VITAMINS AND MINERALS

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Vitamin	Sources	Functions	Deficiency	Harmful
Vitamin A	Sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, apricots, cheese, milk	Maintains healthy teeth, bones, soft tissue, mucus membranes	Fat mal absorption, or liver disorders, night blindness	liver abnormalities, central nervous system disorders, and osteoporosis
Vitamin B6 (also called Pyriodoxine)	Avocado, Banana, dried beans, Meat, Nuts, Poultry, whole grains.	Helps to form red blood cells and maintain brain function	Confusion, depression, irritability, mouth and tough sores.	Numbness, sensory changes
Vitamin B12	Beef liver, shellfish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, dairy foods.	Important for metabolism Maintain central nervous system	Anemia, Loss of balance, numbness of tingling, weakness.	It causes no harm
Vitamin C	Citrus fruits, Kiwi fruit, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, berries, Watermelon, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes	Heal wounds and form scar tissue, repair and maintain cartilage, bones, and teeth	Fatigue, inflammation of gums, joint pain, and poor wound healing	Anemia, bleeding gums, dry and splitting hair, dry skin, weak tooth enamel
Vitamin D	Sunlight, fatty fish, beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, mushrooms, cereals, yoghurt	Regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, Helps in cell to cell communication throughout the body	Osteoporosis, rickets	Confusion, disorientation, Damages kidneys, nausea, vomiting, constipation, poor appetite
Vitamin E	Nuts, seeds, green vegetables, vegetable oils	Boosts immune system, wide blood vessels	Rare diseases like Crohn’s, cystic fibrosis, ataxia	High doses might increase the risk of bleeding and brain hemorrhage
Vitamin K	Sun-dried tomatoes, carrots, cloves, dry roasted cashews, blackberries, blueberries, figs	It treats prothrombin deficiencies, prevents excessive bleeding	Heavy menstrual bleeding, gum bleeding, nose bleeding, easy bruising,	Affects kidneys and liver
Minerals
Sodium	Table salt, soy sauce, milk, breads, vegetables, and unprocessed meats	Regulates fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction	Over hydration, burns, diarrhea, vomiting,	High blood pressure, congestive heart failure, cirrhosis
Chloride	Table salt, soy sauce, milk, meats, breads, and vegetables	Regulates fluid balance, stomach acid	Alkalosis, muscle weakness, heavy sweating, loss of appetite, irritability, dehydration	Congestive heart failure,
Potassium	Meats, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes	Nerve transmission, and muscle contraction	Helps for better heart functioning, nerve cells, muscle cells,	Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea
Calcium	Milk products, canned fish with bones, soy milk, broccoli, mustard greens, legumes	Healthy bones and teeth, muscles relaxation and contraction, nerve functioning, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, immune system health	Osteoporosis, hypocalcemia, memory loss muscle spasms numbness and tingling in the hands, feet, and face depression hallucinations	Constipation, high doses in adults may cause heart attacks
Phosphorus	Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, processed foods	Helps in healthy bones and teeth	Anorexia, anemia, muscle weakness, bone pain, confusion, increased susceptibility to infection, difficulty walking and, in severe cases, death	Calcification of tissues, drug Interactions, decrease Bone density
Magnesium	Nuts and seeds, legumes; leafy, green vegetables, seafood, chocolate	Makes proteins, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, immune system health	Behavioral disturbances, Impaired memory, Anorexia, Nausea, vomiting, Irregular or rapid heartbeat Coronary spasms	Severe toxicity, nausea and abdominal cramps, low blood pressure and irregular heartbeat.
Sulfur	Meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, legumes, nuts	Gives strength to hair, skin and nails, it forms connective tissues, cell structure and artery walls.	Muscle pain, weak muscles, impairment in protein synthesis.	Skin irritations and kidney damage
Iron	Organ meats, red meats, fish, poultry, shellfish, egg yolks, legumes, dried fruits, dark, leafy greens, cereals	Serves as a carrier of oxygen to the tissues, transports electrons within the cells	Fatigue, hair loss, irritability, restlessness, breathlessness.	Excess intake causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and even death.
Zinc	Meats, fish, poultry, leavened whole grains, vegetables	Makes proteins, wound healing, production of sperms and maintains healthy immune system.	Diarrhea, acne, anorexia, low testosterone production in men, pneumonia.	Thyroid tumor, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite and headaches.
Iodine	Seafood, foods grown in iodine-rich soil, iodized salt, bread, dairy products	Regulates growth, development and metabolism	Hypothyroidism, mental retardation.	Autoimmune thyroid disease, hypothyroidism
Copper	Legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, organ meats, drinking water	Helps to form red blood cells, also keeps blood vessels, nerves, immune system and bones healthy	Leukopenia, neutropenia, sensory ataxia, myelodysplasia, peripheral neuropathy, anemia.	Wilson’s disease, increased copper causes hepatitis, kidney problems, brain disorders
Manganese	Widespread in foods, especially plant foods	Helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, keeps the heart beat steady	Osteoporosis, schizophrenia, diabetes, joint pains, arthritis.	Neurological disorders, headaches, tremors, loss of appetite, muscle rigidity, leg cramps and hallucinations.
Fluoride	Drinking water (either fluoridated or naturally containing fluoride), fish, and most teas	Involved in formation of bones and teeth; helps prevent tooth decay	Dental caries, Osteoporosis.	enamel fluorosis, skeletal fluorosis, muscle wasting, neurological problems, immobility and osteoporosis