Essential Vitamins And Minerals Needed By Every Man To Stay Healthy
In order to stay healthy, a wide range of nutrients are required by the body in the right balance. Following a healthy diet is the key to it. Many studies have also shown that consuming nutrient-rich foods that have the right balance of macronutrients and micronutrients is the key to better health and lowered risk of diseases.
So, we decided to put together a list of minerals and vitamins that men need to stay healthy. Read on to know the major foods that provide them and the impact it will have on your overall health:
Recommended Daily Intakes And Upper Limits For Vitamins And Minerals
See Your Nutritional Requirements
The table below provides the daily intakes of vitamins and minerals by age, gender, and life stage based on the latest Recommended Daily Allowances and Adequate Intakes , as well as Upper Tolerable Intake Levels developed by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- ULs from Dietary Reference Intakes : Tolerable Upper Intake Levels, Vitamins from the National Academies
Most Older Adults Take Some Kind Of Over
Over-the-counter dietary supplements are big business more than 90,000 products generate about $30 billion every year in the United States. Older adults make up a big part of these sales, too. A survey of almost 3,500 adults ages 60 and older published Oct. 1, 2017, in The Journal of Nutrition found that 70% use a daily supplement , 54% take one or two supplements, and 29% take four or more.
But are these pills good medicine, or a waste of money?
“Supplements are never a substitute for a balanced, healthful diet,” says Dr. JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and professor of epidemiology at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “And they can be a distraction from healthy lifestyle practices that confer much greater benefits.”
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Interactingin Good Ways And Bad
Many micronutrients interact. Vitamin D enables your body to pluck calcium from food sources passing through your digestive tract rather than harvesting it from your bones. Vitamin C helps you absorb iron.
The interplay of micronutrients isnt always cooperative, however. For example, vitamin C blocks your bodys ability to assimilate the essential mineral copper. And even a minor overload of the mineral manganese can worsen iron deficiency.
Always Talk With A Professional
While the nutritionists we spoke to agree that supplements can be helpful, it’s important to always talk with your healthcare provider before jumping in with a vitamin regimen. Most vitamin supplements contain 100 percent of the recommended daily amount, so if you’re already consuming a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables throughout the day, you would be taking in way more than the National Institutes of Health recommends.
Unfortunately when it comes to vitamins, you really can have too much of a good thing.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a meta-analysis of studies looking at more than 400,000 people found that a daily vitamin supplement was associated with an increased cancer risk. A separate study of women found that a daily supplement was linked to an increased risk for skin cancer.
Taking vitamin A supplements with beta-carotene has been proven to increase the risk of lung cancer in study participants. In one study, the increased risk was a whopping 28 percent, which caused the researchers to actually end the study early.
Calcium supplements have not been proven to improve bone density. In fact, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that participants taking a daily calcium supplement were more likely to suffer a hip fracture.
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What The Numbers Mean
Many of the terms you see on labels or supplement web sites can help you understand how much of the vitamin or mineral you should take. For example, here are some guidelines set up by the Institute of Medicine:
The RDA and the AI are the amounts of a vitamin or mineral you need to keep healthy and stay well-nourished. They’re tailored to women, men, and specific age groups.
The UL is the maximum amount of daily vitamins and minerals that you can safely take without risk of an overdose or serious side effects. For certain nutrients, the higher you go above the UL, the greater the chance you’ll have problems.
The DV is the only measurement you’ll find on food and supplement labels. That’s because space is limited, and there’s a need for one single reference number. That number is the amount of a vitamin or nutrient that you should get for top health from a diet of 2,000 calories a day. The DV is sometimes the same as the RDA.
Although the details may be different, remember that the RDA and DV are both set up to help you get the nutrients you need to prevent disease and avoid problems caused by lack of nutrition.
Recommended Sodium Intake For Older Adults
Sodium is another important mineral. In most Americans diets, sodium primarily comes from salt . Whenever you add salt to your food, you’re adding sodium. But the Dietary Guidelines shows that most of the sodium we eat doesnt come from our saltshakers its added to many foods during processing or preparation. We all need some sodium, but too much over time can lead to high blood pressure, which can raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
How much sodium is okay? People 51 and older should reduce their sodium intake to 2,300 mg each day. That is about one teaspoon of salt and includes sodium added during manufacturing or cooking as well as at the table when eating. If you have high blood pressure or prehypertension, limiting sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day, about 2/3 teaspoon of salt, may be helpful. Preparing your own meals at home without using a lot of processed foods or salt will allow you to control how much sodium you get. Try using less salt when cooking, and dont add salt before you take the first bite. If you make this change slowly, you will get used to the difference in taste. Also look for grocery products marked low sodium, unsalted, no salt added, sodium free, or salt free. Also check the Nutrition Facts Label to see how much sodium is in a serving.
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Which Nutrients Are Required To Be Listed On The Nutrition And Supplement Facts Labels
The Nutrition Facts label must list total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, protein, and certain vitamins and minerals. While the actual amount and %DV of vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium must be listed, other vitamins and minerals may be listed voluntarily by the manufacturer.
However, they are required to list any vitamins and minerals that are added to the food or if a statement is made on the package labeling about their health effects or the amount contained in the food .
Similarly, the Supplement Facts label is required to list the same nutrients as the Nutrition Facts label when any of these nutrients are found in the supplement in an amount considered to be greater than zero. For more information see 21 CFR 101.9.
Use %DV to determine if a serving of the food is high or low in an individual nutrient. As a general guide:
- 5% DV or less of a nutrient per serving is considered low.
- 20% DV or more of a nutrient per serving is considered high.
More often, choose foods that are:
- Higher in dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.
- Lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
Cutting Down On Free Sugar
Foods that contain free sugars aren’t required as part of a healthy balanced diet, so you should try to eat these less often and in smaller amounts.
To do this, use food labels to choose items that are lower in sugar and swap:
- sugary breakfast cereals for plain cereals – such as plain porridge, wholewheat biscuit cereals, shredded wholewheat or no added sugar muesli
- flavoured or corner-style yoghurts for low fat, lower sugar yoghurts, adding fresh fruit for variety
- sugary drinks for water, lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks or tea and coffee
Sugary drinks account for a surprisingly large proportion of the daily sugar intake of both children and adults. Almost a third of the free sugars consumed by 11 to 18 year olds come from soft drinks.
Cereal bars often contain high levels of free sugars too, so remember to check the label.
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A Closer Look At Water
Water-soluble vitamins are packed into the watery portions of the foods you eat. They are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as food is broken down during digestion or as a supplement dissolves.
Because much of your body consists of water, many of the water-soluble vitamins circulate easily in your body. Your kidneys continuously regulate levels of water-soluble vitamins, shunting excesses out of the body in your urine.
Water-soluble vitamins
- Folic acid
- Niacin
Vitamin C
Recommended Daily Intake Of Vitamins And Minerals
Notes
– The above-stated values are not meant for diagnosis, these are mainly reference values for informational purposes.
– Most of these values are based on a 2000 calorie intake for people of 4 or more years of age. This reference is applied because it approximates the caloric requirements for postmenopausal women. This group has the highest risk for excessive intake of calories and fat.
– Values on labels are stated Daily Reference values of Recommended Daily Intake . The RDI is a renewed value referring to the old Recommended Dietary Allowance . All values in this table are new RDI values.
– Maximum values are based on Food and Drug Administration values, the World Health Organization , BBC Health values, the European Union Directive and values from various other governmental and private agencies in the USA and the UK.
– Values from the World Health Organization may be somewhat lower than those of the FDA for various vitamins and minerals. Examples of differences : Mg: -60 mg, Vitamin B6: -0,5 mg, Vitamin B12: -4 µg, vitamin C: -15 mg, Vitamin K: -35 mg, folate: -220 µg.
– Elements that have a recommended daily intake within µg range are sometimes referred to as trace elements .
Information on vitamins can be found from the vitamins overview page
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Why Free Radicals May Be Harmful
Free radicals are a natural byproduct of energy metabolism and are also generated by ultraviolet rays, tobacco smoke, and air pollution. They lack a full complement of electrons, which makes them unstable, so they steal electrons from other molecules, damaging those molecules in the process.
Free radicals have a well-deserved reputation for causing cellular damage. But they can be helpful, too. When immune system cells muster to fight intruders, the oxygen they use spins off an army of free radicals that destroys viruses, bacteria, and damaged body cells in an oxidative burst. Vitamin C can then disarm the free radicals.
Essential Supplements For Women
Its not enough to slather on sunscreen, moisturizer and the latest anti-wrinkle cream in the quest for a more youthful look. You need protection on the inside too. Check out these seven super nutrients that every woman should consider…1. Calcium: The Bone BuilderCalcium is an essential mineral found in high amounts in milk and other dairy products as well as fortified foods. Typically, a little more than 1% of a womens body weight is calcium, which certainly helps us understand why we consider it so important. Why is calcium important? Almost all your bodys calcium is found in your bones and teeth. And since women are four times more susceptible to osteoporosis than men, getting enough is essential for lifelong bone health. The remaining 1% is critical because calcium plays a role in heart and muscle action, blood clotting and normal cell function. Who needs it?All adult women, especially the following:
- Teens or young women, because as much as 90% of adult bone mass is achieved by age 18. Peak bone mass usually occurs in the late 20s.
- Women older than 30, because they typically lose bone mass and strength.
- Menopausal and postmenopausal women, because bone loss tends to accelerate as the body produces less estrogen.
- Women who dont eat fish several times a week.
- Women at increased risk of cardiovascular disease .
- Pregnant and nursing women to enhance brain development of their baby.
- Overweight women with joint tenderness.
How much should you take?
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Saturated And Trans Fat
Saturated and trans fat raise the level of cholesterol in your blood, increasing your risk of developing heart disease. You’ll benefit from reducing your intake of these type of fats.
Saturated fats are found in:
- processed meat products – such as sausages and beef burgers
- butter and lard
- full-fat cream, milk and ice-cream
- hard cheese – such as parmesan and cheddar
- biscuits, cakes and pastries
- men should have 95g of fat in their diet each day
- women should have 70g of fat in their diet each day
The Only Vitamins You Actually Need On A Daily Basis
If you’re a health nerd like me, you know the recommended nutritional guidelines are always changing. Remember when eggs were bad? Now it’s okay to eat them again. It can be hard to keep up with what’s healthy and what’s harmful, especially when it comes to vitamins.
I’ll admit, as a nurse, I’ve always been a little leery of vitamin supplements. It just does not feel right that because supplement companies are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration , they can make wild health claims without proving their effectiveness or safety. We all have friends who swear by their vitamin routine. I often hear things like: “Now that I take vitamin C everyday, I don’t get colds anymore!” I can’t help but wonder if it’s the vitamin or merely the thought of doing something healthy that makes the difference.
So if the research is always changing and companies can say whatever they like, what’s the average health-conscious gal to do? We went to the experts to find out some background info, and then we’ll reveal exactly which vitamins you actually need to take.
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What Vitamins Should You Take Daily
It is estimated that about half of American adults take some type of vitamin or mineral supplement.
People might take supplements if they know theyre missing a certain food group, says Patton. Others might take supplements for the antioxidant benefits or because they know they dont eat fruits and vegetables. Some people may have a true deficiency.
Everyones vitamin needs are different, so its a good idea to talk to your doctor or registered dietitian before starting to take supplements. They can help you decide which products to take, or if you need to take any at all. Your doctor and pharmacist can also tell you if a supplement would interact badly with any medications you are taking, which may cause health problems.
How Antioxidants May Help
Antioxidants are able to neutralize marauders such as free radicals by giving up some of their own electrons. When a vitamin C or E molecule makes this sacrifice, it may allow a crucial protein, gene, or cell membrane to escape damage. This helps break a chain reaction that can affect many other cells.
It is important to recognize that the term antioxidant reflects a chemical property rather than a specific nutritional property. Each of the nutrients that has antioxidant properties also has numerous other aspects and should be considered individually. The context is also importantin some settings, for example, vitamin C is an antioxidant, and in others it can be a pro-oxidant.
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Essential Nutrients For Your Body
Every day, your body produces skin, muscle, and bone. It churns out rich red blood that carries nutrients and oxygen to remote outposts, and it sends nerve signals skipping along thousands of miles of brain and body pathways. It also formulates chemical messengers that shuttle from one organ to another, issuing the instructions that help sustain your life.
But to do all this, your body requires some raw materials. These include at least 30 vitamins, minerals, and dietary components that your body needs but cannot manufacture on its own in sufficient amounts.
Vitamins and minerals are considered essential nutrientsbecause acting in concert, they perform hundreds of roles in the body. They help shore up bones, heal wounds, and bolster your immune system. They also convert food into energy, and repair cellular damage.
But trying to keep track of what all these vitamins and minerals do can be confusing. Read enough articles on the topic, and your eyes may swim with the alphabet-soup references to these nutrients, which are known mainly be their initials .
In this article, youll gain a better understanding of what these vitamins and minerals actually do in the body and why you want to make sure youre getting enough of them.
How Much Is Too Much
Because high doses of some supplements can have risks, how do you know when it’s OK to take more than the RDA or DV?
One way is to look for the UL of a nutrient. With many vitamins and minerals, you can safely take a dose much higher than the RDA or DV without coming close to the UL.
For instance, the average person can take more than 50 times the RDA of vitamin B6 without reaching the upper limit. But some people develop symptoms of nerve pain with these higher levels of B6. So you should always be cautious. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Some supplements are riskier than others. With some vitamins and minerals, the upper limit is pretty close to the RDA. So it’s easy to get too much. For example, a man who takes just over three times the RDA of vitamin A would get more than the upper limit. High doses of vitamin A — and other fat-soluble vitamins like E and K — can build up in the body and become toxic. Other risky supplements include the minerals iron and selenium.
Supplementsare designed to be additions to your diet.Popping pills is not the answer to good health. Experts say you should eat a well-balanced diet and take supplements to fill in any nutritional gaps. Some people take a multivitamin with minerals for nutritional insurance.
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