Vitamins and minerals function in a wide variety of ways within the body. For instance, they often form major parts of enzymes and coenzymes. Enzymes and co-enzymes are molecules that work together as catalysts to speed up chemical reactions that might otherwise take place very slowly in the body.
If an enzyme is lacking the essential mineral or vitamin it cannot function properly. By providing the necessary mineral through diet or a nutritional supplement the enzyme can then perform its vital function. Key to nutritional medicine is supplying the necessary support or nutrients to allow various enzymes throughout the body to work at their best.
Vitamins are of very little value without minerals. Minerals are absolutely essential for our bodies to function properly. The human body cannot produce its own minerals. A deficiency of even just one trace mineral can lead to poor health, chronic diseases, and a shortened life span. Very few of us get the 60+ minerals we need every day from our food.
Because of the modern methods at all stages of today's food production - from depleted soils, to refining and further processing and packaging - many essential nutrients are lost. Attempts are often made to replace them with man-made synthetics that are not as efficiently utilised in the body as natural nutrients. In June of 1992 the Earth Summit Report by the World Health Organisation reported on the decline of nutritional minerals in farm and range soils over the last hundred years:
Continent |
% depleted |
Australia |
55% |
Europe |
72% |
Africa |
74% |
Asia |
76% |
South America |
76% |
North America |
85% |
70% of visits to the doctor's office in the USA are due to nutritional deficiency. Fortunately, there are ways to compensate for nutritional deficiencies. One of the best is by using high-quality dietary supplements. If they're formulated and manufactured properly, these supplements will help ensure that the body's enzyme systems have the vitamins and minerals they need.