Vitamins are nutrients that your body must obtain from food because your body cannot make them on its own. They are organic compounds that the body requires in minimal amounts to facilitate normal function. Your body utilizes these nutrients without breaking them down. There are thirteen compounds that are currently considered vitamins. They are A, eight separate B vitamins, C, D, E, & K.
Each of these vitamins is essential for optimal body performance. Without them, your risk of disease increases. Vitamins have also been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis. Deficiencies in certain vitamins have been proven to cause birth defects. And increased amounts of other vitamins have been proven to prevent or aid in the treatment of other diseases like cancer.
Since your body cannot produce these nutrients on its own, your main source of vitamins comes from the foods you eat. The importance of eating the right foods in the right amounts cannot be stressed enough. With our busy lives today, it is difficult to ensure that we are able to meet our daily needs. It may be necessary to consider taking a multi-vitamin to make certain you are giving your body what it needs to promote proper function and prevention.