Vitamins

Vitamins are called MICRONUTRIENTS because they are needed in small amounts. Vitamins are organic compounds; we can find them in plants and animals. Vitamins function as COENZYMES. Enzymes are catalysts (activators) in the chemical reactions that are continually taking place in our bodies. Vitamins are a fundamental part of the enzymes. In addition to their role as coenzymes, some vitamins have other functions. For example, vitamin E acts as an antioxidant; vitamin D functions as a hormone. After absorbing, vitamins become part of the structure of the body – of the cells, enzymes, hormones, muscles, blood, and bones. Vitamins remain in the body for different period of time. Some are utilized right away, and some are stored and utilized over a period of time. We have two groups of vitamins:  water-soluble vitamins (that stay in our body for a short period of time), and fat-soluble vitamins (that stay in our body for a longer period of time).

There are other substances that are occasionally considered to be essential vitamins for humans; their vitamin status, however, has not been established. These substances include: choline; lipoic acid; para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA); inositol; coenzyme Q 10, or ubiquinone; bioflavonoids; and L-carnitine. It has been established that some of these substances do in fact have vitamin activity in some animals other than humans.

Although many biochemical and physiological roles for the vitamins are already known, there is much that we do not understand about them. It is often difficult to reconcile deficiency states of some of the vitamins with their known biochemical functions. It is anticipated that the vitamins will continue to be a rich area for both basic and clinical investigation and that new roles for known vitamins will be discovered. And there may be vitamins that we are not yet aware of.

Although consumption of the so-called well-balanced diet is still thought by some to supply all the vitamins we need in quantities sufficient for the maintenance of good health, there are many situations that place people at an increased risk for vitamin-insufficiency states. Among those at risk are people on low-calorie diets, alcoholics, pregnant women, the elderly in general, surgical patients, users of certain medications and strict vegetarians.

Recently there has been in increasing tendency to use "mega dose" quantities (greater than ten times the RDA) of certain vitamins for several reasons: to help with the stress of daily life, to protect against colds, to increase sexual prowess, etc, Evidence for and against mega dosing will be presented in the analyses of each of the vitamins. There are defined indications for the use of mega dose vitamins as pharmaceutical agents in the treatment of certain pathologic conditions, but mega dosing in these situations requires a physician's supervision. These conditions include: the use of mega dose nicotinic acid to lower blood cholesterol levels; the treatment of certain skin disorders with vitamin A and synthetic vitamin A derivatives; the use of vitamin B6 to prevent seizures if one takes an overdose of INH, a medication used for the treatment of tuberculosis.

Evidence is gradually accumulating that even well-fed individuals can profit-in terms of optimizing health-by taking vitamin supplements in prudent amounts. In addition to their role in metabolism, certain vitamins are antioxidants and as such protect tissues against toxic oxygen damage. This protection helps establish a preventive role for vitamins with respect to a number of degenerative diseases.

The amount of vitamins you need increases during illness, following surgery or even as a result of the aging process. In these circumstances, vitamin supplements may be necessary to meet increased needs or prevent a deficiency of select nutrients.

Vitamin supplements cannot take the place of good nutrition. Vitamins do not provide energy. Your body needs other substances besides vitamins for adequate nutrition, including carbohydrates, fats, proteins and minerals. Vitamins cannot help maintain a healthy body except in the presence of other nutrients, mainly from food and minerals.

Water-soluble vitamins

• vitamin B complex
• vitamin B1 ( thiamine )
• vitamin B2 ( riboflavin )
• vitamin B3 ( niacin )
• vitamin B5 ( pantothenic acid )
• vitamin B6 ( pyridoxine )
• vitamin B8 ( inositol )
• vitamin B9 ( folic acid / folate )
• vitamin B12 ( cobalamin )
• vitamin C ( ascorbic acid )
• vitamin H ( biotin )
• choline
• PABA ( para-aminobenzoic acid )

Fat-soluble vitamins

• vitamin A
• vitamin D
• vitamin E
• vitamin K

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