Vitamins and minerals are both necessary elements for human well-being. But they each have properties and roles to play in the body.
Let’s take a look at the differences between these 2 elements:
Questions |
vitamins |
Minerals |
What is that ? |
Vitamins are organic components, therefore coming directly or indirectly from tissues or living organisms (thus containing carbon). |
Minerals are inorganic chemical elements that must be provided by food to maintain a good state of health. |
|
The significance? |
Vitamins participate in growth, in the muscular, bone, immune and nervous systems… Vitamins provide energy, develop red blood cells, and help maintain healthy skin, eyes and hair. The human body cannot usually produce them on its own, and therefore their dietary intake is essential. |
Minerals do not have a single function but are involved in many organic interactions. Minerals play a role in muscle contraction, bone and tooth formation, blood clotting. |
Which ones? |
There are 13: A, B (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B9, B12), C, D, E, K. |
There are 2 classes of minerals: Macroelements: Calcium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Sulphur. Trace elements: Iron, Copper, Zinc, Chromium, Cobalt, Fluorine, Iodine, Lithium, Manganese, Nickel, Selenium and Silicon. |
Origin ? |
Plants. |
Soil and water. |
Minerals and vitamins are two different elements, which act in a complementary way. Indeed, vitamin A participates in growth and vision, vitamins B helping in many reactions of synthesis or degradation of materials, vitamin C promotes the absorption of iron and enters into the synthesis of blood cells, vitamin D allows the absorption of calcium and its fixation to strengthen the bones, and vitamin K contributes to blood coagulation…among other things!