This entry is just about vitamins in general. We will do separate blog entries around the various vitamins that are essential for human health.
So what exactly is a vitamin?
According to Wikipedia;
A "vitamin" is an organic molecule - or set of molecules - that is an essential micro-nutrient that an organism requires in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism.
For info - "metabolism" is the chemical reactions in the body in order to maintain life
Many essential nutrients cannot be created in our bodies. Therefore we have to get them through our diet - either eating or drinking. Vitamins are just one of the essential nutrients required - the others being minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.
Most vitamins are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules.
Humans need thirteen different vitamins in order to maintain good health. We will cover each of them in different posts.
Vitamins are classified as either "water-soluble" or "fat-soluble". We have four that are fat soluble - Vitamins A, D, E, K) and nine that are water soluble (Vitamins B1. B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12 and Vitamin C).
Being water soluble means they dissolve easily in water, and are readily excreted from the body and not easy to store. Because of this we need to ensure a consistent intake.
Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed through our intestinal tract with the help of fats. It is possible for Vitamins A and D to accumulate in the body which is not good.
As adults, vitamins remain essential nutrients for the healthy maintenance of cell tissues and organs. They also enable our multicellular bodies to efficiently use chemical energy provided by the food it eats, and helps to process the proteins, carbohydrates and fats we require.
Finally - it is often commented on as to why there is no letter F, G H J etc. Well, actually there were once many other "vitamins", and these letters were used. They have now, through research, found not be be vitamins, but other nutrients - hence the missing letters.
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