What are Vitamins

Almost everybody has heard of vitamins, and like proteins carbohydrates and , they are essential building materials for the body.

Vitamins, differ from these other categories in that there is no energy to be obtained from vitamins. Instead of this, coupled with minerals, they are used in regulation and function, for processes within the body, such as growth, cell reproduction, digestion, oxidation and metabolism.

Generally speaking there are 13 vitamins, and these are either water-soluble, or fat soluble.

Water soluble vitamins

This group includes the vitamin B. Group and the vitamins C. the problem with all water-based vitamins is that they have an inability to be stored for long periods of time. And so this means those groups must be found on a regular basis, preferably dietary. This group stays in the body roughly for about 3 to 4 days. Being water-based, they are easily absorbed through the intestines, and from there into the blood, and any that is not used, or you have an excess of, is eventually past through as urine. However, if you are lacking in these vitamins, any symptoms will not show for months, it is only under severe deterioration does vitamin deficiency begin to take its toll. Unfortunately, by this time, the road to recovery, can be very long and laborious. Luckily, it is rarely a problem that cannot be repaired with time.

Fat soluble vitamins

These are vitamins A, D, E and K. These are all so absorbed through the intestines and digestive system. Although, these are not as easily absorbed as water-soluble vitamins. With the exception of vitamin K., these vitamins are stored in the body’s fatty tissue, and in the liver to a smaller degree. For this reason it is not necessary to keep eating foods that contain these vitamins on a regular basis. Some of these vitamins, vitamin A., can be stored for up to a year in the body’s fat reserves. Not all of these vitamins are gained from food necessarily, such as vitamin D. which the body produces from exposure to light. It should also be noted that vitamins do not work on a proportional basis, that is to say, that you do not need the same amounts of each vitamin to be healthy. Because these vitamins are fat soluble vitamins, to obtain this set in abundance, would necessitate the eating of fatty foods, which would be a negative to your body’s health. Although in the case of anti-aging treatments, an excess of vitamin A, also known as retinol, is beneficial to the quality of your skin.

Minerals

Minerals are a normal organic material that is used by the body for various processes, and are essential in the manufacture of necessary enzymes that are used by the body in the digestion of food. So as you can see, from the previous paragraphs, that’s it is essential to have minerals with vitamins in order to be able to extract the necessary vitamins to the bloodstream. It also goes, that without the necessary minerals, the absorption of vitamins, and their utilization, can be inefficient without the correct balance of both. Some minerals are required only in very trace amounts, as these are poisonous in too high a dosage, and some minerals are required in very high dosages. The most common minerals that we require, for example, is iron, or calcium, and even if you are unsure of what minerals were, there is no doubts that everybody has heard of these two and how much we require them daily.

We will be exploring each section in my much greater detail further into the sites. We hope you will learn a lot, and that you will benefit from it. Here is to your good health, cheers.