Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients that your body needs in small amounts to continue to function correctly and remain healthy. Most people can get all their key vitamins and minerals by eating a varied and balanced diet, however, some may need to take extra supplements to ensure they are getting the adequate amount.
There are certain groups of people who are more likely to be at risk of vitamin or mineral deficiency. For these people, it may be advised by a healthcare professional that they take a daily supplement to ensure they get enough.
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Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients that are most commonly found in the food that we eat that keep our bodies healthy and functioning properly. For the majority of people, it is possible for them to get all the vitamins and minerals they need from a varied, balanced diet, however, some people may need to take supplements to ensure they get their daily intake.
There are two categories of vitamins, which are:
Fat-soluble vitamins - These are vitamins A, D, E and K. They dissolve in the body’s fat and are stored inside the body and only utilised when needed.
Water-soluble vitamins - These include vitamins C and B-complex vitamins such as B12 and folate. These vitamins dissolve in water but cannot be stored in the body. Any amount of these vitamins that are not used is excreted from the body. So you will need some of each every day.
Minerals come from the soil and water and are consumed through their absorption into plants and animals that we eat. Calcium, iron and zinc are all examples of essential minerals.
All vitamins and minerals have different jobs when it comes to human health. For example, some help with your immunity to infections, whereas some help to support healthy bone development. Because they all have such varied properties it is important that you try to get enough of all of them.
For most healthy people it is not necessary for them to take vitamin and mineral supplements and that is because it is possible to get adequate amounts of each from your diet and lifestyle alone.
If you are worried that you may not be getting enough of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals you should speak to a healthcare professional before taking supplements.
There are certain people that may be at slightly more risk of not getting enough vitamins and minerals from their diet, however, and it is likely that if you fall into any of these groups you will be advised of what vitamins and minerals you should take. These people include:
If you are at risk of not getting enough of your daily intake of vitamins and minerals from your diet or you have been advised to take vitamins and minerals these can often be bought from a pharmacy without the need for a prescription. Examples of these treatments include:
Authored by
Scott is one of the two founders of The Independent Pharmacy. He is a registered pharmacist and the registered manager of our service with the CQC.
Reviewed by
Dan is an experienced pharmacist having spent time working in both primary and secondary care. He currently supports our clinical team by providing robust clinical governance review of our internal processes and information.
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