A micronutrient It is a type of nutrient that must provide small doses of substances to collaborate in different metabolic processes in the body. In this way they collaborate with the balance and with the substances that each organ of the body needs for the health of the organism. For instance: iron, zinc, chlorine.
A macronutrient It is a type of nutrient that provides a large amount of energy to the organism of living beings. For instance: nitrogen, magnesium, sulfur. Within this family of macronutrients, a classification can be made between:
- Organic macronutrients. Within this group you can find carbohydrates, proteins and also vitamins (which belong to micronutrients)
- Inorganic macronutrients. They are minerals like water and oxygen.
The main difference between one and the other is that macronutrients are responsible for producing energy, while micronutrients only provide small amounts of nutrients to maintain the body’s health.
It is important to mention that a type of substance can be considered a macronutrient for a type of living organism but that the same substance can be considered a micronutrient in other types of living beings. This means that the same nutrient It can be essential for one type of organism (thus becoming a macronutrient for it) but at the same time harmful for another living being (transforming it into a micronutrient).
Examples of micronutrients and macronutrients
| Micronutrients | Macronutrients |
| Iron | Nitrogen |
| Zinc | Magnesium |
| Manganese | Sulfur |
| Boron | Carbohydrates |
| Copper | |
| Saccharose | Molybdenum |
| Lactose | Chlorine |
| Starch | Iodine |
| Glycogen | Vitamins |
| Cellulose | Folic acid |
| Proteins (**) | Molybdenum |
Lipids (***)
Carbohydrates . Sugar, Glucose, Fructose.(**)
Protein . Meats, Legumes, Nuts, Pasta, Rice.(***)
. Oils, Saturated Fat and Unsaturated Fat.
- protein foods
- Examples of macro and micronutrients
- Calcium
- Salt (sodium and chloride)
- Magnesium
- Potassium
Match
Sulfide