Vitamins and minerals

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Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients. That is, they cannot be synthesized by the body and so must be consumed in the diet.
Vitamins are classified as

Water soluble: Vitamin C and the eight members of the vitamin B complex
Fat soluble: Vitamins A, D, E, and K

Only vitamins A, E, and B12 are stored to any large extent in the body.
Some minerals are required in fairly large quantities (about 1 or 2 grams a day) and are considered macronutrients. They include calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus (occurring mainly as phosphate in the body), potassium, and sodium.
Minerals required in small amounts (trace minerals) are considered micronutrients. They include chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium , and zinc. Except for chromium, all of these minerals are incorporated into enzymes or hormones required in metabolism. Chromium helps the body keep blood sugar levels normal. Trace minerals such as arsenic, cobalt, fluoride, nickel, silicon, and vanadium, which may be essential in animal nutrition, have not been established as requirements in human nutrition. Fluoride helps stabilize the mineral content of bones and teeth by forming a stable compound with calcium and thus helps prevent tooth decay. All trace minerals are toxic at high levels, and some (arsenic, nickel, and chromium) can cause cancer.