Vitamins why we need them

Get Coupon. Where to Buy. Search Search. Select Location and Language:. Czech Republic. Hong Kong. New Zealand. Puerto Rico. Saudi Arabia. South Africa. United Kingdom. United States. Search Submit. Immune Health Learn More. Vitamin C Learn More. A Tradition of Innovation Learn More. Scientifically Formulated Learn More. Why are Vitamins Important?

The Top 3 Reasons to Take Vitamins. Keep Our Bodies in Good Working Order Vitamins work hard to keep our bodies functioning properly and they help drive essential processes needed in our everyday lives. Healthy Aging Our cells experience wear and tear as time passes, but proper nutrition can slow down this process. Cover Your Nutritional Bases We do our best to eat healthy, but some nutrients are hard to get from food alone. What Can Vitamins Do for You?

Support Immunity Good nutrition makes for a durable immune system. Support a Healthy Metabolism B-complex vitamins, like thiamin , riboflavin , folate , biotin , and vitamins B6 and B12 collaborate with other enzymes in your body to metabolize energy from protein, fats, and carbohydrates.

Maintain Strong Bones You probably already know that calcium is critical for healthy bones. Meeting Your Nutritional Needs Committing to a new eating habit or lifestyle can feel rewarding, but you may unintentionally eliminate essential vitamins and minerals. When a vitamin C or E molecule makes this sacrifice, it may allow a crucial protein, gene, or cell membrane to escape damage.

This helps break a chain reaction that can affect many other cells. Each of the nutrients that has antioxidant properties also has numerous other aspects and should be considered individually. The context is also important—in some settings, for example, vitamin C is an antioxidant, and in others it can be a pro-oxidant. Articles and advertisements have touted antioxidants as a way to help slow aging, fend off heart disease, improve flagging vision, and curb cancer. And laboratory studies and many large-scale observational trials the type that query people about their eating habits and supplement use and then track their disease patterns have noted benefits from diets rich in certain antioxidants and, in some cases, from antioxidant supplements.

But results from randomized controlled trials in which people are assigned to take specific nutrients or a placebo have failed to back up many of these claims. One study that pooled results from 68 randomized trials with over , participants found that people who were given vitamin E, beta carotene, and vitamin A had a higher risk of death than those who took a placebo.

There appeared to be no effect from vitamin C pills and a small reduction in mortality from selenium, but further research on these nutrients is needed.

These findings suggest little overall benefit of the antioxidants in pill form. On the other hand, many studies show that people who consume higher levels of these antioxidants in food have a lower risk of many diseases. The bottom line? Eating a healthy diet is the best way to get your antioxidants. A generous donor will match all contributions made before December 31 — doubling your gift and your impact!

Cookie Policy. Essential nutrients for your body Every day, your body produces skin, muscle, and bone. Micronutrients with a big role in the body Vitamins and minerals are often called micronutrients because your body needs only tiny amounts of them. Here are a few examples of diseases that can result from vitamin deficiencies: Scurvy. Old-time sailors learned that living for months without fresh fruits or vegetables—the main sources of vitamin C—causes the bleeding gums and listlessness of scurvy.

In some developing countries, people still become blind from vitamin A deficiency. A deficiency in vitamin D can cause rickets, a condition marked by soft, weak bones that can lead to skeletal deformities such as bowed legs. Partly to combat rickets, the U. Some examples of these benefits: Strong bones. A combination of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium, and phosphorus protects your bones against fractures.

Prevents birth defects. Taking folic acid supplements early in pregnancy helps prevent brain and spinal birth defects in offspring. Healthy teeth. The mineral fluoride not only helps bone formation but also keeps dental cavities from starting or worsening.

The difference between vitamins and minerals Although they are all considered micronutrients, vitamins and minerals differ in basic ways. Interacting—in good ways and bad Many micronutrients interact. A closer look at water-soluble vitamins Water-soluble vitamins are packed into the watery portions of the foods you eat. This article looks at some dietary sources of each and the role they play in the body.

The body does not store excess vitamin C, so a person needs to absorb enough from food each day to meet the recommended intake. This article looks at…. What are vitamins, and how do they work? What are vitamins? Soluble in fat vs. Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins.

The 13 vitamins. Vitamin supplements. Video: The ABCs of vitamins. Costs associated with obesity may account for 3. Medical Myths: All about lung cancer. Cancer research: Are we over-relying on genetic links?

Related Coverage. What is nutrition, and why does it matter? Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R. Too much vitamin A from food or supplements can lead to liver and bone damage, and cause birth defects. And although we flush out excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins in our urine, high levels of vitamin C can cause diarrhoea, while too much niacin over time can lead to liver damage. Shop Vitamins Advice is for information only and should not replace medical care.

Please check with your GP before trying any remedies. Sources 1. British Nutrition Foundation. Vitamins 2. Daisy Whitbread. My Food Data.

Top 10 foods highest in tryptophan 3. Harvard Health Publishing. Listing of vitamins 4. Verena Tan. How to increase the absorption of iron from foods 5. Two keys to strong bones: Calcium and vitamin D 6.

BBC iWonder. Antioxidants: The magic bullet?