Micronutrients at a glance — this is what they mean!
In addition to the already familiar macronutrients (see proteins, carbohydrates and fats), terms such as micronutrients, trace elements and minerals are a constant companion in the world of food and natural products. When dealing with nutrition, a basic understanding of such terms is not only helpful, but also important in terms of individual and optimised nutritional style.
Are you interested in the most important facts? We have explained micronutrients in micro time for you at the end of this article!
What are micronutrients?
According to the classic description of micronutrients, they are substances that a person needs to take in, but which do not supply the body with energy. Accordingly, these are substances that are essential* and ensure a large part of important functions such as growth, development, reproduction and survival. These primarily include vitamins and minerals. Minerals can be divided into trace and bulk elements.
What vitamins are there and what role do they play?
Vitamins are chemical compounds that perform a variety of tasks in the body. Primary among these are being present as a cofactor for regular enzyme work, scavenging free radicals as antioxidants, inducing gene products as transcription factors and helping to shape signal transduction pathways as an essential component. Simply put, the properties of vitamins ensure that enzymes work properly. Our cells are protected from free radicals and thus damage, certain genes are switched off or on and certain signals are triggered in the cell via detours.
As already mentioned, vitamins are essential and must be taken in. The only exception is vitamin D, which can be formed from cholesterol in the vessels of the skin under UV radiation. In this context, it should be mentioned that a strict distinction is made between water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. In total, there are 13 vitamins. The group of fat-soluble vitamins is formed by vitamins A, D, K and E. The family of water-soluble vitamins includes vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9 = folic acid, B12, C and H, as well as pantothenic acid.
What are minerals?
Minerals also belong to the so-called micronutrients. This group is divided into trace and bulk elements. Trace elements are essential inorganic* nutrients that are only needed in very small doses. They include in particular iron, zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, selenium and fluorine. For example, 30 to 70 micrograms of selenium a day are sufficient to cover the daily requirement. This amount is achieved by eating two Brazil nuts per day. The functions of the substances mentioned are numerous and versatile. The focus is predominantly on working as a cofactor for the proper functioning of enzymes. Another focus is on the formation of other substances, such as hormones.
To be distinguished from the trace elements are the bulk elements. The main criterion for distinguishing them from trace elements is the concentration of an inorganic substance per kilogram of body weight. Bulk elements just exceed the limit of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight. Trace elements are therefore below this value. The group of bulk elements includes sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chlorine, phosphorus and sulphur. In particular, the listed metals sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium are summarised under the term electrolytes and are thus also significantly involved in the water balance of the body.
Micronutrients in micro time
1. Micronutrients are essential nutrients consisting of minerals and vitamins.
2. In total, there are 13 vitamins, which are divided into a water-soluble and a fat-soluble group. Their functions are manifold (enzyme work, cell protection, influencing genes and shaping signalling pathways).
3. Minerals are divided into trace elements and bulk elements. These differ in the concentration in which such an element occurs in a kilogram of body weight. Trace elements fall below the limit of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight, whereas bulk elements exceed this value.
* Essentials are substances that the body cannot synthesise (= create / generate) itself. They must therefore be supplied from outside.
* Inorganic nutrients are substances that do not contain carbon. They originate from the non-living environment.
Text sources:
(1) Biesalski, Micronutrients as the engine of evolution, 2015.
(2) Niestroj, Praxis der orthomolekularen Medizin, 2nd edition, 2000.
(3,4) Dunkelberg et al, Vitamins and Trace Elements, 2012; Biesalski, Vitamins, 1997; Pietrzik / Golly / Loew, Handbook of Vitamins, 2008.
(5) Ekmekcioglu and Marktl, Essential Trace Elements, 2006; Schmiedel, Vitamins, Minterals and Trace Elements, 3rd edition, 2019.
(6) Müller, Minerals, trace elements, bulk elements in therapy and prophylaxis, 2011.
Image sources:
(7) Designed by Freepik
