FN2: Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins and minerals: fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, major minerals, trace elements, their functions, sources, and deficiency diseases.
Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins and minerals: fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, major minerals, trace elements, their functions, sources, and deficiency diseases.
Key Fact: Vitamins are organic compounds needed in small amounts for metabolic processes. Minerals are inorganic elements needed for structural and regulatory functions.
Key Fact: Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are stored in the liver and fatty tissues. They can accumulate to toxic levels if consumed in excess. They are absorbed with dietary fat.
Key Fact: Water-soluble vitamins (B complex, C) are not stored in the body — excess is excreted in urine. They must be consumed regularly. They can be destroyed by heat, light, and water during cooking.
Key Fact: Vitamin A: function — vision (especially night vision), skin health, immune function. Sources — liver, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach. Deficiency — night blindness.
Key Fact: Vitamin D: function — calcium absorption, bone health. Sources — sunlight, oily fish, eggs, fortified cereals. Deficiency — rickets (children), osteomalacia (adults).
Key Fact: Vitamin C: function — collagen formation, wound healing, iron absorption, antioxidant. Sources — citrus fruits, berries, peppers, kiwi. Deficiency — scurvy (bleeding gums, poor wound healing).
Key Fact: B vitamins: thiamin (B1 — release energy from carbs, found in wholegrains), riboflavin (B2 — skin/eye health, found in dairy), niacin (B3 — energy release, found in meat), folate (B9 — red blood cells, fetal development, found in leafy greens).
Key Fact: Calcium: function — strong bones and teeth, blood clotting, muscle contraction. Sources — dairy products, fortified plant milks, leafy greens, tofu. Deficiency — osteoporosis, rickets.
Key Fact: Iron: function — haemoglobin formation (carrying oxygen in blood), energy release. Haem iron (from meat) is better absorbed than non-haem iron (from plants). Deficiency — anaemia (fatigue, pallor, breathlessness).
Key Fact: Sodium: function — fluid balance, nerve function. Sources — salt, processed foods. Excess — high blood pressure, increased heart disease and stroke risk. UK average intake exceeds the recommended 6g/day.
Key Fact: Iodine: function — thyroid hormones, metabolic rate. Sources — fish, dairy, iodised salt. Deficiency — goitre (swollen thyroid). UK teenage girls are particularly at risk of low iodine.
Key Fact: Preserving vitamins in cooking: use minimal water, cook for the shortest time possible, steam rather than boil, use cooking liquid in sauces, prepare vegetables just before cooking, store in cool dark places.
📋 Key Vocabulary and Concepts
For Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals, you must know:
- Fat-soluble vitamin
- Water-soluble vitamin
- Antioxidant
- Rickets
- Scurvy
- Anaemia
- Osteoporosis
- Goitre
- Haem iron
- Non-haem iron
- Deficiency disease
- Fortification
- Bioavailability
- Trace element
❓ Practice Questions
Q: Why are water-soluble vitamins more easily lost during cooking than fat-soluble vitamins?
Q: Explain the relationship between vitamin D and calcium.
Q: Evaluate the importance of iron in the diet, considering different sources.
✅ Answers
- Water-soluble vitamins (B and C) dissolve in cooking water and are destroyed by heat. Boiling leaches them into the water. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are more stable to heat and don't dissolve in water — they are retained in the food. To preserve water-soluble vitamins: steam, stir-fry, use minimal water, and cook for the shortest time.
- Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption in the gut. Without adequate vitamin D, calcium cannot be effectively absorbed, regardless of intake. This is why vitamin D deficiency leads to rickets and osteomalacia — conditions of bone softening — even when calcium intake is sufficient. Sunlight exposure enables the body to synthesise vitamin D.
- Iron is essential for haemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the blood. Deficiency causes anaemia (fatigue, pallor). Haem iron from meat is well absorbed (15-35%), while non-haem iron from plants is poorly absorbed (2-20%). Vitamin C enhances non-haem iron absorption. Vegetarians must combine iron-rich plant foods with vitamin C sources. Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency globally, particularly affecting women and children.
🎯 Exam Tips
- Always give specific food sources for each vitamin/mineral
- Know the difference between haem and non-haem iron
- Link each micronutrient to its deficiency disease
📝 Exam Technique
Food Preparation & Nutrition Exam Tips — Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals:
1. For Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals questions, show every step of your working clearly — method marks count even if the final answer is wrong
2. Check your answer makes sense in context (estimation, units, reasonableness)
3. Use correct mathematical notation and state formulae before substituting values
4. If a Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals question asks you to 'prove' or 'show', write a logical chain of reasoning with a conclusion line
5. For problem-solving, identify the topic first, then recall the relevant method
1. For Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals questions, show every step of your working clearly — method marks count even if the final answer is wrong
2. Check your answer makes sense in context (estimation, units, reasonableness)
3. Use correct mathematical notation and state formulae before substituting values
4. If a Micronutrients: Vitamins & Minerals question asks you to 'prove' or 'show', write a logical chain of reasoning with a conclusion line
5. For problem-solving, identify the topic first, then recall the relevant method
⚠️ Common Errors
✗ All vitamins are destroyed by cooking. ✓ Water-soluble vitamins (B, C) are easily destroyed by heat and leached into water, but fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are more heat-stable. Some cooking methods (steaming, microwaving) preserve more vitamins than boiling.
✗ Taking vitamin supplements is always beneficial. ✓ Most people get sufficient vitamins from a balanced diet. Fat-soluble vitamins can accumulate to toxic levels if over-supplemented. Supplements are only recommended when dietary intake is insufficient (e.g. vitamin D in winter, folic acid in pregnancy).
✗ Minerals are less important than vitamins. ✓ Minerals are equally essential — calcium for bones, iron for blood, sodium for fluid balance, iodine for thyroid function. Deficiencies in minerals cause serious health problems (osteoporosis, anaemia, goitre). Both micronutrient types are vital.
✍️ Model Answer
Full-Mark Response
Explain why micronutrient deficiencies remain a public health concern in the UK. [12 marks]
Despite food abundance, micronutrient deficiencies persist in the UK due to dietary patterns, lifestyle factors, and specific population vulnerabilities. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the UK, particularly affecting teenage girls and women of childbearing age due to menstrual losses. Low iron intake is compounded by the poor bioavailability of non-haem iron from plant sources, and many people eating less red meat. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread, especially in winter months and among people with darker skin tones who need more sunlight to synthesise vitamin D. The shift away from oily fish consumption and increased indoor lifestyles have contributed. Rickets, once thought eliminated, has re-emerged. Calcium intake is declining as some people reduce dairy consumption without adequately replacing it with fortified alternatives. This has long-term implications for osteoporosis risk, particularly in post-menopausal women. Iodine deficiency has been identified in UK teenage girls, linked to reduced milk consumption and increased consumption of non-fortified plant milks. The root cause is dietary patterns high in processed foods (which provide calories but few micronutrients) and low in nutrient-dense foods (fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, oily fish, dairy). Public health strategies include fortification (e.g. folic acid in flour, vitamin D in some cereals), dietary guidelines, and targeted supplementation programmes.
📊 AO Deep Dive
Assessment Objective Analysis
AO1 (Knowledge & Understanding): Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of micronutrients: vitamins & minerals, including nutritional principles, food science, and food safety regulations.
AO2 (Application): Apply knowledge and understanding of micronutrients: vitamins & minerals to practical cooking contexts, recipe adaptation, and food choice decisions.
AO3 (Analysis & Evaluation): Analyse and evaluate micronutrients: vitamins & minerals in relation to nutritional needs, food safety, sustainability, and cultural factors. Justify decisions with reasoned arguments and evidence.
📝 Exam Questions by Topic
- AQA Past Papers - Topic Questions -- AQA
- Edexcel Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Edexcel
- OCR Past Papers - Topic Questions -- OCR
- Eduqas Past Papers - Topic Questions -- Eduqas
🎬 Video Resources
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