@article{Godswill_Somtochukwu_Ikechukwu_Kate_2020, title={Health Benefits of Micronutrients (Vitamins and Minerals) and their Associated Deficiency Diseases: A Systematic Review}, volume={3}, url={https://www.iprjb.org/journals/index.php/IJF/article/view/1024}, DOI={10.47604/ijf.1024}, abstractNote={<p>The research focused on the benefits of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) and their associated deficiency diseases and health complications. Micronutrients are essential elements required by human and other <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organism">organisms</a> in varying quantities throughout life to coordinate a range of physiological functions for health maintenance. For <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_nutrition">human nutrition</a>, micronutrients are required in amounts generally below 100 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milligram">milligrams</a> per day, while <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient">macronutrients</a> are required in gram amounts daily. Vitamins and minerals are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrient#Essential_nutrients">essential micronutrient</a>s. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in humans, either at all or may be in insufficient amounts, and therefore must be obtained by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_(nutrition)">diet</a>. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_C">Vitamin C</a> can be synthesized by some organisms but not by others; it is not a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. In humans there are 13 vitamins: 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C) and 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E, and K). Vitamins A and D can amass in the body, which may result in dangerous hypervitaminosis. Anti-vitamins inhibit the actions or absorption of vitamins; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avidin">avidin</a> inhibits <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotin">biotin</a> absorption, although it is deactivated by cooking; Pyrithiamine inhibits <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme">enzymes</a> that use vitamin B<sub>1</sub>. The four key structural elements in human body (oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen) by weight, are often not included in the lists of major nutrient minerals (nitrogen is a "mineral" for plants, as it is often included in fertilizers). These four key elements compose around 96% of the weight of human body, and the major minerals (macrominerals) and minor minerals (trace elements) compose the remaining percent. The five major minerals in the the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_body#Composition">human body</a> are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium">calcium</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus">phosphorus</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium">potassium</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium">sodium</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium">magnesium</a> (macrominerals or macroelements). The trace elements with specific biochemical function in human body are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine">iodine</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur">sulfur</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc">zinc</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron">iron</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine">chlorine</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobalt">cobalt</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper">copper</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese">manganese</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molybdenum">molybdenum</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenium">selenium</a>. Calcium makes up 920 to 1200 g of body weight (about 1.5% of body weight) of an adult, with 99% of it contained in the bones and teeth. Phosphorus occurs in amounts of around 2/3 of calcium, and makes up approximately 1% of an individual’s body weight. The other macroelements (potassium, sodium, magnesium, chlorine, and sulfur) make up only around 0.85% of the body weight</p>}, number={1}, journal={International Journal of Food Sciences}, author={Godswill, Awuchi Godswill and Somtochukwu, Igwe Victory and Ikechukwu, Amagwula O and Kate, Echeta Chinelo}, year={2020}, month={Jan.}, pages={1–32} }