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What exactly are vitamins and minerals? We hear about them in the news, read about them in articles and many of us take them on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, according to the US Department of Agriculture roughly 39% of Americans use vitamin and mineral supplements daily and over 80% of bodybuilders regularly user vitamin and mineral supplements.

In a broad sense vitamins and minerals are considered essential dietary nutrients – meaning our bodies don’t make them. Therefore, they must be obtained from our diet or supplementation. While they are considered micronutrients they play a vital role in maintaining the proper biological functioning of everything in our bodies: immune system, muscles, brain, connective-tissue, liver, lungs, etc, etc.

The primary role of vitamins in the body is to act as coenzymes (ie substances that enhance the action of proteins). As coenzymes, vitamins are an essential part of thousands of chemical reactions that must take place in our bodies. What many people don’t understand is that vitamins are either fat or water soluble, depending on whether fat or water based molecules transport the nutrients through the blood stream.

Fat soluble vitamins include: Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, and Vitamin K. Since the vitamins have an affinity for fat they can be stored in both adipose (fat) tissue and the liver, which extends the functional life in the body.

The water soluble vitamins include all of the B Vitamins, and Vitamin C. Therefore they are not stored in the body for more than a few hours. As such it is important that our bodies receive a supply of these nutrients throughout the day. One of the reasons I am very much appose to the one pill per day takes care of my vitamin needs – not likely.

Minerals on the other hand, are classified as either bulk or trace minerals dependent upon the amounts needed for the body. Bulk minerals include: Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Sodium. Trace minerals include: Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Iron, Selenium and Zinc.

Before 1941 the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) did not exist and as such there were no guidelines regarding the intake of vitamins and minerals. The Food and Nutrition Board established the vitamin and mineral needs to avoid deficiency hence the name, RDA. Please keep in mind that the Food and Nutrition Board did not (and has never) looked at what optimal intake levels should be. The Optimum Daily Allowance (ODA) represents a reference level, above the RDA, which researchers in the anti-aging field believe cellular rejuvenation begins. In order to prevent diseases caused by a deficiency of these vital nutrients the ODA is often many times higher than the RDA. It is important to note that while the ODA may be many times higher than the RDA, the ODA is still well below the upper limit where any nutrients could potentially cause side effects. Stay tuned for more on the ODA.

If you have an interest in your health, want to know how to have a positive impact on your aging process or just simply want to understand what your body is going through as we age, there is no better read than “The Metabolic Plan” written by Stephen Cherniske.

Over the next few weeks I will give a brief overview of each of the twelve chapters, provide some insights into what is covered in each chapter and give you a brief synposis of the important details. Now while I would highly recommend reading the entire book, my hopes are that with the details I provide you may at least take it upon yourself to read the chapters that you feel are most important to you.

As Stephen explains at the start of the book, your body has an astounding capacity for repairing itself. If you take the time to unlock these regenerative powers you have the ability to slow and even reverse the aging process. If that sounds like something you would like to know more about take the time to pick up a copy of The Metabolic Plan and read it for yourself.