Vitamins and Nutrition

A vitamin is a naturally occurring chemical that is required for life by humans but is not made in their own bodies. Vitamins are nutrients which must be taken in as part of a healthy diet. Although humans cannot make most of the vitamins (humans can make vitamin D!) bacteria can. Therefore, vitamins move up the food chain and are ultimately consumed by humans as either meat, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, or grains. There are many types of different vitamins, each with its own purpose. Many vitamins help enzymes to complete their jobs in the body. Vitamins such as the vitamin B complex are essential to the enzymes in the body that assist the metabolism of foodstuffs such as carbohydrates and fats. Some vitamins also act as hormones. Vitamin A is a hormone that regulates growth in the cell and vitamin D is a hormone that regulates bone growth.

Water soluble vitamins are easily stored by the body which can result in health problems rather than benefits. Water soluble vitamins are easily dissolved in water and can easily be obtained from vitamin pills, most water soluble vitamins are readily found in the diet, water soluble vitamins have caused serious health problems if too much of any fat soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins have caused serious health problems if too much of any fat soluble vitamins. There are two major groups of vitamins that are essential in the body.

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