Amino acids and fatty acids, minerals such as magnesium, zinc or selenium, and all vitamins have a couple of things in common: without them, we would not be viable life forms and – apart from a few exceptions (e.g. vitamin D, which is partially produced by the skin), they have to be ingested with nutrition.

How well we are supplied with these vital substances depends on many factors. The factors which determine whether the amount of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids etc meets the body’s needs or whether there are deficiencies which could lead to later illnesses range from an organism’s basic constitution to its nutrition and method of food preparation, the lifestyle and activities which it has to carry out, the existence of illness and medications taken.