Vitamins  are found in the foods we eat.  They are an important component of human nutrition and your body needs them to work properly. 

 

Although  vitamins were not discovered until early in the 20th century, the side effects of not having enough of them was discovered much earlier in diseases such as scurvy and rickets. In the 1700's a medical study demonstrated that scurvy could be controlled by adding lemons to the diet of British sailors whose rations contained no fresh fruits or vegetables (hence the sailor's nickname of "Limey"). In effect, this trial demonstrated that Vitamin C could prevent scurvy, although this vitamin was not actually identified until 1928.

 

When it comes to vitamins, each one has a special role to play. For example:

- Vitamin D is found in dairy products and supports bone health.
- Vitamin A is found mainly in dark green or yellow vegetables and fruit and is  

   important for healthy skin, hair and vision. 
- Vitamin E is found in green, leafy vegetables and protects red blood cells.

- B Vitamins are a group of important nutrients that can be found in whole grains,  

   meat and dairy products.

 

 

Vitamins fall into two main catagories: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Once consumed, fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the fat tissues of your body and in your liver.  Water soluble vitamins have no such ability to be stored and therefore need to be consumed on a regular basis either through the food you eat or by taking a vitamin supplement.  

 

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in your body for anywhere from days to months until  they are needed.  Then, special carriers in your body transport them to where they're needed. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.

 

Water-soluble vitamins are different.  When you eat foods that contain water-soluble vitamins, they're not stored anywhere in your body.  Instead, they travel through your bloodstream.  And whatever your body doesn't use is eliminated through your urine.

 

Because  you  don't store water-soluble vitamins, they need to be replaced often through  food and supplements.  This group of vitamins includes vitamin C and the B complex of vitamins which consists of B1 (thiamin),  B2 (riboflavin), niacin, B6  (pyridoxine), folic acid, B12 (cobalamine),  biotin, and pantothenic acid.

 

 

During World War II the government set out to investigate issues of nutrition that might "affect national defense" and set up a committee to determine a recommended standard daily allowance for each type of nutrient.  These standards were to be used for the armed forces and for civilians and once finialized in 1941, became known at the Recommended Daily Allowances, or RDA.

 

The RDA for various vitamins and minerals has been adjusted every five to ten years since their adoption and are designed to meet the nutrition needs of the majority of the population at all stages of life. 

 

Even though these RDA levels have been given the "official" stamp of the US government, there is plenty of debate about how useful these recommendations are.  It seems pretty safe to say that for certain groups of people, such as those involved in sports and athletics, pregnant women and the elderly, additional levels of many vitamins are needed to maintain optimum health.

 

 

Antioxidants are a group of vitamins and minerals that are believed to protect the body from the harmful effects of free radicals.  Technically, a free radical is any molecule or atom that has an unpaired electron.  As it relates to your health, we're concerned about the oxygen free radicals that are produced in your body every day.  These oxygen free radicals "attack" the normal cells of your body and this process is thought to contribute to aging and disease.

 

Several vitamins have strong antioxidant properties.  These include vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A.  Additional supplementation of these nutrients may provide extra ammunition in the battle against free radicals and aging.