To some degree primitive man recognized the need for a balanced diet and realized maintenance of good health was dependent upon it. It was not until the 18th century, however, that it was shown specifically that citrus fruits in the diet would prevent the development of scurvy. In the 19th century it was demonstrated that substituting unpolished for polished rice would prevent the development of beriberi in people who ate a rice based diet. It was not until the early 20th century that the existence of vitamins was actually established.

Vitamins include thirteen organic chemicals that usually are divided into water-soluble (eight B vitamins, and C) and fat-soluble (A, D, E, and K) groups. Fat soluble vitamins are stored in fatty tissues and some organs. Their uptake and excretion is slower than water soluble vitamins.

Small quantities of vitamins are necessary for normal health and growth. If a vitamin is absent from the diet or is not properly absorbed a specific deficiency disease develops. They cannot be synthesized and the absence of a vitamin from the diet will result in severe illness, and ultimately perhaps in death. They are considered essential nutrients or, more commonly, mIcronutrients.

Vitamins regulate many of the chemical reactions that occur in metabolism. There are hundreds if not thousands of reactions, involved in the processing of mAcronutrients (fats, carbohydrates, proteins). Each vitamin has many roles in the chemical processes. For that reason a deficiency of one vitamin can result in widespread changes throughout the body.

With the exception of vitamin C, all of the water-soluble vitamins act as coenzymes of enzymes that function in energy transfer. Some of the fat-soluble vitamins form part of the structure of or assist in maintaining the integrity of membranes. Some fat-soluble vitamins also may function at the genetic level by controlling the synthesis of certain enzymes. Although there has been an enormous amount of research the function of and the requirements for vitamins, is incompletely understood.

It is unknown how many minerals are essential in the diet of humans. The Institute of Medicine has reviewed the research and recommends intake of certain minerals which they feel are needed on a regular basis for good health.

Others, which probably are needed, have not yet been studied in enough detail to make recommendations concerning daily intake. Some minerals can be quite toxic when taken in high concentration. Clearly we are unable to manufacture minerals in our body. A large amount of fruits and vegetables, legumes and seeds in our diet will provide most of the minerals we need.

The greatest store of minerals in the body is in bones and teeth. The strength of bones is dependent on the mineral content. Even more important, however, is the function minerals play in virtually every chemical reaction in the body. They provide the integrity for almost every molecular reaction. The scope of this is vast and will require decades, if not centuries, to unravel.

On this website there is an outline of vitamins and minerals for a quick overview of each one. There is also a more extensive summary of the characteristics of each of the vitamins and minerals reported by the Institute of Medicine (The Institute). I have used material provided by The Institute but have also drawn on my interpretation of the available research literature. Links to other websites in some cases provide even more information.

My recommendation concerning supplementation is guided by The Institute DRIs but also by published research. When there are distinct benefits from supplementation and the risk of supplementation is either zero or exceedingly small I recommend a daily supplement.