Vitamins are necessary in small amounts for normal metabolism and good health. Vitamins and minerals have no calories and are not an energy source, but assist in metabolizing nutrients in food and are invaluable in keeping your body running smoothly. Vitamins make it possible for other nutrients to be digested, absorbed and metabolized by the body. Vitamins are sometimes referred to as the "spark plugs" of our human machine. They are required to do many things and their excess or depletion can lead to acute and chronic disease.

Vitamins promote normal growth, provide proper metabolism, ensure good health and protect against certain diseases. Vitamin is required by the body in small amounts for metabolism, to protect health,and for proper growth in children. Vitamins assist in the formation of hormones, blood cells, nervous-system chemicals, and genetic material. Vitamins mainly serve as catalysts for certain reactions in the body. They combine with proteins to create metabolically active enzymes that in turn produce hundreds of important chemical reactions throughout the body. The fundamentals of cells depend greatly upon vitamins. Vitamins are responsible for keeping cells strong, binding tissues, fighting infections, etc. Without vitamins our cells would not function properly and thus our organs would suffer and eventually we would no longer be able to survive. Vitamins help regulate metabolism, help convert fat and carbohydrates into energy, and assist in forming bone and tissue.

Vitamin A plays an important role in vision, bone growth, reproduction, cell division and differentiation. Vitamin B complex improves the body's resistance to stress. Aids in digestion, promotes good muscle tone, healthy skin. Vitamin B complex reduces muscle spasms, leg cramps, hand numbness and helps regulate blood pressure. Vitamin C is responsible for helping to build and maintain our tissues and strengthening our immune system. Adequate amounts of vitamin D is necessary for preventing bone loss. Vitamin E is the most effective, fat-soluble antioxidant known to occur in the human body. The main function of vitamin E is to maintain the integrity of the body's intracellular membrane by protecting its physical stability and providing a defense line against tissue damage caused by oxidation. Alpha-lipoic acid helps to neutralize the effects of free radicals on the body. Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting and bone metabolism (carboxylation of osteocalcin). Bioflavonoids have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antiviral, and anti-carcinogenic properties.

Vitamin deficiencies and human health

Vitamins are of vital importance in maitaining hunman health. Deficiencies of most of the vitamins will result in corresponding diseases. A deficiency of vitamin A can cause retarded skeletal growth, night blindness, various abnormalities of the skin and linings of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal tract. Thiamin deficiency can lead to muscular weakness, leg cramps, slow heartbeat, irritability, defective hydrochloric acid production in the stomach and consequent digestive disorders. Riboflavin deficiency can cause inflamed tongue, inflammation and ulcers in the mouth, Dandruff, weakness, abnormal blood vessel growth on the sclerae, and low blood counts. A niacin deficiency often leads to a chronic illness called pellagra. Vitamin B5 deficiency causes depression, personality changes, and heart problems. Vitamin B6 deficiency can cause impaired immunity, skin lesions, and mental confusion.

A deficiency of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency can cause pernicious anemia. An inositol deficiency could be a contributing cause of abnormal platelet aggregation, and alcoholism. Patients with systemic carnitine deficiency have a progressive neuromuscular disorder with nausea and vomiting. A deficiency in PABA may cause fatigue, irritability, depression, nervousness, headache, constipation and other digestive disorders. A lack of vitamin C leads eventually to scurvy. In children, vitamin D deficiency is called rickets. Vitamin E deficiency affects the central nervous system and causes muscle weakness, loss of muscle mass, abnormal eye movements, impaired vision, and unsteady gait. Biotin deficiency results in fatigue, depression, nausea, muscle pains, hair loss, and anemia. Symptoms of vitamin K deficiency include easy bruisability, epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, menorrhagia and hematuria. Folic acid deficiency during pregnancy increases the risk for neural tube defects.

http://www.vitamins-supplements.org/

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