Diet & Weight Loss Articles

Super Nutrients—Are you really getting all the vitamins, minerals and fatty acids you need?

By Anne Underwood, Newsweek, January 16, 2006

Scientists have identified nearly 40 vitamins and minerals that the body needs for various tasks. Exciting new findings are pouring out of the nation's research labs, linking long-neglected nutrients to everything from brain function to cancer risk. And it's increasingly clear that we're still getting too little of some crucial vitamins and minerals. Here are some of the latest insights on how eating well can help us live well—and target some of our most common dietary deficiencies.


CALCIUM: Healthy bones require a mix of calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. They also need adequate protein to form their basic framework, vitamin K to maintain structural proteins, and two other bone strengtheners that we're probably even shorter on than calcium: vitamin D (for calcium absorption) and exercise (to stimulate bone-building cells).

VITAMIN D: Helps mobilize and modulate the immune system. Biochemical studies suggest that it helps keep cells from becoming malignant—and when cells do go bad, it encourages them to self-destruct.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS: Found in fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids benefit not just the heart but also a range of psychiatric and neurological problems. The brain needs omega-3s for optimal function and studies suggest they help build cell membranes, boost levels of the brain chemical serotonin and increase the number of connections between neurons.

CHROMIUM: Research is showing that the mineral may help diabetic and pre-diabetic patients boost their insulin sensitivity by increasing both the number of insulin receptors on cells and the activity of those receptors.

POTASSIUM: Remarkably effective at lowering blood pressure, potassium also helps prevent kidney stones and heart arrhythmias. It even appears to benefit bones by neutralizing acids in the bloodstream that leach calcium from bone deposits.