Vitamins And Minerals Essay

Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals keep the human body running. Vitamins are organic substances that are divided into 2 categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. These vitamins dissolve in fat, therefore they can be stored in the body. The water soluble vitamins are C and B. Water-soluble vitamins need to be dissolved into water before the body can absorb them. Because water soluble vitamins are dissolved in water, the human body cannot store them. This means that whatever is not used or need by the body is let go as a waste product. Each day the body needs to bring in a fresh supply of water soluble vitamins. Minerals, on the other hand, are inorganic substances that help keep the body going. Minerals that humans need are found in the earth and in water. These substances are then absorbed by the plants we eat. Minerals also end up in the animals humans consume became originally the taanimals eat plants. Minerals are also split into two categories. In the first category falls the minerals that humans need proportional large amount of. An example of one of these minerals would be calcium. The other category of minerals is called trace minerals. These minerals are minerals that the human body does not require a lot of. Some example would be iodine, zinc, and iron. Vitamins and minerals are very important to humans being because they keep the body functioning properly.
The first vitamin that would be important to a high altitude runner would be vitamin D. Vitamin D is used by the body in many ways. First off it helps the body to absorb calcium. Calcium is the main component of bone. Without vitamin D the body could not absorb calcium and a person becomes would become brittle and...

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...um also helps to maintain membrane potential, blood volume, and blood pressure. Sodium helps with nutrient absorption and transport. Sodium deficiency hardly ever results from a poor diet. More common is too much sodium. If the human body has too much is heart disease and kidney problems.
Phosphorus is critical for every cell to work. ATP synthesis is totally dependent on phosphorylated compounds such ATP. Nucleic acids are essentially long chains of phosphate containing molecules. Without phosphate basic functions of cells could not be completed and any human, let alone a high altitude runner, could not function.
Most of these minerals and vitamins are found in common foods. Meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables are great sources of these above mentioned minerals and vitamin. Without these mineral s and vitamin humans and high altitude runners could not function.