Are You Getting What You Need?
Vitamins and minerals are essential nutrients because they perform hundreds of roles in the body.
What Are Vitamins?
Having too little of any particular vitamin may increase the risk of developing certain health issues. A vitamin is an organic compound, which means that it contains carbon.
There are currently 13 recognized vitamins.
Fat-Soluble And Water-Soluble Vitamins
We describe both types below: Fat-soluble vitamins Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. The body stores fat-soluble vitamins in fatty tissue and the liver, and reserves of these vitamins can stay in the body for days and sometimes months.
Water-soluble vitamins Water-soluble vitamins do not stay in the body for long and cannot be stored. They leave the body via the urine. Because of this, people need a more regular supply of water-soluble vitamins than fat-soluble ones.
Vitamin C and all the B vitamins are water-soluble . Vitamin supplements Many people in the United States take multivitamins and other supplements, though these may not be necessary or helpful, according to research . Anyone taking supplements should be careful not to exceed the maximum dose, as research shows that taking too much of any vitamin can lead to health problems.
Also, some medications can interact with vitamin supplements. Various supplements are available for purchase online.
1. Vitamin D
Older adults should get 800 IU.