Find out from WebMD's slideshow which vitamins and minerals your body needs, what they do, and what foods you can eat to get them..
Fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K) dissolve in fat and tend to accumulate in the body. Water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins, such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate) must dissolve in water before they can be absorbed by the body, and therefore cannot be stored.
Vitamins are what your body needs to function and stay healthy. It's possible to get all the vitamins you need from the food you eat, but supplements may help.
Learn about the 13 essential vitamins your body needs for proper function, their roles, and how to get them through a balanced diet. Plus, the risks of vitamin deficiencies and how to prevent them.
Some sources include a fourteenth, choline. [6] Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions. Vitamin A acts as a regulator of cell and tissue growth and differentiation. Vitamin D provides a hormone-like function, regulating mineral metabolism for bones and other organs. The B complex vitamins function as enzyme cofactors (coenzymes) or the precursors for them. Vitamins C and E function as ...
Vitamin, any of several organic substances that are necessary in small quantities for normal health and growth in higher forms of animal life. Vitamins generally cannot be synthesized in amounts sufficient to meet bodily needs and therefore must be obtained from the diet or from some synthetic source.
We hear about them all the time. But what are vitamins and minerals anyway? Our registered dietitian explains.