Micronutrients are essential nutrients that the body needs in small amounts to function properly. They include Vitamins and Minerals. Unlike macronutrients — proteins, fats, and carbohydrates — which provide energy (calories), micronutrients do not provide energy. However, they play crucial roles in the processes that generate energy and are involved in nearly every aspect of health.

There are two broad categories of micronutrients:

1. Vitamins are organic compounds, meaning they are of plant or animal origin, that are broken down or transformed by heat, light, or chemical reactions within the body. They are classified as either fat-soluble or water-soluble, referring to how they are absorbed into the body. Fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E, and K) are absorbed with the help of fats via the small intestines. They tend to persist longer in our bodies compared to water-soluble vitamins, which are quickly excreted through sweat and urine. This mean that water-soluble vitamins, which include the eight different forms of vitamin B and C, need to be consumed more frequently.
2. Minerals are inorganic compounds, meaning that they come from the earth, not plants or animals. There are two forms of minerals: macrominerals and trace minerals. Macrominerals include elements like calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which are needed by our body in larger amounts. Trace minerals, on the other hand, are needed in smaller amounts, but are equally as crucial for optimal health. Examples of trace minerals are iron, zinc, copper, chromium, and selenium.
   
   

A Note on Micronutrients (and the Importance of Supplementation):

Micronutrients are as important to foundational health as they are for optimizing health and athletic pursuits. They play critical roles in numerous bodily functions, from supporting metabolic processes to aiding in muscle gain. However, modern agricultural practices have taken a toll on the health of our soil, resulting in severe nutrient losses in our crops. This degradation affects the soil's ability to transfer essential micronutrients to plants, ultimately impacting the nutritional value of the food we consume.

This issue was addressed in the 1936 US Senate Document 264, which lamented the poor nutritional content of crops grown on depleted soils, stating: "The alarming fact is that foods — fruits, vegetables, and grains — now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough of certain needed nutrients, are starving us — no matter how much of them we eat." Despite advancements in agricultural technology intended to enhance soil fertility, recent studies indicate that our food today has continued to be less nutrient-dense than in the past.

For example, one report found that packs of sliced green beans only contain 11 percent of the vitamin C claimed on the package1. Another study showed that the mineral levels of twenty-seven fruits and vegetables from 1930 to 1980 have seen an average reduction in nutrients of 20 percent, including a 46 percent drop in calcium, 23 percent in magnesium, 27 percent in iron, and a staggering 59 percent in zinc2. And it's not just relegated to plant based sources either. The quality of meat and dairy ultimately depend upon healthy soil, which has also seen a significant decline, with iron content in meat falling by an average of 47 percent, a 60 percent decrease in milk, along with lesser but still declines in calcium, copper, and magnesium3,4.

It is alarmingly clear that the food we consume today is not supplying us with the same levels of vitamins and minerals as it did in past generations. The American Medical Association understood this and shifted their anti-vitamin stance in 2002 by encouraging all adults to supplement daily. This change was largely influenced by a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) entitled: Vitamins for Chronic Disease Prevention in Adults5. The study concluded that while the current US diet is sufficient to prevent acute vitamin deficiency diseases such as scurvy and pellagra, it falls short in supporting the foundations of long-term health.

All this leads to the conclusion that nutritional supplementation has become a critical and necessary component of any health optimization strategy, whether the goal is fat loss, muscle gain, or overall wellness as any endeavor that requires the body to function at its peak are nutrient-intensive. Thus, if these essential nutrients aren't sufficiently supplied by our food, we need to source them from elsewhere to achieve optimal results.