What Can Vitamins Do?

Vitamins are essential nutrients for your body to function and stay healthy. The vitamins include A, C, E, D and K, as well as the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B-6, B-12, folic acid and biotin. Eat a balanced diet to reduce your risk for deficiencies, and talk to your doctor if you are considering a supplement.

Prevent Deficiency Disease

Each vitamin has a specific function or set of functions in the body, and a deficiency of a vitamin leads to a deficiency disease. Vitamin C is essential for wound healing, and a deficiency, called scurvy, causes excessive bruising and bleeding gums, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. A deficiency of folic acid or vitamin B-12 can lead to anemia, characterized by unhealthy red blood cells, and vitamin D deficiency causes bone diseases, such as rickets in young children, and osteomalacia in adults.

Allow Healthy Metabolism

Vitamin D is essential for helping your body to absorb and use calcium from your diet, which is necessary for building and maintaining strong bones. Vitamin C increases the absorption of non-heme iron, which is the form found in plant-based foods, such as spinach, lentils and nuts. Many of the B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B-6, are essential for metabolizing carbohydrates, fat and protein from your food so you get energy.

Prevent Chronic Diseases

You need an adequate intake of vitamin B-12 and folic acid to reduce levels of homocysteine in your blood and lower your risk for heart disease, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Folic acid is also essential for pregnant women to reduce the risk for neural tube birth defects. High doses of the antioxidant vitamins C or E may reduce your risk for heart disease and macular degeneration. Many factors contribute to your risk for chronic diseases, so talk to your doctor if you have concerns.

Guide Your Choices

The vitamin content of foods can help you make healthy choices because many foods with a high vitamin content are good sources of other essential nutrients. For example, some of the best sources of vitamin C are fruits and vegetables, which also provide dietary fiber and potassium, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center. Vitamin B-12 is in animal products, such as milk and meat, which are sources of high-quality protein. Vitamin-rich foods are not always healthy, so check the rest of the nutrition label to avoid foods that are high in sugars, saturated or trans fats, cholesterol or sodium.