23/09/2021
What's the Difference Between Vitamins and Minerals?
Dr. Jen Myers / Jun 16, 2021 / DNA & Products
We all know that vitamins and minerals are important to our bodies. But what do they actually do?
Your body needs both vitamins and certain minerals to function properly, but they’re not all essential. Here’s what you need to know about the difference between vitamins and minerals — and what your body needs to operate at its best.
The Difference Between Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients required by the body for proper functioning. Vitamins are organic and complex. Minerals are inorganic and simpler. Vitamins and minerals also come from different sources. Vitamins are acquired from plant and animal sources; minerals are from soils and rocks.
Both are necessary for life, but how much people need differs by individual.
All vitamins (A, B, C, D, E, and K) are needed by your body. However, only certain minerals are necessary for nutrition and proper cellular functioning. In order for the cells to work correctly, the body needs major minerals such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.
Why Are Vitamins Important?
All vitamins are needed by your body, but only some minerals are necessary for nutrition and proper cellular function. Major benefits of vitamins come when they work alongside minerals to help your body function as it should.
For example, B vitamins produce cellular energy and are required for the synthesis of DNA and RNA. Iron (a mineral) transports oxygen in the blood and is important for generating energy for nutrients. But, without the B vitamins, we don’t absorb iron as effectively. They work together.
Because many vitamins and minerals are so interrelated in function, deficiencies in one category may lead to deficiencies in another. For example, anemia is typically a sign of iron deficiency. However, a person may lack the vitamin that helps them absorb iron, not iron itself. For anemic patients, B vitamins may help more than iron supplements. Once the body has the B vitamin intake they need, it can more properly absorb the iron. They don’t lack iron — they lack the cellular ability to absorb it.
Because of this relatability, vitamins are essential — not just for the direct benefits of vitamins, but because of how they help minerals be more effective in the body as well.
What's the Difference Between Fat-Soluble and Water-Soluble Vitamins?
The key to vitamins and minerals being used effectively in the body is absorption. Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fat. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. This sounds simple enough, but why does it matter? It affects how they’re absorbed in the body.
Water-soluble vitamins, like B and C, are easier for the body to absorb into the tissues and metabolize. If there's excess, they can be excreted through urine via the kidneys and the detox process.
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are absorbed by fat cells and carried throughout the bloodstream. When we take too much and don’t use them, they build up in our bodies. There’s nowhere else for them to go since they’re not excreted.
How to Know if You're Not Getting Enough Vitamins and Minerals
While you don’t want to take too many fat-soluble vitamins, you also want to make sure you get enough of what your body needs. A lack of sufficient vitamins and minerals can lead to an array of health problems.
If the body isn’t getting proper nutrition to function, we don’t feel as good. Our energy decreases, our immune systems weaken, and we show our age quicker (for real — it’s called aggressive aging). Plus, we just don’t feel right.
Common Vitamin Deficiencies
Most often, people lack vitamin D. Many people also lack enough vitamin B — specifically B-12 and B-9.
Remember, these deficiencies don’t just affect isolated issues in the body. Vitamins and minerals are interrelated. Typically, if someone has one deficiency, they have many.
Also, we can eat as healthy as possible, but multiple factors contribute to a general lack of vitamin and mineral content in our diets. Our soil isn’t as rich as it used to be, and we cook in ways that diminish vitamin and mineral nutrients. Overall, we’re just not eating as nutrient-dense as we should, so we need to add supplements.
Do I Really Need Vitamins Every Day?
Yes, all of them. Your body needs every vitamin (and several minerals) daily.
Consume your vitamins and minerals through food if possible. But, if your body is deficient, due to genetics or lifestyle, adapt and dose properly with supplementation so your body performs as it should.
There’s no need for you to wonder if you really need vitamins and minerals. You do, and now you know why. Vitamins and minerals are essential to a well-functioning body.
Not sure which ones you need to supplement? Our DNA testing will tell you exactly what you’re already getting and what your body needs to function at its best.
This blog was written under the guidance and contribution of Dr. Jen Myers, Chief Science Officer.
Dr. Jen Myers, Ph.D., DNM, DCN, DACM Chief Science Officer, Uforia Science
Dr. Jen Myers is a genetic expert and functional genomics specialist, focusing on Nutrigenetic Medicine.
