The Benefits of Vitamins: Why They're Essential for Good Health

Vitamins are organic substances that the body needs to survive and thrive. They help the body grow and develop, as well as perform important functions such as metabolism, immunity, and digestion. There are 13 essential vitamins, including vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, as well as B vitamins like riboflavin and folate. Eating a balanced diet with a variety of foods is the best way to meet your vitamin needs, but if you can't get enough from food alone, dietary supplements may be necessary. Vitamins have different roles in helping the body work properly.

Some vitamins help resist infections and keep nerves healthy, while others can help the body get energy from food or help the blood to clot properly. Vitamins and minerals are considered essential nutrients because they work together to perform hundreds of functions in the body. They help strengthen bones, heal wounds, and strengthen the immune system. They also convert food into energy and repair cell damage. If you follow dietary guidelines, you'll get enough of most of these vitamins from food.

However, if you don't get enough vitamins from your diet, deficiency can cause bleeding in newborns who lack the intestinal bacteria needed to produce vitamin K. According to the National Library of Medicine, it's important to seek advice from your doctor or dietitian before taking supplements. Vitamins are needed in much smaller amounts than macronutrients like carbohydrates and fats. They are important for many daily bodily functions, such as cell reproduction and growth, but most importantly for the processing of energy in cells. Vitamins and minerals boost the immune system, promote normal growth and development, and help cells and organs perform their functions. Most of the time you'll find vitamins in the foods you eat.

Water-soluble vitamins generally need to be taken more often because they don't last long in the body. When a vitamin C or E molecule makes this sacrifice, it can allow a crucial protein, gene, or cell membrane to escape damage. Calcium is more like a fat-soluble vitamin because it requires a carrier for absorption and transport. Eating foods and supplements rich in vitamin D with fat sources such as olive oil, salmon or nuts is important because fat improves absorption. Half of all American adults regularly take a multivitamin or other vitamin or mineral supplement. The amount of iron in a multivitamin may also be beneficial for women of childbearing age.

However, studies have found that vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements appear to be harmful at high doses. Read enough articles on the subject and your eyes will be entertained by the alphabetical soup references to these nutrients which are mainly known by their initials (such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K). As you can see from the foods mentioned above, a complete diet provides you with the best supply of vitamins and minerals.

Ben Liebhardt
Ben Liebhardt

Amateur travel fanatic. General web buff. Certified travel junkie. Twitter nerd. Infuriatingly humble web practitioner. Certified beer nerd.

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