What are the vitamins and minerals the body needs, and what happens without them?
Micronutrients: the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (B group and C), and the key minerals (calcium, iron, sodium, fluoride, phosphorus and iodine): their functions, sources and the effects of deficiency.
A focused answer on micronutrients for OCR GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (J309), covering the fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins and the main minerals, their functions, sources and deficiency diseases, plus how cooking affects vitamin retention.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR wants you to know the functions, the main food sources and the deficiency effects of the vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are split into fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble (the B group and C). The key minerals are calcium, iron, sodium, fluoride, phosphorus and iodine.
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
- Vitamin A (retinol) keeps the eyes healthy (helps you see in dim light), supports the immune system and keeps skin healthy. Sources: liver, oily fish, dairy, and as beta-carotene in orange and dark green vegetables (carrots, spinach). Deficiency causes poor night vision.
- Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for strong bones and teeth. Sources: oily fish, eggs, fortified foods, and it is made in the skin in sunlight. Deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects cells. Sources: vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.
- Vitamin K is needed for normal blood clotting. Sources: green leafy vegetables.
Water-soluble vitamins (B group and C)
- B vitamins (including B1 thiamin, B2 riboflavin, B3 niacin, B9 folate/folic acid and B12) help release energy from food, support the nervous system and help form red blood cells. Folic acid is especially important before and in early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Sources: wholegrains, meat, eggs, dairy, green vegetables.
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) helps form and maintain connective tissue (so wounds heal), acts as an antioxidant, and helps the body absorb iron. Sources: citrus fruit, berries, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes. Deficiency causes scurvy (bleeding gums, slow healing).
The key minerals
- Calcium builds and maintains strong bones and teeth, and helps blood clot and muscles work. Sources: milk, cheese, yoghurt, tinned fish with bones, fortified plant milks. Deficiency leads to weak bones and teeth (rickets, osteoporosis later in life).
- Iron is needed to make haemoglobin in red blood cells, which carries oxygen. Sources: red meat, liver, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, lentils, fortified cereals. Deficiency causes anaemia (tiredness, pale skin, breathlessness).
- Sodium (from salt) controls the water balance of the body and helps nerves work, but too much raises blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent tooth decay (added to some water and toothpaste).
- Phosphorus works with calcium to build bones and teeth and is found in most foods.
- Iodine is needed to make thyroid hormones, which control the metabolic rate. Sources: seafood, dairy, iodised salt.
Cooking and vitamin retention
Because water-soluble vitamins (B group and C) leach into water and are destroyed by heat and air, the cooking method changes how much is left. Steaming, microwaving or stir-frying keeps more vitamin C than boiling, because the food does not sit in water that is then thrown away. Cutting vegetables just before cooking, using minimal water and not overcooking all help retain vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are more stable to water but can be lost into cooking fat.
Try this
Q1. Name the deficiency disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. [1 mark]
- Cue. Scurvy.
Q2. Explain why steaming vegetables keeps more vitamin C than boiling. [2 marks]
- Cue. Vitamin C is water-soluble, so it leaches into boiling water that is thrown away; in steam the food does not sit in water, so less is lost.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR 20196 marksExplain why a teenage girl is advised to eat foods rich in iron and in vitamin C, and name a meal that would help her meet both needs.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark free-response question linking two nutrients and applying them to a meal.
Iron is needed to make haemoglobin in red blood cells, which carries oxygen around the body. Teenage girls are at higher risk of iron-deficiency anaemia because they lose iron in menstrual blood, and anaemia causes tiredness, paleness and breathlessness. Good sources are red meat, liver, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, lentils and fortified cereals.
Vitamin C is needed because it helps the body absorb iron (especially the non-haem iron from plant foods). Without enough iron absorption, eating iron-rich plant foods is less effective.
A suitable meal pairs an iron source with a vitamin C source, for example lentil and spinach curry with a glass of orange juice, or beef chilli with peppers and tomatoes. Top-band answers explain both functions, the deficiency (anaemia) and why vitamin C matters for absorption, then name a meal supplying both.
OCR 20214 marksDescribe the function of calcium and vitamin D in the body, and explain why they are often discussed together.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark structured question.
Calcium is needed to build and maintain strong bones and teeth, and it also helps blood to clot and muscles and nerves to work. Sources are milk, cheese, yoghurt, tinned fish with bones, and fortified plant milks.
Vitamin D is needed to help the body absorb calcium from food in the gut. Without vitamin D, the body cannot use the calcium properly, so they work together: a lack of either can lead to rickets in children (soft, bowed bones) or osteomalacia in adults.
Markers reward: calcium for bones and teeth, vitamin D for calcium absorption, and the link that vitamin D is needed to use calcium, with rickets or osteomalacia as the deficiency.
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