Vitamins & Minerals: Can They Help Prevent Diseases

	Vitamins and minerals are nutrients required in very small amounts for essential body processes. These nutrients along with proteins regulate metabolic processes ranging from the breakdown of sugar and fat for energy to the synthesis of proteins to make the building blocks of various cellular structures. How much is enough? A well-balanced diet should provide most people with enough essential nutrients. A well-balanced diet includes eating foods from the four major food groups:
	Dairy products, Meat and nuts, Cereals and grains, and Fruits and vegetables.
If you are found to be anemic and your doctor believes it is a result of a nutrient deficiency, your doctor might measure the level of iron in your blood. Iron, in fact, is the only mineral for which blood levels correlate with the total amount of iron stored in your body.
Other minerals such as sodium, potassium, phosphorous, calcium, and magnesium are found predominantly in the cells of your body, so blood levels of these nutrients can, at times, be misleading. If you have a gastrointestinal disease that leads to significant malabsorption, your doctor might measure some of the levels of vitamins and minerals in your blood. Atrophic gastritis, for example, is a condition that specifically leads to the malabsorption of vitamin B12. This vitamin can be measured in your blood if atrophic gastritis is suspected.
When should a vitamin or mineral supplements be taken? A well-balanced diet is sufficient to maintain adequate levels of vitamins and minerals for most people. If you have malabsorption or severe liver disease, your doctor can provide oral nutrient supplements. If you have atrophic gastritis, your doctor will likely need to provide you with periodic injections of vitamin B12 to maintain normal body stores. Gastrointestinal diseases can affect levels of vitamins and minerals. Significant malabsorption can result in low levels of all the essential nutrients. However, fat-soluble vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and zinc can be more adversely affected than other nutrients. Cirrhosis of the liver can result in a diminished capacity to store vitamins A and B12. Diseases that result in pancreatic insufficiency and diminished bile acid secretion by the liver can also lead to malabsorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
CAUTION: ALWAYS ASK YOUR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDER BEFORE TAKING ANY SUPPLEMENTS. WHILE THEY CAN BE BENEFICIAL, IN SOME CASES THEY CAN CAUSE HARM ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITION.