​Manganese: Metabolism of macros as well as range of enzymes and bone formation
• Molybdenum: Needed for three different reactions that occur in the body including detoxification and energy production. 

Sources

There is a range of places we get these micronutrients from. The types of micronutrients and the quantities they are found in are dependant on the food source. For example eggs are intended to develop into an organism therefore they contain a wide range of micronutrients. Most of our micronutrients can be found in varying quantities in different fruits and vegetables. 

• Whole grains like whole grain cereals, brown rice and whole grain pasta are generally quite rich in b-vitamins. 
• Vitamin D is the only micro we can actually make in the human body. To do so we need sunlight (UVB rays) which interact with a precursor we have in our body to make vitamin D. 
• Vitamin B-12 is found almost exclusively in animal products and fortified foods. 
• Meats/seafood contain a form of iron that is more readily absorbed in our body compared to iron that might be found in some plant sources like spinach. 

Do We Need to Take Supplements?

In short, most people do not need to take micronutrients as supplements. If you are "healthy" and mostly eating a variety of food from different food groups in the right quantities for you and getting sun exposure throughout, you should not have to supplement. However, supplement use if a very individualized thing. Some people struggle to get in enough of some micros which may lead to a deficiency. If you think you might be deficient in a particular vitamin and mineral then you are better off getting your levels checked before supplementing.
 
Some things to point out:

• Iron is a common mineral that we are deficient in. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia causing a lack of oxygen to be transported around your body. However as mentioned earlier before supplementing get some blood work done and get your iron levels checked by a doctor, dietitian or registered nutritionist. While it is recommended to supplement if you have chronically low iron levels, if you aren't deficient and do supplement you can reach an upper limit on how much iron you should be having which can cause harm. 
• Sodium is a mineral we commonly have too much of. The link between sodium and high blood pressure (hypertension) is clear and so minimizing sodium use is a good idea. The maximum a person may need in a day is around 920mg. Most people consume close to or over 2300 mg in day which is considered above the upper limit for sodium intake and so it is extremely unlikely you are not getting in enough sodium (unless you have been sweating a lot or losing bodily fluids)  
• Iodine is low in the soils in NZ which means plants that grow in our soils are also low in iodine. Other food sources of iodine are milk, eggs, seafood, and store-bought bread. Iodine was also added to salt to help with this issue so if you do use salt (in small quantities right) then use normal iodized salt.  
• Folate supplementation is recommended during pregnancy and lactation/breastfeeding to reduce the risk of neural tube defects.

​Having more than enough micronutrients won’t give you super powers and stop you from getting sick therefore there is no need to supplement if you are getting in enough. Consuming vitamin A, C, E, Selenium and folate above the recommended daily intake may provide some additional benefits to health and there are things called suggested dietary targets which are values for these micros that may give us some extra benefit. It will help to optimize the function of those certain processes they are involved in but for example, even if you’re immune system is functioning as well as it can, you can still get sick! There are upper limits for many of our vitamins and minerals too, i.e  you can have too much which can have negative effects. For example vitamin A is important during pregnancy for embryonic growth however too much can lead to fetal problems. In most cases the main way of getting too much of a particular vitamin or mineral is through taking supplements or eating products with really concentrated amounts of it. 

My recommendation going forward would be to ensure over the course of your days you are eating foods from different food groups; as well as looking to eat more of foods that are full of micros like our whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and less of our foods that lack micros like refined grains.

In short, don't start cutting things out, don't starve yourself and if you think you might be deficient in something go and see a professional. 

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