Vitamins & Minerals

How they help keep you healthy

Vitamins

Vitamin A: Maintains healthy skin and mucous membranes. Necessary for proper vision, especially at night. Needed for correct bone development and growth.

Vitamin D: Helps the body utilize Calcium and Phosphorus for strong bones and teeth.

Vitamin E: Protective antioxidant vitamin, that is, it mops up substances called "free radicals". Needed for the health of the heart and circulation, nerves, muscles and red blood cells.

Beta Carotene: An antioxidant which mops up "free radicals" which, in excess, can cause damage to cells and tissues. Beta Carotene can also be converted into vitamin A in the body.

Thiamin (Vit. B1): Needed for the release of energy from Carbohydrate. Aids in functioning of the nervous system.

Riboflavin (Vit. B2): Needed for converting proteins, fats and carbohydrates into energy. Also important for skin and eye health.

Niacin (Vit. B3): Vital for energy release in tissues and cells. Helps to maintain healthy nervous and digestive systems.

Vitamin B6: Important in protein metabolism. Vital for maintaining a healthy

nervous system, skin, muscles and blood.

Folic acid: Essential for growth and reproduction of cells, particularly red blood cells. Particularly important as a supplement for women of childbearing age.

Vitamin B12: Needed for red blood cell production and maintenance of the protective sheath around nerves. Vegans in particular may require additional amounts of this vitamin.

Biotin: Involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Needed for healthy skin and hair.

Pantothenic acid: Plays a vital role in the release of energy from foods, Needed for healthy growth and the production of antibodies.

Vitamin C: An antioxidant which helps white blood cells fight infection. Also needed for healthy skin, and enhances absorption of iron from non-meat sources.

MINERALS

Calcium: Needed for healthy strong bones and teeth, and for the functioning of nerves and muscles.

Phosphorus: Needed for a strong skeleton. A component of ATP - the immediate source of energy in muscle tissue.

Magnesium: Plays a role in bone structure; central to energy release and the functioning of nerves and muscles. Also important for cardiovascular health.

Copper: Component (with Zinc and Manganese) of an Anti-Oxidant enzyme system. Needed for Melanin (skin pigment) formation and Iron metabolism.

Chromium: Required for normal Glucose (blood sugar) metabolism; may also have a role in controlling blood fat levels.

Iodine: Needed for the production of Thyroid hormones that regulate metabolic rate.

Iron: Carries vital oxygen around the body as part of the blood pigment Haemoglobin.

Manganese: Component (with Copper and Zinc) of an Anti-Oxidant enzyme system. Needed for sex hormone formations, healthy bones, joints and the nervous system.

Molybdenum: Involved in Iron metabolism and in the production of Uric acid (a waste product found in urine). Necessary for normal sexual functioning in males.

Selenium: Anti-Oxidant mineral which helps protect the delicate fatty parts of cells from going rancid. Needed for healthy liver tissue.

Zinc: Component (with Copper and Manganese) of an Anti-Oxidant enzyme system. Needed for healthy reproductive and immune systems. Also required for tissue repair and renewal and for sense of taste and smell.

UPPER SAFE LEVELS OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS

But what about the safety of higher intakes? How safe are the supplements we take, and are there any dangers from taking them over long periods? Here are some important points to remember:
Micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) are essential to good health. Some micro nutrients may have particular health benefits at levels in excess of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA).
The Upper Safe Levels determined for micro nutrients are not related in any consistent way to their Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs), for example, vitamin B products containing at least 80 times the RDA are considered safe, whereas long term daily intakes of supplemental Zinc may be undesirable at only a little above the RDA.
The RDAs referred to in the table overleaf are those specified by the EU as a reference value for labeling purposes.
The figures shown already take into account the average amounts of vitamins and minerals normally consumed from food in the UK.
Upper Safe Levels for supplementation of 25 micro nutrients are given. Please note that these are not recommendations for daily intake but maximum levels which should not be exceeded by individuals, except under the direction of a qualified health practitioner.

Micro nutrient	Unit	EU RDA* labelling	Upper safe level for daily self-supplementation
Vitamin A * *	ug	800	2300
Vitamin D	ug	5	10
Vitamin E	mg	10	800
Beta Carotene	mg	N/A	20
Thiamin (B1)	mg	1.4	100
Riboflavin	mg	1.6	200
Nicotinamide * * * Nicotinic acid	mg mg	18	450 150
Vitamin B6	mg	2	200
Folic acid	ug	200	400
Vitamin B12	ug	1	500
Biotin	ug	150	500
Pantothenic acid	mg	6	500
Vitamin C	mg	60	2000
Calcium	mg	800	1500
Phosphorus	mg	800	1500
Magnesium	mg	300	350
Copper	mg	N/A	5
Chromium	ug	N/A	200
Iodine	ug	150	500
Iron	mg	14	15
Manganese	mg	N/A	15
Molybdenum	ug	N/A	200
Selenium	ug	N/A	200
Zinc	mg	15	15

Safety of vitamins and mineral supplements is the question tackled in a new report entitled "Vitamins and Minerals: A Scientific Evaluation of the Range of Safe Intakes" commissioned by the UK Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and the European Federation of Health Product Manufacturers Associations (EHPM).

In producing the report, over 300 peer-reviewed scientific papers were studied to assess the safety of long-term usage of 25 vitamins and minerals, taking into account intake from both food and supplements.

It is hoped that the 100-page document will play a major role in influencing future EU legislation on dietary supplements.

Although the CRN/EHPM document was written by scientists for scientists, the conclusions reached in the
report are useful for anyone taking supplements, and are summarised in the table in this leaflet.

Note: Should a regulatory authority require lower maxima it is a legal requirement that they be observed.

Published by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an association of the leading suppliers of food supplements, who wish to provide responsible and accurate information concerning supplementation to consumers, the UK government and to the rest of the European Union.

mg = milligram, (one thousandth of a gram) ug = microgram (one millionth of a gram)

* Council of Directive of 24 September 1990 on nutrition labelling for foodstuffs (90/496/EEC) * * Maximum 800 ug for pregnant women, or those who might become pregnant.

* * * Nicotinamide and nicotinic acid are 2 versions of niacin (vitamin B3). Nicotinic acid is not as safe in large quantities as Nicotinamide. This table assumes that one or other form is taken, not both (check the ingredients list on the supplement label).