Overview
Vitamins are important organic compounds required in our diets in small amounts for growth and good health. They are usually found in foods or taken as supplements. Vitamins are not used for energy and do not serve as building blocks, but they are crucial in helping the use those nutrients that do. Surveys have found that while a majority of Americans do take vitamin supplements on a regular or occasional basis for reason of health concerns, there exists confusion about the actual purpose and benefits of the use of vitamins.
Prevention
Most people have a recognition that Vitamin C prevents scurvy, that Vitamin A is found in fish-liver oils, or that Vitamin D is found in dairy products; many people believe that Vitamin E preserves youth and prevents sterility, or that Vitamin C can present colds and cancer. Beyond this, however, there is still considerable ignorance and widespread myth. The reality behind the common practice of taking vitamin supplements is less dramatic, although vitamins do represent an important component of the necessary human diet. The word vitamin was formed from the Latin word for life, "vita," and the Greek word "amine", because 19th century scientists believed that they were formed only from amino acids.
Fat-soluble
Vitamins are essential aids in many body processes, converting food the energy, building and maintaining cells, and other functions. Vitamins can thus be looked at as a crucial ingredient in the long-term maintenance of health. Vitamins come in two main forms: water soluble and fat-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins, including A, D E, and K, and are absorbed by the body with the aid of fat and then stored in body fat. (Marieb, Hoen 2010). Because they are stored in this way, we do not need to take these vitamins daily, and it is usually possible to maintain adequate amounts in the body through a normal,