Vitamins

The term vitamin originated from “vitamine,” a word first used in 1911 to designate a group of compounds considered vital for life and are substances found in foods. There are many different types of vitamins, including A, B (1,2,3,6,12), C, D, E, and K.

Your body needs the correct amount of vitamins to function properly. You only need small amounts of vitamins to be healthy which is important to note because if you take too much, you are likely to be ill. However if you don’t take enough vitamins you will not be as physically fit as other people. Your body doesn’t need the vitamins immediately, and so it stores them in your liver for future use. That is why if you take too much vitamins you become ill, as your body will not be able to store the vitamins in the necessary places, and they will start to store all over the body so they can fit in.

Why are vitamins so important?

Vitamins are so important because they help your body function properly and are therefore necessary for our health and well-being, especially as they help to prevent diseases associated with nutritional deficiencies such as scurvy, beriberi, pellagra and rickets, give us healthy bones and teeth, prevent us going blind, and from being prone to unexpected bleeding.

As said before, you can have too much of a good thing, and that's why we have an RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance), because if you think about it almost anything is toxic if consumed in excess.

Some people have different requirements to others, this differs with your age though. As our bodies age, they predictably become less efficient at absorbing vitmains making it all the more important to ensure that the right quantities consumed. For example, as we get older our bodies are less able to absorb iron, but Vitamin C can help increase absorption, as can multivitamins in liquid form.

What do various vitamins do, and where can you find them?

Every vitamin has a special role, for example:

• Vitamin A has an essential role in the growth and repair of body tissues, night vision and your immune system. Sources for this include apricots, eggs, low fat dairy products and liver
• The “B Vitamins” help our bodies make energy and red blood cells which carry oxygen around our bodies. Some foods you can find the “B vitamins” in are, beans, peas and whole grain bread.
• Vitamin C helps our muscles remain healthy, and helps to heal cuts and wounds, it can also help in the resistance of infections. Some foods you can find it in include, oranges, lemons, melons, broccoli, cabbage and tomatoes. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• Vitamin D helps us build strong bones and teeth. It also helps us to take in the calcium we need. Some foods you can find it are milk, salmon and eggs.
• Vitamin E helps to keep our body tissues, such as our eyes and skin, healthy, and some researchers have argued that they may assist the immune system. Some foods that you can find vitamin E in are, sardines, nuts and spinach.
• Vitamin K helps our blood to clot when we bleed, thus stopping excessive blood loss. Some foods you can find this type of vitamin in are, pork, liver and yoghurt.

- By Ant