Adequate Vitamins and Minerals are Essential to Your Healthy Weight Loss Program

As we've already established, supplements containing vitamins and minerals are not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet, but can enhance your nutritional health when taken as part of a healthy diet.

Eat right, exercise regularly and supplement as its very hard to eat the perfect diet every day, particularly when you're busy, commuting or travelling. We tend to think of supplements as nutritional insurance and always take a good quality multivitamin and multimineral every day.

What Vitamins and Minerals Should You Take and How Much of Each...?

There's a growing recognition of the role that supplementation can play in the diet, particularly when on a weight loss programme for any length of time.

The recommendations as to how much of each you need for optimal health can vary.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) is a good guide and any good supplement will clearly label how much of the RDA it supplies for the different vitamins and minerals it contains.

The amount of vitamins and minerals is listed in International Units (IU), miligrams (mg) or micrograms (mcg).

What follows is a list of the RDAs of the main vitamins and minerals required each day and is drawn from the guidelines published by the European Union's European Food Information Council (EFIC) and informed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Some people may need more of certain of these, older people and pregnant women for instance, or less, for example younger children.

We would suggest that if taking a multivitamin and multimineral supplement you choose one that conforms to this list and RDAs.

Vitamin A (and it's precursor beta-carotene) 800mcg
Antioxidant; formation and maintenance of hair, skin and mucous membranes; bones and teeth; vision.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 1.4mg
Helps release energy from carbohydrates during metabolism; muscle growth and tone.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 1.6mg
Helps release energy from protein, fat and carbohydrate during metabolism.

Niacin 18mg
Involved in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism.

Pantothenic Acid 6mg
As part of coenzyme A is an essential part of the catabolism of all micronutrients.

Vitamin B6 (Pyrodoxine) 2mg
Helps build body tissue and aids the metabolism of protein.

Biotin 150mcg
Involved in the metabolism of protein, fats and carbohydrates.

Folic Acid 200mcg
Aids in genetic material development and red blood cell production.

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) 1mcg
Aids cell development, protein and fat metabolism and nervous function.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) 60mg
Essential for bone, cartilidge, muscle and blood vessel structure; helps maintain capillaries and gums; iron absorbtion.

Vitamin D (Calciferol) 5mcg
Bone and tooth formation; maintenance of heart action and nervous system.

Vitamin E (Tochopherol) 10mg
Protects body tissue, blood cells and essential fatty acids from destruction in the body.

Vitamin K (Phylloquinone) No RDA
Essential for blood clotting functions.

Calcium 167mg
Builds bones and teeth; maintains heart, nerve and muscle tissues.

Iron 10mg
Oxygen transport; maintains energy; supports nerves and liver function.

Iodine 150mcg
Helps to control metabolism.

Magnesium 100mg
Maintains bones and teeth; aids energy production.

Zinc 15mg
Antioxidant; maintains skin health and healthy reproductive organs.

Selenium 20mcg
Antioxidant; helps to prevent heart disease and some cancers.

Manganese 2mg
Helps to maintain healthy cells, nerves and brain; aids fat metabolism.

Chromium 120mcg
Helps to balance blood sugar levels; aids energy and concentration.

Potassium 80mg
Keeps heart, muscles and nerves healthy; boosts energy and strength.

Copper 1.1mg
Involved in iron absorbtion, metabolism and the formation of elastic and connective tissue; enzyme function.

Vanadium 10mcg
Helps to maintain healthy teeth and bones.

Silicon 2mg
Helps to build and maintain connective tissues.

There are other minerals such as sulphur, sodium and phosphorous that may also be included in a multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Whilst RDAs are important, in some cases there are health benefits to be had from increasing your intake of Vitamin E. The RDA is 15-30 IU, but an intake of between 200-800 IU is required to benefit from Vitamin E's antioxidant properties.

Certain groups of people may also benefit from a calcium supplement; menopausal women in particular.

We only absorb a fraction of the calcium we eat in plant matter - leafy green vegetables are a great source of calcium - so an intake of 1,000-1,500mg a day may be beneficial.

Calcium citrate is better absorbed than calcium carbonate and supplements should contain vitamin D for maximum absorbtion.

There is also some evidence linking calcium and weight loss.

People are sometimes worried by scare stories in the media about overdosing on vitamins, but these problems only occur when quantities far in excess of RDAs are consumed.

For example, side effects from taking water soluble vitamins like vitamins B and C have been reported at 100 times the RDA.

The only exception is vitamin A, which has been linked to an increased risk of osteoporosis at 2-3 times the RDA.

What's the Best Way to Take Supplements...?

Hot drinks, tea and coffee can damage and interfere with nutrient absorbtion so avoid drinking them 15-20 minutes after taking the supplement.

Water soluble vitamins B and C are unstable and can't be stored by the body so two or three doses during the day may be required.

One a day supplements are the norm, but three a day supplements are better as they give your body your daily intake in smaller amounts as nature intended.

So, eat a balanced diet and top it up with a good quality multivitamin and multimineral supplement. Vitamins and minerals are essential to maintaining your health, particularly when you're trying to lose weight.

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