Micronutrients

Micronutrients, often mentioned as vitamins and minerals, are vital to healthy development, disease prevention, and wellbeing. Although only required in small amounts, micronutrients aren't produced within the body and must be derived from the diet. Micronutrient deficiencies can have devastating consequences. a minimum of half children worldwide younger than 5 years aged suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The role of six essential nutrients is printed below. Without fresh fruits or vegetables—the main sources of vitamin C—caused the bleeding gums and listlessness of scurvy, a disease that always proved fatal. Even today in many low-income countries, people frequently suffer from a selection of nutrient-deficiency diseases. True vitamin and mineral deficiencies—in which the shortage of 1 nutrient leads on to a specific ailment—are rare within the us because our extensive supply of cheap food, and thus the fortification of the various common foods with some key nutrients. Hence, concern about "insufficiency"—a controversial topic—is a significant driver of both the U.S. dietary guidelines and thus the mass marketing of over-the-counter supplements.