Benefits of vitamins by type: 12 of the most important vitamins

The body needs sufficient vitamins in order to function properly. But to do that, you need to get a variety of different vitamins so that your body is capable of many different tasks.

Knowing what the list of the most important vitamins and minerals is can ensure that you can meet your own needs in order to reap the most optimal vitamin benefits for your health. Long story short, a vitamin deficiency can make you more prone to getting sick.

List of vitamins and minerals needed by the body

Vitamin A.

Vitamin A is a type of fat-soluble vitamin that is found in meat, liver, dairy products and eggs, fruits, and green vegetables. On the other hand, you can also meet your daily vitamin A intake from a multivitamin supplement.

The benefits of vitamin A are often linked to eye health, but the micronutrients contained in vitamin A also play an important role in supporting the immune system. Meeting the body's need for vitamin A can help reduce the risk of prostate cancer and lung cancer, maintain healthy skin, and maintain bone growth and strength. Vitamin A also helps the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs work properly.

Vitamin B complex

Vitamin B complex is a group of vitamins consisting of eight types of B vitamins: B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6, B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12. Basically, every micronutrient in a B complex vitamin helps the body convert food into energy.

Taking a B complex multivitamin can help treat or prevent certain health problems, including anxiety disorders, depression, fatigue, heart disease, premenstrual pain, and skin problems such as acne. In addition, many people take this vitamin supplement to increase energy, support brain health, improve mood, sharpen memory, reduce stress, stimulate the immune system, and improve hair and skin health.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in the growth and repair of cells in bones, teeth and skin. Vitamin C also protects your body from various infections due to the benefits of vitamin C which maintains the function of the immune system. In addition, vitamin C works as an antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage from free radicals, thereby reducing the risk of a number of cancers - including mouth and throat, esophagus, stomach, and breast cancer.

Although serious cases of vitamin C deficiency are rare, there are still many people who may not get enough vitamin C because the human body cannot produce vitamin C independently. For example, people who smoke. Smoking decreases the amount of vitamin C in the body, so smokers are at an increased risk of developing a vitamin C deficiency.

That's why it's important for you to get adequate intake of this vitamin from healthy foods, such as oranges, broccoli, guava, and papaya. You can also meet your daily vitamin C intake from a multivitamin supplement. The long-term benefits of vitamin C in supplement form can also protect you from cataracts.

Vitamin D3

Unlike vitamin C, Vitamin D3 is made by the body naturally when the skin is exposed to sunlight. But many people don't get enough of this nutrient. While the body uses sunlight to make vitamin D, its intake can be insufficient if you live in cold areas or don't spend a lot of time in the sun. That's why it's also important to get a good supply of vitamin D from foods - such as salmon, mackerel, egg yolks, and milk - and from a multivitamin supplement.

Adequate intake of vitamin D is important to help the body accelerate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus to build and maintain strong bones. The benefits of vitamin D also include treating and preventing bone disorders (such as rickets, osteomalacia, and osteoporosis). In addition, adequate vitamin D intake has a number of protective effects against several diseases such as cancer and type 1 diabetes. Multivitamin D supplements can also reduce the risk of non-spinal fractures.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the key to healthy skin and eyes. You can get an adequate intake of vitamin E by eating a variety of foods including vegetable oils, nuts, green vegetables, and fortified processed food products. You can also try to meet your daily vitamin E needs from a multivitamin.

In the body, vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps protect cells from free radical damage. The body also needs vitamin E to boost the immune system so that it can fight bacteria and viruses. The benefits of vitamin E were found to be able to widen blood vessels and keep blood clotting.

However, studies looking at the benefits of vitamin E for preventing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and other conditions have not found conclusive results. The benefits of vitamin E have only been proven so far in people who suffer from a deficiency. However, cases of vitamin E deficiency are rare. People on a low-fat diet may not have enough vitamin E.

Selenium

Selenium is an essential mineral that is essential for sharp cognitive function, a healthy immune system, and fertility for both men and women. Selenium is found in a variety of foods, such as rice, eggs, Brazil nuts, seafood and organ meats.

This mineral is involved in the production of prostaglandins in the body, which can reduce inflammation associated with rheumatism. In the body, selenium works together with vitamin E as an antioxidant to prevent the formation of free radicals so that it can reduce the risk of skin cancer and prevent sunburn. A study from the Netherlands also linked adequate selenium intake with a lower risk of prostate cancer.

Iodine

Iodine is a mineral needed in your daily diet to maintain thyroid function and cell metabolism. Low iodine intake can cause goiter, an abnormal swelling in the neck area. Hypothyroidism is another potential consequence of low iodine intake, causing a collection of symptoms that include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, and constipation.

Although iodized salt products exist as a fairly effective way to meet daily iodine needs, it is estimated that 2 billion people worldwide are still at risk for iodine deficiency. To prevent this, you can get your daily intake of iodine by eating seafood, cheese and eggs. A number of multivitamins on the market have also been supplemented with iodine.

Do not carelessly take a multivitamin supplement

It has been proven time and time again that consuming only one particular nutrient in supplement form will not provide the same health benefits as consuming the nutrients from the whole diet.

Therefore, your first focus is to always try to get your daily vitamin and mineral needs from food. Only then if you have adopted a healthy diet but still feel inadequate, it is okay to take a multivitamin once a day as a supplement.