Controls the absorption of calcium and so is essential for strong bones and teeth. Made in the skin from sunlight and found in oily fish and fortified foods. Deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.

Acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells. Sources: vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and wholegrains.

Works with calcium to harden bones and teeth (as calcium phosphate). Widely available in protein foods, so deficiency is rare.

Needed to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells. Sources: red meat, liver, fortified cereals, pulses and dark green vegetables. Deficiency causes iron-deficiency anaemia (tiredness, pallor, breathlessness).

Controls fluid balance and nerve function. Found in salt and processed foods. The problem is excess: too much sodium raises blood pressure (hypertension) and the risk of heart disease and stroke, so advice is to cut salt.

Strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent dental caries. Sources: fluoridated water, tea, toothpaste.

ScotlandHealth & Food TechnologySyllabus dot point

Why does the body need vitamins, minerals and water, and what happens when it is short of them?

The functions, food sources and deficiency or excess effects of the main vitamins (A, B group, C, D, E, folic acid) and minerals (calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, fluoride), and the role of water in the diet.

An SQA Higher Health and Food Technology answer on micronutrients, covering the functions, sources and deficiency or excess effects of the main vitamins (A, B group, C, D, E, folic acid) and minerals (calcium, iron, sodium, phosphorus, fluoride), plus the role of water.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.810 min answerUpdated 2026-06-16

Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed

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What this dot point is asking
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E)
Water-soluble vitamins (B group, C)
Minerals
Water
Cooking, processing and nutrient loss
Examples in context
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What this dot point is asking

The SQA wants the functions, food sources and the effects of deficiency (or excess) of the main vitamins and minerals, plus the role of water. These are micronutrients - needed in small amounts but essential, so a shortage causes a specific deficiency disease.

Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E)

Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fat, are carried by dietary fat, and can be stored in the liver and fatty tissue - so a large excess can build up to toxic levels.

Water-soluble vitamins (B group, C)

Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, so a regular supply is needed; they are also easily lost into cooking water and destroyed by heat.

B group vitamins help release energy from carbohydrate, fat and protein during respiration, and support the nervous system and the formation of red blood cells. Sources: wholegrains, meat, eggs, dairy and green vegetables. Deficiency causes tiredness and, in severe cases, conditions such as beriberi (B1) or anaemia (B12).
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is needed to make collagen (for healthy skin, gums, blood vessels and wound healing), aids iron absorption, and is an antioxidant. Sources: citrus fruit, blackcurrants, peppers, potatoes. Deficiency causes scurvy (bleeding gums, slow healing).
Folic acid (folate, a B vitamin) is needed for cell division and red blood cell formation. It is critical in early pregnancy because it helps prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Sources: green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals; supplements are advised before and during early pregnancy.

Minerals

Key fact

Calcium: The main mineral in bones and teeth; also needed for blood clotting, muscle contraction and nerve function. Sources: milk, cheese, yoghurt, green leafy vegetables, fortified plant milks. Deficiency leads to poor bone development and, long term, osteoporosis.
Phosphorus: Works with calcium to harden bones and teeth (as calcium phosphate). Widely available in protein foods, so deficiency is rare.
Iron: Needed to make haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in red blood cells. Sources: red meat, liver, fortified cereals, pulses and dark green vegetables. Deficiency causes iron-deficiency anaemia (tiredness, pallor, breathlessness). Vitamin C aids its absorption.
Sodium (in salt): Controls fluid balance and nerve function. Found in salt and processed foods. The problem is excess: too much sodium raises blood pressure (hypertension) and the risk of heart disease and stroke, so advice is to cut salt.
Fluoride: Strengthens tooth enamel and helps prevent dental caries. Sources: fluoridated water, tea, toothpaste.

Water

Cooking, processing and nutrient loss

Because water-soluble vitamins (B group and C) dissolve in water and are destroyed by heat, how food is prepared changes its nutrient content. Boiling vegetables in lots of water leaches out vitamin C; steaming, microwaving or using the cooking water in a sauce keeps more. Cutting produce long before use, or keeping food hot for a long time, also reduces vitamin C - so preparation choices have direct nutritional consequences.

Advising a pregnant woman on micronutrients

A woman in the first weeks of pregnancy asks which vitamins and minerals matter most. Build a clear, justified answer.

step Identify the priority for early pregnancy

The single most important nutrient in early pregnancy is folic acid, because it helps prevent neural tube defects such as spina bifida as the baby's spine forms. Advise a daily folic acid supplement plus green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals.

step Address bone-building nutrients

The growing baby draws calcium for its bones, so the mother needs enough calcium (dairy or fortified alternatives) and vitamin D (oily fish, sunlight or a supplement) to absorb it. Without vitamin D the calcium cannot be used.

step Address oxygen-carrying capacity

Blood volume rises in pregnancy, so more iron is needed to make haemoglobin and avoid anaemia. Advise iron-rich foods (lean red meat, pulses, fortified cereal) eaten with a vitamin C source to boost absorption.

step Add a safety warning

Warn against high-dose vitamin A (for example liver or retinol supplements) because too much vitamin A can harm the developing baby. This shows that with fat-soluble vitamins, excess is a real risk, not just deficiency.

Examples in context

Example 1. Why orange juice with breakfast cereal helps. Cereals are often fortified with iron, but plant (non-haem) iron is poorly absorbed. Drinking vitamin-C-rich orange juice with the cereal raises iron absorption - a clear example of nutrient interaction.

Example 2. Fortification policy. Flour and many cereals are fortified with iron, B vitamins and calcium, and folic acid fortification reduces neural tube defects across the population - showing how micronutrient knowledge drives food policy.

Try this

Q1. Name the deficiency disease caused by a lack of vitamin C, and state one food source of the vitamin. [2 marks]

Cue. Scurvy; citrus fruit, blackcurrants, peppers or potatoes.

Q2. Explain why vitamin D is needed for healthy bones even when calcium intake is good. [2 marks]

Cue. Vitamin D controls calcium absorption from the gut, so without it the calcium cannot be used.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

SQA Higher (specimen)4 marksExplain why iron and vitamin C are both important in preventing iron-deficiency anaemia, and name a food source of each.

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A 4-mark explain answer needs the role of each nutrient and the link between them, plus a named source.

Iron is needed to make haemoglobin, the red pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body. A shortage of iron means too little haemoglobin, so the blood carries less oxygen - this is iron-deficiency anaemia, with symptoms of tiredness, pallor and breathlessness. A source of iron is red meat, liver or fortified breakfast cereal.

Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron from the gut, especially non-haem (plant) iron, which is otherwise poorly absorbed. So eating vitamin-C-rich food alongside iron-rich food raises the amount of iron the body actually takes up. A source of vitamin C is citrus fruit, blackcurrants or peppers.

Markers reward (1) iron makes haemoglobin to carry oxygen, (2) deficiency causes anaemia, (3) vitamin C aids iron absorption, and (4) one correct source of each nutrient.

SQA Higher (past paper style)5 marksA teenage girl who avoids dairy and gets little sunshine is at risk of poor bone health. Describe the roles of calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus in bone health and the consequences of deficiency.

Show worked answer →

A 5-mark describe answer should give each nutrient a role and link the shortages to bone disorders.

Calcium is the main mineral in bones and teeth, giving them strength and rigidity; it is also needed for blood clotting, muscle contraction and nerve function. Phosphorus works with calcium to harden bone (as calcium phosphate). Vitamin D is essential because it controls the absorption of calcium from the gut - without it, calcium cannot be used even if the diet supplies it.

Consequences of deficiency: in children, a shortage of calcium and vitamin D causes rickets, where the bones are soft and bend. In adults the equivalent is osteomalacia (soft, painful bones). A long-term low calcium intake also leads to weak, brittle bones (osteoporosis) later in life, especially in women after the menopause.

For this girl, avoiding dairy cuts calcium and little sunshine cuts vitamin D (made in skin from sunlight), so she is doubly at risk. Advice would include calcium-fortified plant milks, green leafy vegetables, oily fish and possibly a vitamin D supplement.

Markers reward correct roles for calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D, the absorption link for vitamin D, and named consequences (rickets, osteomalacia, osteoporosis).

Related dot points

Sources & how we know this

Higher Health and Food Technology Course Specification — SQA (2018)