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The Vitamins and Minerals: A Functional Approach

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Nutrition Guide for Physicians

Part of the book series: Nutrition and Health ((NH))

Key Points

  • Vitamins and minerals are essential micronutrients required throughout all stages of the life span.

  • Vitamins are organic compounds required by the body for numerous metabolic reactions in small amounts (microgram or milligram quantities).

  • Minerals are inorganic compounds; major minerals are found in the body in quantities greater than 5 g; trace minerals are found in amounts less than 5 g.

  • Neither vitamins nor minerals supply calories to the diet.

  • Abnormally high intakes of one or more vitamins or minerals may adversely affect the absorption and balance of other vitamins and minerals.

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Suggested Further Reading

  • Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2006.

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  • Shils ME, Shike M, Ross AC, Caballero B, Cousins RJ. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease, 10th ed, Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowman BA, Russell RM. Present Knowledge in Nutrition, 9th ed. International Life Sciences Institute, Washington, DC, 2006.

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  • http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic Search USDA’s Food and Nutrition Information Center for individual vitamins, food composition, and vitamin and mineral-related topics.

  • http://www.eatright.org The American Dietetic Association’s site, with position papers on vitamin supplements, mineral topics, functional foods, and many resources.

References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Foods and Nutrition, College of Saint Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ, USA

    Marie Boyle Struble PHD, RD

Authors
  1. Marie Boyle Struble PHD, RD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biology, Winona State University, Winona, 54603, U.S.A.

    Ted Wilson

  2. Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Perkins Rd. 6400, Baton Rouge, 70808, U.S.A.

    George A. Bray

  3. Centre for Science, Athabasca University, Athabasca, T9S 3A3, Canada

    Norman J. Temple

  4. Dept. Foods & Nutrition, College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, 07960, U.S.A.

    Maria Boyle Struble

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© 2010 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Struble, M.B. (2010). The Vitamins and Minerals: A Functional Approach. In: Wilson, T., Bray, G., Temple, N., Struble, M. (eds) Nutrition Guide for Physicians. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-431-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-431-9_4

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-60327-430-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-431-9

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