Let’s talk about fulfilling those needs now. The RDAs aren’t perfectly tailored to everyone’s needs, but they’re an excellent place to start. (See table 1 from this fact sheet for the entire chart.) 420 mg for males and 320 mg for females over 50.400 mg for males and 310 mg for females aged 19-30.240 mg for children aged 9-13 (male or female).The RDA is the amount of a nutrient “adequate to meet the nutrition needs of practically all healthy persons.” Since 1943, the US government has published (and fine-tuned) recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for many essential nutrients. (You can manufacture carbs via gluconeogenesis in the liver.) You need amino acids from protein to build muscle, synthesize hormones, and heal wounds. While carbs may be optional, protein is not. You can thrive on a zero-carb Keto diet, but you can’t thrive on a zero folate, zero magnesium, or zero iodine diet. In some ways, micros are more important than macros. Micros may not provide calories, but they’re just as important. Macros provide food energy (as calories) to fuel cellular energy production as ATP.Ĭonversely, micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that your body requires in small amounts. Macronutrients are nutrients-protein, fat, and carbohydrates-that your body requires in large amounts. There’s a reason the US government adds iodine to salt: because iodine deficiency impairs brain development and hinders the production of thyroid hormones. Preventing vitamin A deficiency with fortified rice prevents childhood blindness. Vitamin A supports immunity and eyesight. Lower potassium intakes are uncontroversially associated with higher blood pressure and heart arrhythmias. Consequently, magnesium deficiency is linked to many disorders, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Over 300 enzymatic processes in your body rely upon magnesium. Iron deficiency can cause anemia (low red blood cells), impaired fetal development, and pregnancy complications. Folate deficiency during pregnancy causes birth defects. We need folate (vitamin B9) to produce energy and repair DNA. Other micronutrients are just as critical. Props to James Lind for figuring that out. (Bleeding gums, slow wound healing, often death.) The solution? Bring citrus fruits (a good source of vitamin C) on long voyages. Back in the 18th century, countless sailors were suffering from scurvy. These vitamins and minerals influence energy levels, mood, cognition, sleep, immunity, circulation, DNA repair, and almost everything else we care about.Ībout thirty micronutrients can’t be made endogenously (in the body), so they’re called essential micronutrients. Micronutrients are nutrients required in small amounts to promote health. Keep reading for the answers to these questions (and more). So how should you eat to avoid micronutrient deficiencies? Which supplements should you consider? And how should you track micronutrient intake? You see this most clearly in developing countries with nutrient-poor diets, but it can also happen to health-conscious folks. When micronutrient deficiency occurs, energy levels suffer, brain fog sets in, and disease risk skyrockets. These vitamins and minerals-vitamin D, vitamin C, folate, magnesium, potassium, and many others-influence every aspect of health. If you want to live a long and vital life, micronutrients are your friends.
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