The Critical Role of Vitamins for Nutrition

Everyone is aware that vitamins play a vital role in the health and well-being of our bodies. Vitamins are needed in small amounts for regulating our metabolisms, ensuring proper growth and our overall physical well-being. Since our bodies cannot produce vitamins, we must obtaine them through our diet. Unfortunately since our earth is changing so drastically in recent years, studies have shown that we cannot rely simply on the foods we eat for all of our nutritional needs. For this reason, it is highly recommended that we complete our diets with nutritional supplements, liquid preferred for its higher absorption (bioavailability) rates.

The word Vitamin is made up of two words “Vital” and “Amine” and this is so because vitamins are essential for life and were first thought to be amines. Vitamins are organic compounds but not all of them are, in fact, amines. An organic compound is recognized as a vitamin if there are deficiencies in the body when it is lacking in a person’s diet. There are a number of different vitamins that are crucial to our well-being with 13 major ones. These vitamins can be acquired in a wide range of different foods and each one has a very specific role to play in keeping our bodies healthy. Without them many of the biochemical processes that take place within our cells would not be able to happen.

Some vitamins can be stored in the body when they are in excess, such as the vitamins A, D, E and K. This storage in possible because they are fat soluble and can be stored in our body fat. Other vitamins such as the B group and the ever famous vitamin C are water soluble and cannot be stored in our bodies, which is why we need to make sure that we get enough every day from our meals or through supplements.
Knowing how many vitamins are needed in a person’s diet vary according to each individual. The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) charts the percentage of each vitamin that we require every day. Naturally this chart covers most people but does not include those with higher needs such as people who are battling an illness, who play sports, pregnant, or nursing women. Children also have a greater need for nutrients than adults do simply because of their rapid growth and development.

What are the roles of individual vitamins in our bodies? Well, let’s start with the first letter of the alphabet – A. Vitamin A is essential for healthy growth and development, the maintenance of strong bones, teeth and membranes, good vision – especially at night and for protecting the body and specifically the skin from infections.
Vitamin A is found in some animal meats but can also be found in colorful fruits and vegetables and leafy greens. Carrots are a good source of vitamin A and it is the reason why they are attributed to good eye sight. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and can provide the body with the necessary amounts for a few months. It is easy to obtain the required intake through a healthy and well-balanced diet.
The Vitamin B group is made up of different B vitamins that each have their own role to play in our bodies but work together as a whole and are normally found together in foods. The following is a list of the all the B vitamins and their function in our bodies:

Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – vital in breaking down foods and aiding in the release of energy
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) – releases energy from foods for healthy skin, eyes and growth
Niacin (Vitamin B3) – helps in the maintenance of healthy nervous and digestive systems
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) – vital for the production of antibodies
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) – essential for healthy skin, muscles, blood and nervous system
Folic Acid – crucial in the formation of new body cells and healthy blood cells
Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) – vital in the formation of healthy red blood cells
Vitamin C is essential for our bodies to produce collagen, connective tissue and protein fibers, which make our teeth, gums, muscles, blood vessels and skin strong. It also helps our immune system fight infection by boosting the white blood cells. Fruits and vegetables are the main source of vitamin C.
Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and so is essential for strong and healthy bones. Vitamin D is not found in many foods but unlike other vitamins, our bodies can produce vitamin D with exposure to sunlight.
Vitamin E is called an antioxidant because it helps protect cells from damage. It is commonly found in vegetable oils, margarine, wheatgerm, most nuts and leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin K is needed for normal blood clotting, wound healing and for proper bone formation. The best source of vitamin K is green, leafy vegetables and but it can also be produce by bacteria in our intestines.
Vitamins are an essential part of our lives and it is common sense that if we are deficient in one or more of them that we should be using nutritional supplements to make up the balance of what we require.

* VIC; The Importance of Vitamins in Everyday Life; http://www.nutrivit.org/vic/vitamins/index.htm
* The Vitamins and Nutrition Centre; The Role of Vitamins in Nutrition, Dr. Obikoya; http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/role-vitamins-nutrition.html
* The Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University; Micronutrient Information Centre – Vitamins; http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins.html