Pair your accounts. Your Mendeley pairing has expired. Please reconnect. This website uses cookies to improve your user experience. By continuing to use the site, you are accepting our use of cookies. Some factors such as certain foods and drinks can affect how much iron your body absorbs. Also, some groups are more at risk of iron deficiency, such as babies and young children, teenage girls, women with heavy periods , vegans and vegetarians and people with chronic conditions.
Zinc is an important mineral involved in various bodily functions — growth and development as well as immune function. Zinc is highest in protein-rich foods but may also be found in some plant foods. Dietary sources include:. Magnesium is important due to its many functions in the body — including maintaining bone health and using glucose for energy. Potassium is important for the nerves, muscles and heart to work properly. It also helps lower blood pressure. Our bodies are designed for a high-potassium diet, not a high-salt diet.
Food processing tends to lower the potassium levels in many foods while increasing the sodium content. It is much better to eat unprocessed foods — such as fruit, vegetables and lean meats, eggs, fish and other healthy, everyday foods. Be guided by your doctor, some people with kidney disease , or who are taking some medications, need to be careful not to get too much potassium in their diet.
A small amount of sodium is important for good health as it helps to maintain the correct volume of circulating blood and tissue fluids in the body. Most of us are consuming far more sodium than we need. In fact, many Australians are consuming almost double the amount required. Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure hypertension and other health conditions.
Salt is the main source of sodium in our diet. It is a chemical compound electrolyte made up of sodium and chloride. Many foods — wholegrains, meat and dairy products — naturally contain small amounts of sodium, while highly processed foods usually contain large amounts. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can be locked away in the liver and body fat, and stored for a long time.
The water-soluble vitamins, including B-complex and vitamin C, are mostly only stored for a shorter period. A vitamin deficiency takes weeks or months before it will affect your health. For instance, it would take months of no vitamin C before you developed scurvy. Vitamin and mineral supplements may be recommended in certain circumstances to correct vitamin and mineral deficiencies — such as folate for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Others who may be at risk of a vitamin or mineral deficiency include:. Remember, supplements are a short-term measure and should only be taken on advice from your doctor or a dietitian. An occasional lapse in good eating will not harm you, if your usual diet consists of a wide variety of fresh foods. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. The size of a standard drink can vary according to the type of alcohol. The Alexander technique stresses that movement should be economical and needs only the minimum amount of energy and effort.
A common misconception is that anorexia nervosa only affects young women, but it affects males and females of all ages. Antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body's cells, and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation.
Antipsychotic medications work by altering brain chemistry to help reduce psychotic symptoms like hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website.
All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.
Skip to main content. Healthy eating. Home Healthy eating. Vitamins and minerals. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet.
On this page. Types of vitamins and their functions Vitamins and minerals are a form of nutrient called micronutrients that are needed in small amounts. Vitamins and minerals can cause toxicity if consumed in large amounts. Vitamin A Vitamin A is important because it: Makes the immune system work effectively so it can fight disease and infections. Its influence may be less pronounced in meals of high iron availability--those containing meat, fish, or poultry. The enhancement of iron absorption from vegetable meals is directly proportional to the quantity of ascorbic acid present.
The absorption of soluble inorganic iron added to a meal increases in parallel with the absorption of nonheme iron, but ascorbic acid has a much smaller effect on insoluble iron compounds, such as ferric oxide or ferric hydroxide, which are common food contaminants.
Although some epidemiological studies that follow large groups of people over time have found a protective effect of higher intakes of vitamin C from food or supplements from cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, other studies have not.
Randomized controlled trials have not found a benefit of vitamin C supplements on the prevalence of cardiovascular disease or cancer. The inconsistency of the data overall prevents the establishment of a specific vitamin C recommendation above the RDA for these conditions.
Vitamin C has also been theorized to protect from eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration. Human studies using vitamin C supplements have not shown a consistent benefit, though there appears to be a strong association between a high daily intake of fruit and vegetables and decreased risk of cataracts. Reviews of several studies show that megadoses greater than mg daily of supplemental vitamin C have no significant effect on the common cold, but may provide a moderate benefit in decreasing the duration and severity of colds in some groups of people.
Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of this vitamin. Vitamin C deficiency is rare in developed countries but may occur with a limited diet that provides less than 10 mg daily for one month or longer.
In developed countries, situations at greatest risk for deficiency include eating a diet restricted in fruits and vegetables, smoking or long-term exposure to secondhand smoke, and drug and alcohol abuse.
The following are the most common signs of a deficiency. The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice.
You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products.
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