Is it necessary to take vitamins and minerals supplement?

• If you are healthy and eat a well-balanced diet based on the Malaysian Food Pyramid, supplements are not necessary (unless you are pregnant or when your doctor or dietitian prescribes them).
• If you need to take supplements, please check with your doctor or dietitian.
• Excessive dosage of supplements can be harmful. Please follow the Recommended Nutrient Intakes (RNI) for Malaysia

What are the common vitamin and mineral supplements?

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin B₁₂
• Iron
• Zinc
• Calcium
• Folic acid
• Iodine

Vitamin A

• Importance
  • It is also known as retinol. Essential for :
    • proper growth of children,
    • proper vision (prevent and sometimes cure night blindness) for both children and adults
    • healthy skin
    • mucous membrane lining of the body’s inner cavities.

• Deficiency
  • Deficiency in Vitamin A may cause :
    • reduced resistance to infection;
    • rough, dry and pimply skin;
    • digestive problems;
    • kidney stones;
    • night blindness and
    • eye disease, including xerophthalmia, which can cause permanent blindness.

• Sources
  • Good sources of Vitamin A are :
    • Liver, eggs
    • Margarines
    • Whole milk and low fat milks (fortified with vitamin A)
    • Beta-carotene from food (found in abundance in pumpkins, carrots, apricots, mangoes, papayas and other bright yellow / orange / red fruits and vegetables, and also in dark leafy greens as spinach, mustard, turnip and beet tops) will be converted to vitamin A by the body.

• Toxicity
  • Vitamin A is fat soluble, and it will be stored in the body if excess dosage of supplements are taken.
  • In extreme cases, there may be blurred vision, increased skull pressure and hair loss.

Vitamin C

• Importance
  • Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a versatile vitamin.
    • It is integral to the building and maintenance of collagen, a protein that holds the body cells in place.
    • It is indispensable to bones and teeth, to blood vessels, to the healing of wounds.
    • Vitamin C also helps metabolise several amino acids and hormones.
    • It has antioxidants effect too, by helping the body get rid of carcinogenic by -products of metabolism called free radicals.

• Deficiency
  • Vitamin C deficiencies can cause:
    • Scurvy
    • Reduced immunity
    • Gum bleeding

• Sources
  • Good sources of Vitamin C are :
    • Guava
    • Papaya
    • Starfruit
    • Mango
    • Citrus fruits
    • Dark green leafy vegetables

• Toxicity
  • Diarrhoea
  • Gastrointestinal disturbance
  • Kidney stone formation
  • Increase uric acid

Vitamin B₁₂

• Importance
  • Vitamin B₁₂ or Cobalamin, in combination with folacin (a B vitamin also known as Folic Acid)
    • Is used in the production of red blood cells
    • It also helps and maintains protective nerve sheaths.

• Deficiency
  • Symptoms of Vitamin B₁₂ deficiencies are:
    • Pernicious anemia
    • Muscle and nerve paralysis.

• Sources
  • Meats
  • Fish
  • Poultry
  • Dairy products
  • Eggs
  • Liver

Iron

• Importance
  Iron is a mineral that is essential for good health and life. The bulk of the iron in the human body is in the red blood cells’ hemoglobin and the importance are:
  • Facilitates in the formation of hemoglobin in the red blood cells
  • The formation of myoglobin in muscle
  • Oxygen carrier
  • Involved in energy utilisation.
• Deficiency
  An iron deficiency in general can cause :
  • Anaemia
  • Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children
  • Tiredness
• Sources
  • Liver
  • Beef
  • Poultry
  • Fish
  • Shellfish
  • Eggs
  • Legumes
  • Dried beans
  • Dried prunes
  • Prunes juices
  • Iron fortified – cereals
  • Whole wheat
  • Enriched bread and spinach
• Toxicity
  • Can damage the liver and pancreas,
  • Possible increased risk for cancer and heart disease.

Folic Acid

• Importance
  • Folic acid also know as folate.
  • Folic acid is needed to build new cells especially new red blood cells.
• Deficiency
  • Fatigue
  • Lethargy
  • Difficult in concentrating
  • Irritability
  • Headache
  • Palpitation
  • Shortness of breath
  • Neural tube defects (during pregnancy)
• Sources
  • Legumes
  • Dark green leafy vegetables

Calcium

• Importance
  • Involved in the mineralization of fetal bones and teeth
  • Muscle contraction and relaxation,
  • Nerve functions,
  • Intracellular regulation,
  • Extracellular enzyme cofactor,
  • Blood clotting and blood pressure

• Deficiency
  • Osteoperosis,
  • Stunted childhood growth.
  • Osteomalasia
  • Rickets
• Sources
  • Dairy and dairy products,
  • Fish (with bones),
  • Tofu,
  • Legumes,
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Cekur manis
  • Calcium fortified foods
• Toxicity
  • Kidney stone.

Zinc

• Importance
  • Transport for vitamin A,
  • Taste,
  • Wound healing,
  • Sperm production,
  • Fetal development.
  • Plays a part in many enzymes, hormones (insulin), generic material and proteins.
• Deficiency
  • Decreased appetite,
  • Growth failure in children,
  • Delayed development of sex organs,
  • Reduced immune function,
  • Poor wound healing.
• Sources
  • Liver
  • Meat
  • Poultry
  • Seafood
  • Offals nuts
  • Seeds
  • Legumes
  • Wholegrains cereals
• Toxicity
  • Fever,
  • Vomiting,
  • Diarrhoea,
  • Gastric
  • Dizziness

Iodine

• Importance
  • Aids in metabolism regulation and fetal development.
• Deficiency
  • Enlargement of the thyroid gland (goitre)
• Sources
  • Seafood
  • Iodised salt or tabled iodised salt
• Toxicity
  • Burning of the mouth, throat and stomach
  • Abdominal pain
  • Fever
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhoea
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Goitre