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All About Vitamins

Vitamins are organic substances which are normally present in small and variable amounts in different foods. Your body must have vitamins in order for it to be healthy.

Because the human body is unable to manufacture most vitamins for itself, they must be added to the body via food. Each vitamin has a number specific roles and a deficiency of any of them can lead to serious illness.

There are 13 main vitamins. A, B1, B2, B6, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Folate, B12, C, D, E and K.

Originally vitamins were named after letters of the alphabet, but it was then found that vitamin B actually consists of a mixture of several substances. That is why it is called vitamin-B complex (B1, B2, B6, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Folate, B12).

Vitamins are divided into two groups, fat-soluble and water-soluble. The fat-soluble ones are vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamins that are water-soluble are vitamin C and the 8 members of the B complex group.

Fat-soluble Vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fats and oils but not in water. These vitamins can be stored in your body, though they do need to be replenished or they will run low.

Water-soluble Vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and cannot be stored in your body and therefore need to be obtained from food and drink on a daily basis. Any excess will be excreted from your body.

The Correct Amounts

The actual amount of each vitamin required by a person will vary according to their age, sex, state of health, how active they are and various other important factors.

Vitamin Deficiency

Each vitamin has a distinctive function, and deficiency of most any vitamin may produce a characteristic group of signs and symptoms. A deficiency may arise for three reasons:

Caused by an inadequate intake of the vitamin or its precursors.
Caused by factors which prevent its absorption or use.
Caused by factors which increase requirements for the vitamin or increase its excretion from the body.

Excess Vitamins

The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K. Because these vitamins are not passed out of the body in the urine, taking large amounts of them in vitamin supplements can make you ill. An excessive amounts of many vitamins (a condition named hypervitaaminosis) can produce toxic symptoms.