Many people know that vitamins are important components of diet and that enzymes play critical roles in cellular function. You need both vitamins and enzymes to maintain health and wellness, but vitamins and enzymes aren't one in the same. However, many enzymes require vitamins in order to function.
Vitamins
Vitamins are one of two subcategories of micronutrient; the other subcategory is minerals. Micronutrients are compounds that you need to eat regularly but that don't provide your cells with energy in the same way carbohydrates, proteins, and fats -- the macronutrients -- do. You use vitamins for many different purposes in the body, from playing critical roles in vision to helping prevent and undo damage from exposure to environmental toxins and radiation, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book, "Human Physiology."
Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that participate in chemical reactions, helping to regulate the reactions and speed them up. Many of the reactions your cells need to do would take place too slowly to do you any good in the absence of enzymes. Another major purpose of enzymes is to allow reactions to run only when the conditions are right, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry." This helps the body conserve resources.
Making Enzymes Functional
Many vitamins help to make enzymes functional, form parts of enzymes, or play necessary roles in enzyme-assisted reactions. For instance, the Linus Pauling Institute explains that enzymes responsible for making certain amino acids -- building blocks of protein -- can't function without vitamin B-12. Similarly, you need vitamin B-1 to assist in the reaction that breaks down sugars for energy. Enzymes and vitamins aren't the same, but they have to work together.
Consumption
Unlike vitamins, you don't need to consume enzymes to maintain cellular wellness. In fact, with very few exceptions, you can't benefit from enzyme supplements that you consume in an attempt to augment health; the most notable exception here is that if you're lactose intolerant, you need lactase supplements to consume dairy. In most cases, however, cells rely on the enzymes they make themselves. You do need to consume vitamins regularly, however, either those that occur naturally in foods or in the form of supplements. Your doctor can help you determine whether you need supplements based upon your diet and health status.
References
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D. and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin B-12
Member Comments