/620



Everglades Station Mimeo Report EES64-5 cOtb 1963
 Vitamins and Minerals and Their Interrelationships ,//. .
 b "
 H. L. Chairman, Jr.
 Everglades Experiment Station if

 The field of nutrition has been greatly expanded since the di ery o9She
first vitamin. Both livestock producer and nutritionist have recog ed the heed
for properly balanced rations for optimum livestock production. Thishas been
accompanied by a realization that many nutrients are interrelated. More mad more
of these interrelationships are being discovered each year and as knowledge and
information continues to accumulate it is probable that most, if not all, of our
nutrients will be shown to be interrelated with one another. Animals have its
ability to adapt to certain conditions and it is possible that the nutritional
interrelationships will be affected by these adaptations. For example, recent work
has shown that the thyroid gland may compensate by increasing in size when the
metabolic activity is hindered by excessive nitrate nitrogen. It has also been
shown that additions of vitamin A and iodine assist in overcoming the stress of
the additional nitrate nitrogen. During periods of inadequate feed intake or poor
health the interrelationships may be changed. The presence of toxic materials in
the diet may alter the relationships. The increased utilization of feed additives
such as antibiotics will also affect the need for certain nutrients. All of these
factors only emphasize the fact that all nutrients -- proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins, and minerals -- are closely associated in their metabolism.

 It is important that the interrelationship of each of these major classes of
nutrients be understood if the nutritional requirements of livestock are to be
properly evaluated. It is also necessary to be familiar with the nutritional
requirements of the various classes of livestock, the factors affecting these
requirements, and the physical manifestations of their deficiencies if nutritional
imbalances and deficiencies are to be separated from disease or other stress factors.

 There are more thorough discussions of the nutritional needs of livestock
 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 .8, 9, 10) and the purpose of this discussion will be to
 briefly discuss the various vitamins, the essential minerals and the interrelation-
 ships of these vitamins and minerals. Also, the practical implications of these
 interrelationships to cattle and swine production will be discussed briefly.
 Minerals
 A number of mineral elements are essential to the normal function of animal
 life. Some of these are referred to as "macro" elements (calcium and phosphorus)
 and some as "micro", "minor" or "trace" elements. These connotations are sometimes
 misleading since the total amount of an element needed by livestock is not nec-
 essarily an indice of the relative importance of the element to the nutritional
 well-being of an individual.

 An understanding of the functions of mineral elements is necessary if their
 interrelations are to be properly evaluated. The currently recognized functions of
 the 15 known essential mineral elements are summarized in Table 1. Undoubtedly
 other functions will be attributed to these elements as additional research is
 conducted.

 a) Presented at nutrition schools for veterinarians and county agents in Belle
 Glade, Bartow, and Orlando, Florida, October 1563.


b) Animal Nutritionist.