Question

Under what conditions would you recommend vitamin and mineral supplements? Hint: Read Section 9.4 Nutrition in Practice, page 261.

Answer 1

Ans) Vitamins are organic compounds used by the body in small amounts for various metabolic processes.
- Vitamin supplements cannot replace a healthy diet.
- Those who may need vitamin supplements include women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, people who consume alcohol in amounts over those recommended as safe, drug users, and the elderly.

- Body only needs a small amount of vitamins and minerals every day. A varied diet generally provides enough of each vitamin and mineral. However, some people may need supplements to correct deficiencies of particular vitamins or minerals.

- People who may benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements include:

• pregnant women
• women who are breastfeeding
• people who drink alcohol above the amount that is recommended for reducing risk of disease (one standard drink a day for non-pregnant women and two for men)
• cigarette smokers
• illegal drug users
• crash dieters or people on chronic low-calorie diets
• the elderly (especially those who are disabled or chronically ill)
• some vegetarians or vegans
• women with excessive bleeding during menstruation
• people with allergies to particular foods
• people with malabsorption problems such as diarrhoea, coeliac disease or pancreatitis.