Importance of Vitamins

There is a specific role that vitamins play in the natural wear and tear of the human body. You come across many vitamins and they have a major impact on the entire health of an individual. Vitamins consist of two kinds – water soluble and fat soluble.

The fat soluble vitamins consist of vitamin D, A, K and E and these are stored in the liver and fat tissues. Such vitamins can be in the body for six months. Whenever the body is in need of them, they are transported to the major area of the requirement present in the body through special carriers. Water soluble vitamins consist of vitamin C and vitamin B and these are not just stored in the body like the fat soluble ones. They get carried in the blood stream and have to be replenished each day.

The three major vitamins are –

Vitamin A

This is a natural antioxidant and belongs to the particular class of the pigments called as carotenoids. This consists of red, yellow, and orange pigments which provide the required coloring to plants and vegetables.

It has been found out that vitamin A helps in enhancing the functions of the immune system by promoting and supporting the major activities of the white blood cells and even the other major immune related cells. Furthermore, it helps in inhibiting the major kind of free radicals and the extensive damaging effects that are linked with the heart diseases, arthritis, and sometimes the progression of the malignant cells (i.e. cancer cells).

Vitamin B1

This is one of the water soluble B-vitamin that performs various cellular functions such as carbohydrates metabolism, production of certain types of neurotransmitters, breaking down of the amino acids, and the presences of various multiple enzyme processes. You can get thiamin in small amounts through various kinds of food.

Now the Vitamin B2 is similar to most of the B-vitamins and they are often involved in most of the cellular functions. This so called riboflavin is significant in metabolism of energy, conversion of tryptophan, folate synthesis and sometimes acts as a significant coenzymes (FAD/FMN) which is present in various reactions.

You can get such vitamins in mushrooms, liver, milk, spinach, grain and eggs. As it is water soluble, there are less chances of minimal storages of the riboflavin in the body and as the dietary intakes become insufficient, the deficiency will happen (and this usually is accompanied by other kinds of vitamin deficiencies).

Vitamin C

This is a water-soluble antioxidant which is quite important for the human life as well as health. There are various studies which have proven that such vitamins are quite important for a healthy immune responses, non-heme, wound healing, reducing the allergic responses, creation of the connective tissues like collagen and preventing all kind of diseases.

You can get the vitamin C from a diet which is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fortified diary, lentils, dried beans, fish, meat and more.

To conclude, vitamins are quite necessary for human body and any amount of deficiency can lead to serious disease and sickness.

Author

Saravavan Nadarajan (Vanan)

Vanan, fitness expert and leader at EzFit Singapore, specializes in holistic training—home-based, boot camps, and corporate fitness—with over a decade of industry experience.

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