Vitamins: is your body getting all the vitamins it needs?
Vitamins are one of the essential nutrients our bodies need in order to function properly and stay healthy.
What are vitamins?
Vitamins are organic compounds our bodies need in order to survive. Most of the vitamins we need come from food or drugs because our bodies either do not produce them naturally or do not product enough of them.
What are the types of vitamins?
There are 13 officially recognized types of vitamins. Each one plays a different role in keeping the body healthy. We need different amounts of these vitamins to stay alive.
Vitamins can either be classified as fat-soluble or water-soluble.
Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins that dissolve in fat. They are stored in fatty parts of our bodies like fatty tissues and the liver. Our bodies absorb these through the intestinal tract. Examples of fat-soluble vitamins are:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, cannot be stored in the body. They exit the body through our urine. Because water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed and removed, our bodies need more of them. Examples of these are:
- Vitamin C
- All the B vitamins
What are the benefits of vitamins?
Vitamins help prevent and treat different diseases such as eye problems, heart problems, high cholesterol levels, and skin disorders. They also help regulate our bodily functions.
What vitamins should I take?
Your body needs a combination of all 13 essential vitamins in order to stay healthy. Some vitamins, such as vitamin D, cannot be obtained from food but it can be obtained from vitamin drugs. Depending on your diet and medical history, you can also take other vitamins like B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin A to stay healthy. All of these are easily accessible in both vitamin capsules and vitamin tablets. For children, there is also vitamin or even multivitamin syrups available.
