Section 8.

2 Vitamins,
Vitamins, Minerals,
Minerals, and
and Water
Water

Objectives

Identify the two main classes of vitamins.

List seven minerals your body needs in

significant amounts.

Explain why water is so important to your body.

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Section 8.2 Vitamins, Minerals, and Water

Myth As part of a healthy diet, people need to take

dietary supplements

Fact A diet that contains a variety of healthful foods

usually supplies all the vitamins and minerals that your
body needs

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Section 8.2 Vitamins, Minerals, and Water

Vitamins

• One of the first discoveries of the

importance of vitamins came in the
1700s.
• A Scottish doctor, James Lind,
discovered that sailors who were fed
citrus fruits recovered from scurvy.
• Today, health scientists know that scurvy
is caused by a lack of vitamin C, which is
found in abundance in citrus fruits.

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What Are Vitamins?

• Nutrients that are made by living things, are required
only in small amounts, and that assist many chemical
reactions in the body are vitamins.

• A nutrient that helps the body use carbohydrates,

proteins, and fats is a vitamin.

• There are two classes of vitamins

• fat-soluble vitamins— dissolve in fatty material
• water-soluble vitamins— dissolve in water

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Fat-Soluble Vitamins
• Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored by the body
• Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins
• Sources of fat-soluble vitamins are
• vegetable oils
• liver
• eggs
• certain vegetables

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Water-Soluble Vitamins
• Water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored by the
body.
• Examples of water-soluble vitamins are C and all of
the B vitamins.
• Sources of water-soluble vitamins are
• fruits
• vegetables
• whole-grain foods
• and many other foods

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Antioxidants
• Vitamins called antioxidants help protect healthy cells
from the damage caused by the normal aging process
as well as from certain types of cancer.
• Vitamins C and E are two of the most powerful
antioxidants.

• Vitamin C helps strengthen blood vessel walls,

strengthens your immune system, and aids in iron
absorption.

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Section 8.2 Vitamins, Minerals, and Water

Minerals
• A nutrient that regulates many chemical reactions in the
body is a mineral.
• Occurs naturally in rocks and soil

• Minerals that are required in amounts greater than 100mg

are considered macro minerals.
• Calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus,
chloride (chlorine), and sulfur

• Your body requires very small amounts of trace minerals.

• Iron and zinc

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Calcium
• Calcium is important in blood clotting and the
functioning of your nervous system.
• It is an essential ingredient in the formation and
maintenance of bones and teeth.
• A lack of calcium can sometimes lead to
osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones
gradually weaken.

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Potassium
• Potassium and sodium work together to maintain
water balance in the body.
• Most Americans do not consume enough potassium.

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Iron
• Iron is necessary for healthy red blood cells.
• If a person’s diet does not include enough iron, he or
she may develop anemia, a condition in which the red
blood cells do not contain enough hemoglobin.

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Sodium
• Sodium is important in several body processes,
including the functioning of the heart and water
balance.
• Too much sodium can cause a problem with blood
pressure.

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Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

• Vitamin and mineral supplements, therefore, are not
usually necessary if your diet is nutritious and
well-balanced.
• An excess, or overdose, of vitamins or minerals may
damage your health.
• If you do take a vitamin or mineral supplement, a
health care provider can advise you about how much
is the right amount.

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Water
• About 65 percent of your
body weight is water.

• Nearly all of the body’

s chemical reactions,
including those that
produce energy and
build new tissues,
take place in a water
solution.

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Water and Homeostasis

• Homeostasis is the process of maintaining a steady
state inside your body.
• When you become overheated, your body excretes
perspiration, which cools your body. Thus, water
regulates body temperature.
• Water contains dissolved substances called
electrolytes that regulate many processes in your
cells.

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Preventing Dehydration
• Dehydration is a condition in which the water content
of the body has fallen to an extremely low level.

• Symptoms of dehydration can include fatigue, dry

mouth, dizziness, weakness, flushed skin, headache,
blurred vision, difficulty swallowing, dry skin, rapid
pulse, and a infrequent urination.

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Dehydration and Blood Viscosity

• Blood plasma is about 90% water.
• As the body loses water during dehydration, the blood
thickens, making it harder for the heart to pump blood
through the body.

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How Much Water?

• Every day, you need at least ten 8-ounce cups of water
if you are a female 14 to 18 years old.
• Males in the same age group need 14 cups of water
per day.

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Water Versus Sports Drinks

• A sports drink is not necessary if you exercise for 60
minutes or less.
• If you exercise longer, a sports drink that contains
carbohydrates may be beneficial.
• Sports drinks with electrolytes are not necessary
unless you exercise for 5 hours or more.

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Herbal Supplements
• Supplements that contain extracts or ingredients from
the roots, berries, seeds, stems, leaves, buds, or
flowers of plants are herbal supplements.
• Herbal supplements are officially classified as food
and not drugs.
• This means that herbal or dietary supplements do
not have to be proven safe or screened by the FDA
before placed on the market

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Supplements - Creatine
• An amino acid that is made in the liver, kidneys, and
pancreas is called creatine.
• Found in meat and fish
• Many teenagers use creatine to increase their athletic
performance or to become more muscular.
• Suspicion that excessive creatine use could cause
cramping, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, dehydration,
muscle strain, high blood pressure, and abnormal
liver/kidney function.

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Supplements – Protein supplements

• A product taken orally that contains proteins that are
intended to supplement one’s diet and are not
considered food are protein supplements.
• Health and fitness experts say that the amount of
protein needed each day is about one gram of protein
per pound of body weight.
• Most people easily meet or exceed this
requirement.
• Any excess protein is converted to fat and not to
muscle.

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Questions
1. What are vitamins? How do they differ from minerals?
2. What are the two classes of vitamins? Which vitamins fall into
each class?
3. Which seven minerals are needed by the body in significant
amounts?
4. What roles does water play in the body?
5. Define homeostasis.
6. What vitamins are supplied by green, leafy vegetables? By citrus
fruits?
7. What are some ways that people with high blood pressure can
reduce their sodium intake?
8. How can feelings of thirst help a person maintain homeostasis
on a hot day?

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