Much is written these days about the function of vitamins and the role they play in good health and wellness. Claims are made about the use of vitamins in treating everything from cancer to colds to respiratory infections. Scientific evidence is available to support some of these claims while others require further studies. The best absorbed vitamins can be found in common foods or taken in supplement form.
Vitamin A
Readily consumed in common foods, vitamin A is easily absorbed in the stomach and distributed into the body. Vitamin A is abundant in yellow and orange foods containing beta-carotene. These foods include pumpkin, zucchini squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots, grapefruit and oranges. Vitamin A is plentiful and commonly found in a balanced diet. It is noteworthy that processing of these foods, including cooking or freezing, decreases the amount of vitamin A. Vitamin A is needed for night vision, skin and bone growth, and reproductive organs. According to the Mayo Clinic, however, claims that vitamin A has a beneficial effect on lung disease, dry skin, acne and wound healing are not yet proven.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, commonly found in foods such as eggs, shellfish, fish, meat and dairy, is absorbed easily from food. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is not common to suffer a vitamin B12 deficiency as the body is efficient at storing it. Absorption of vitamin B12 helps to maintain healthy nerve cells, red blood cells, and is vital to the production of DNA. Easily absorbed in the stomach and along the intestinal tract, B12 is bound together with proteins in foods, and is released when it comes in contact with acidic stomach acids, converting to intrinsic factor (IF) in the gut, making one of the best absorbed vitamins.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is the source of many myths and some controversy, as it is erroneously believed to treat asthma, colds and respiratory infections, diabetes and cancer. According to the Mayo Clinic, many of the proposed benefits of vitamin C supplementation have no scientific basis. Though vitamin C is easily consumed and absorbed in most people. it has been noted that some conditions may increase the need for vitamin C, as it is rapidly absorbed and depleted in people living with alcoholism, smokers, AIDS, diarrhea, burns, fever, infection, cancer, intestinal disease, stomach ulcer, prolonged stress, hyperthyroidism, tuberculosis, and in those on hemodialysis.
Vitamin E
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, vitamin E is important in the promotion of immune system function and metabolic processes. Vitamin E is readily found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, fortified cereals, margarine, peanut butter, avocados, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale. According to the National Institutes of Health, however, "it is not uncommon for people with cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, and liver disease to require vitamin A supplementation," likely due to rapid metabolism of vitamin E in these conditions. Recommended dosage is 15mg per day; and supplement dosages exceeding 1,000mg are considered unsafe for consumption.
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