Micronutrients help in the basic functions of the body and their intake is essential to maintain people’s health.

Micronutrients are small amounts of vitamins and minerals required by the body for most of the cellular functions it must carry out on a daily basis. Vitamins and minerals are considered micronutrients because the body requires them daily, but in small amounts for proper nutrition.

For example, in humans, a nutrition with sufficient intake of micronutrients would require at least 100 milligrams of vitamins and minerals, unlike nutrients or macronutrients, which are usually measured and needed in grams and provide other types of benefits to the body and They help with other essential functions.

These are found in food, and that is why it is so important to maintain a diverse diet that has a sufficient supply of the vitamins and minerals that our body needs for its proper functioning.

Especially since a deficiency in the micronutrients that our body requires can cause several problems depending on the element in question. The most common micronutrient deficiencies include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, vitamin K, iron, iodine, and zinc. Therefore, micronutrient deficiencies can lead to poor eye health, low birth weight, and a negative impact on physical and cognitive development in children, and increase the risk of chronic diseases in adults.

To avoid these complications, it is important to focus strategies on the intake of varied and nutrient-rich foods, fortified foods and vitamin supplements, as this can help prevent micronutrient deficiencies. Above all, we must be aware that each person requires different levels of nutrients depending on their age, gender, lifestyle and state of health. For example, a pregnant person or a person who has recently given birth will also need a specific diet that includes the micronutrients necessary for her health. In fact, this must be taken into account throughout a woman’s reproductive life, even before she becomes pregnant, because micronutrient deficiency has been associated with different risks related to fetal structural defects.

Fortunately, micronutrients do not need to be part of our daily diet, as some can be stored in the body such as vitamin A and D or B, which can remain in the liver and be used when necessary for the correct processes of the body. body. This helps a lot in places with child malnutrition, which is a very common characteristic in strata classified in a state of poverty, where vitamin A can be administered as micronutrients once a year to cover the needs of children during that period of time. , although ideally it should be supplied every six months.

Micronutrients are classified as follows:

• Vitamins, such as vitamins A, C, and E.
• Minerals, such as iron, copper and magnesium.
• Trace elements, such as iodine, copper, selenium, fluorine.
  However, in micronutrition, other categories of micronutrients are also considered. As is the case of the following families:

• polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids.
• Polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega-3.
• Essential amino acids, such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine.
• Pre and probiotics, essential for proper digestive health.
  Micronutrients in humans are essential for health because a deficiency in them can cause diseases and genetic problems such as those mentioned above. However, plants also require micronutrients, especially minerals, although in very low quantities. In fact, some people consider that plants obtain enough minerals from the water with which they are irrigated, due to its impurity, but other people consider that it is important to include micronutrients in the soil of the plants or at least to supply them with some of them. Occasionally. So take care of yourself and your plants with micronutrients.