Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins your body needs. They are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate). You can usually get all your vitamins from the foods you eat. Your body can also make vitamins D and K. People who eat a vegetarian diet may need to take a vitamin B12 supplement.
Each vitamin has specific jobs. If you have low levels of certain vitamins, you may develop a deficiency disease. For example, if you don't get enough vitamin D, you could develop rickets. Some vitamins may help prevent medical problems. Vitamin A prevents night blindness.
The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take a daily multivitamin for optimal health. However, high doses of some vitamins can make you sick.
- Fortify Your Knowledge about Vitamins(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/vitamins111907.html
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Vitamins and Minerals: What You Should Know(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/otc-center/otc-medicines/863.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/otc-center/otc-medicines/863.printerview.html
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Dietary Supplements Labels Database
(National Library of Medicine) - http://dietarysupplements.nlm.nih.gov/
- Dietary Supplements: Nutrition in a Pill?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/supplements/NU00198/METHOD=print
- Vitamins(Harvard School of Public Health) - http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vitamins/
- Vitamin D Levels Might Predict Risk for Multiple Sclerosis(09/19/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69505.html
- Vitamin C Might Help Lower Hypertension(09/19/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69498.html
- Vitamin B12 Key to Aging Brain(09/08/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69031.html
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Key Gaps Remain in Understanding Health Effects of Vitamin D(08/12/2008, National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2008/ods-12.htm
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Vitamin C Injections Slow Tumor Growth in Mice(08/04/2008, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Cancer Institute) - http://www.nih.gov/news/health/aug2008/niddk-04.htm
- More News on Vitamins http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_v.html#vitamins
- Methylmalonic Acid(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/mma/test.html
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Vitamin A and Carotenoids(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamina.asp
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Vitamin B12(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb12.asp
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Vitamin B6(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb6.asp
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch154/ch154i.html
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Vitamin D(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp
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Vitamin E(National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements) - http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamine.asp
- Vitamin K(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec12/ch154/ch154l.html
- Arthritis Today's 2005 Vitamin Guide(Arthritis Foundation) - http://ww2.arthritis.org/resources/arthritistoday/2005_archives/2005_09_10/Vitamin_Mineral_Guide/default.asp
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Calcium and Vitamin D: Important at Every Age(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/default.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.niams.nih.gov/Portal_En_Espanol/Informacion_de_Salud/Huesos/Salud_Hueso/default.asp
- Herbs, Vitamins, and Minerals(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/eto/eto_5_2_5.asp
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Important Information to Know When You Are Taking: Coumadin and Vitamin K(National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center) - Links to PDF - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/cc/coumadin1.pdf
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Vitamin A and Bone Health(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/vitamin_a.asp
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplements and Your Eyes(American Academy of Ophthalmology) - http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZPH27OH4C&sub_cat=2013
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Get on Board with Eijkman to Fight Beriberi(Nobel Foundation) - Requires Flash Player - http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/vitamin_b1/
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Micronutrients(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=micronutrients
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Vitamins(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/intervention=vitamins
- Do Low Vitamin D Levels Increase Risk for Hip Fracture?(American College of Physicians) - http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/149/4/I-42
- Don't Seek the Sun: Top Reasons to Get Vitamin D from Your Diet(American Academy of Dermatology) - http://www.aad.org/media/background/factsheets/fact_vitamind.htm
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Matching Genes and Vitamins: A Personalized Plan May Be in Your Future(National Institutes of Health) - http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/newversion/2008/August/feature2.htm
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Mortality and cardiovascular events in patients treated with homocysteine-lowering B... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18714059&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and risk for hip fractures. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18711154&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Do low vitamin D levels increase risk for hip fracture? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18711151&tool=MedlinePlus
- Vitamins -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=(vitamins[majr]+OR+ascorbic+acid[majr]+OR+vitamin+a[majr]+OR+vitamin+b+complex[majr]+OR+vitamin+d[majr]+OR+vitamin+e[majr]+OR+vitamin+k[majr]+OR+vitamin+u[majr])+NOT+(minerals[majr]+OR+calcium,dietary[majr]+OR+dietary+supplements[majr])+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Find a Nutrition Professional(American Dietetic Association) - http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/home_4874_ENU_HTML.htm
- Nutrient Lists(Dept. of Agriculture) - Links to PDF - http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869
- Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition - http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/
- Food and Nutrition Information Center - http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
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National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/
- FDA Law Enforcers Protect Consumers' Health(Food and Drug Administration) - http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/oci072307.html
- Does Your Child Need Vitamin Supplements?(American Academy of Pediatrics) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ03BR8W7C&sub_cat=110
- Vitamins(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/food/vitamin.html
- Vitamins and Minerals(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/nutrition/vitamins_minerals.html
- Prenatal Vitamins : How Much Is Too Much?(American Pregnancy Association) - http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/prenatalvittoomuch.htm
- Should Everyone over Age 75 Take a Multivitamin?(Cleveland Clinic Foundation) - http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/alternative/vitamins_elderly.aspx
- Antioxidants - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/antioxidants.html
- Calcium - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/calcium.html
- Dietary Supplements - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dietarysupplements.html
- Folic Acid - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/folicacid.html
- Herbal Medicine - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbalmedicine.html
- Minerals - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/minerals.html
- Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nutrition.html
- Food and Nutrition - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/foodandnutrition.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Vitamins is the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements - http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/