Essential Vitamins

Vitamins are important molecules that can allow our bodies to function properly. For instance, some vitamins work as catalytic molecules: they bind to important enzymes, and, as cofactors, work to make molecular reactions happen. Vitamins can also work as substrates: they are acted upon by different enzymes in the body, so that when they are broken down, their individual subunits can help the different body organs work better.

Vitamins can also serve as co-enzymes or carriers of molecules from one enzyme to another.

We can obtain vitamins through the food that we eat, although the latest technology has allowed scientists to produce some vitamins in the laboratory. These vitamins can be packaged individually as pills, or they can be packed with other vitamins into a multi-vitamin tablet that people can use to supplement their diets. Research has also shown that we all have a recommended daily intake or allowance of essential vitamins, a group of thirteen important molecules that our bodies absolutely need in order to function properly and survive.

Vitamin A, which belongs to the retinoid group of vitamins, is soluble in fat. Vitamin A can be found in many orange foods, such as carrots or squash. Experts recommend a daily dose of nine hundred to three thousand micrograms of Vitamin A; an overdose of Vitamin A can result in a disease known as hypervitaminosis A, which, among others can cause people to have yellow or orange skin. Individuals who lack Vitamin A can suffer from night blindness; in fact, doctors recommend that children consume a lot of carrots so that these children’s eyes can develop properly.

Vitamin B1, or thiamine, is a water-soluble vitamin that is part of the B-complex group of vitamins. A debilitating disease called beriberi results when we take less than 1.2 milligrams of Vitamin B1 a day. So far, there is no upper limit for Vitamin B1 consumption.

Riboflavin, or Vitamin B2, is another B-complex group member and a water-soluble vitamin. Like the rest of the B-complex vitamins, riboflavin functions in keeping the integrity of the immune system. It has so far no upper limit for consumption, although taking less than 1.3 milligrams of Vitamin B2 a day can result in a disease called ariboflavinosis.