Vitamins are an essential part of maintaining a healthy body. Vitamins carry out a wide range of bodily functions, as well as enabling the body to heal and perform at an optimal level. Vitamins are a group of substances found in either food or supplemental form that are vital for growth, development and normal cell function. Ensuring that your body has a proper balance of each vitamin is very important to your overall health.

Vitamin A is found in animal products such as eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cream and fish-oil supplements. Vitamin A is an essential vitamin because it helps to form and maintain healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucous membranes and skin. Vitamin A also helps your eyes adjust to light changes, and keeps your eyes, skin, and mucous membranes moist. Vitamin A has some antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant required for the growth and repair of tissues such as collagen. Collagen is an important protein used to make skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments and blood vessels. Vitamin C is crucial for healing and repairing wounds and cartilage, bones and teeth. As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects the body’s cells against free radicals.

Vitamin D is naturally produced by the human body when it is exposed to the sun. Many people do not allow for enough time exposed to the sun, such as those living in cloudy climates or who work in sunlight-free building all day. These individuals do not receive enough vitamin D and need to supplement the substance in order to maintain proper health. Vitamin D is essential as it helps the body absorb calcium, an important mineral for healthy development and maintenance of teeth and bones.

Vitamin E and K are two essential vitamins for healthy blood and help to form blood cells. Vitamin E actually allows your body to use vitamin K, and without vitamin K your blood cannot coagulate or clot. Vitamin E also acts as a powerful antioxidant by neutralizing free radicals in the body that cause tissue and cellular damage. Vitamin E decreases symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and certain types of breast disease. Vitamin K plays an important role in kidney function and bone growth and repair and may help prevent osteoporosis.

The B-family of essential vitamins are fundamental for a healthy functioning metabolism. The metabolism is the body’s ability to convert food into energy and regulate bodily processes such as respiration, blood circulation and body temperature.

Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, helps to energize the body by converting blood sugar into energy, and is also essential for nervous system, cardiovascular and muscular function. Vitamin B2, called riboflavin, processes calories from carbohydrates, protein and fat, and promotes healthy skin and good vision. Vitamin B3, or niacin, and vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, are important for converting calories from protein, fat and carbohydrates into energy, and also helps the digestive system function and promotes a normal appetite and healthy skin and nerves.

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, assists with brain functions and helps the body convert protein to energy. Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, produces healthy red blood cells and keeps the central nervous system healthy. Vitamins B6 and B12 work together with folic acid to reduce levels of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood, elevated levels of which can increase a person’s risk of heart attack. Folic acid, also known as folate, is a B-complex vitamin that is important for the production and maintenance of new cells. Its role in healthy cell formation makes folic acid especially necessary during both pregnancy and infancy when cell growth is extremely rapid.