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Learn About Essential VitaminsThe problem is that there are so many vitamin supplements. How can we separate the most necessary vitamins from ones that are less so? Think of it in this way. Vitamin supplementation is like driving a car. Your body is the car. The essential vitamins are required to fuel the car (in this case, the body). Just as a car cannot function without fuel, the body cannot function without vitamins. Functional car accessories are well and good. The car can run even without them. But without fuel, it will sputter and die. Essential vitamins are critical fuel for our body. They form hormones, create blood cells, enhance nervous system health and create genetic material. These processes would not take place in the absence of vitamins. When shopping for foods or multivitamin supplements, you may encounter the phrase: "contains 11 essential vitamins or nutrients". There are, in fact, 13 essential vitamins, categorized according to the extent of their solubility in either water or fat. Fat-soluble vitamins include Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin E. These vitamins are stored in our body fat, so we do not need daily intake. Meanwhile, water-soluble vitamins include Thiamine or Vitamin B1, Riboflavin or Vitamin B2, niacin or Vitamin B3, pantothenic acid or Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, biotin or Vitamin B7, Vitamin B9 or folic acid, and Vitamin C. Since these are water-soluble, our body is unable to store them and we must replenish our stores daily. When you are shopping for a multivitamin, find one that contains all 13 of these essential vitamins. Also Read: |