Vitamin B17 is a semi-synthetic form of Amygdalin, a naturally-occurring compound found in plants. Commonly known as Laetrile, vitamin B17 is recognized for what is thought to be its cancer-killing agent, cyanide. Despite unrelenting disquiet over...
There are 13 vitamins total. Four of which are called "fat soluble" meaning they are stored for a long period of time in fat cells of the body where they can be utilized when needed. Vitamin K happens to be one of the fat-soluble vitamins along...
Vitamin D is essential for the body to properly absorb calcium. Even though only a limited number of foods contain both nutrients, it's important to obtain the necessary amounts through your diet. The recommended daily intake for vitamin D is 5...
Vitamin B6 is an important component of a healthy diet to prevent nerve problems and anemia, as the nutrient is involved in both nerve function and the production of hemoglobin. The Linus Pauling Institute recommends that you consume between 1.2...
Vitamin K is is stored in the fat tissues of the body, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It is also produced by intestinal bacteria. This vitamin is necessary for blood clotting, and a vitamin K deficiency may cause excessive...
Potassium plays a critical role in maintaining muscle function, including proper heart function. Every cell in your body needs potassium to work correctly. The recommended dietary intake of potassium for adults and children over 10 years old is...
There are several different forms of water-soluble vitamin B. The important B vitamins are B-1; B-2, commonly known as riboflavin; B-3, or niacin; B-5, or panthotenic acid; B-6, or pyridoxine; B-7, as biotin; B-9, known as folic acid; and B-12, or...
There are eight B vitamins that are considered essential for human health. Two of these vitamins, B6 and B12, are found in common food sources. Vitamin B6, or pyroxidine, helps the body optimize sodium and potassium levels, and aids in the...
Vitamin D is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins, and its roles in the body are varied. Among other functions, it is important in regulating calcium levels. Deficiency of vitamin D is associated with bone disorders such as rickets and...
Vitamin B12, a part of the B vitamin complex, has the most complex chemical structure of all vitamins, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. It helps preserve healthy nerve cells and red blood cells and is required...
Vitamin C and beta-carotene are antioxidants that help fight the negative effects of free radicals in your body. Free radicals can damage cells, which may lead to cancer. The medical jury is still out on whether antioxidants truly lower your risk...
Vitamin B12 is crucial to the healthy functioning of the human body. Vitamin B12 deficiencies can contribute to anemia, nervous system damage, cardiac disease, stroke and complications in pregnant women, according to The Vegetarian Society....
Red blood cell production depends on an adequate supply of vitamin B-12. An insufficient intake of the vitamin potentially leads to anemia, according to MedlinePlus. Good sources of vitamin B-12 include eggs, fish, shellfish, fortified cereals,...
Vitamin B12 and folic acid are water-soluble vitamins. The body can metabolize water-soluble vitamins without the presence of lipids, or fats, and usually excretes excess water-soluble vitamins through urination. Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin...
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an essential compound in the human diet that is required for the synthesis of collagen, a structural component in the assembly of blood vessels as well as tendons, ligaments and bone. It's found almost...
Vitamin B-12 is important for red blood cell formation, nervous system maintenance and brain function. The water-soluble vitamin is mainly found in animal foods, such as meat, eggs and dairy. Several foods are often fortified with vitamin B-12...
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that is consumed either as retinol, the purest form, or via carotene, which is a precursor to retinol and stored in the liver. Vitamin A is essential for healthy vision and skin, normal musculoskeletal growth...
Vitamins E and C are powerful antioxidants that protect cellular makeup from oxidation damage due to environmental toxins and other causes. Vitamin C is also essential for brain function as it aids in the synthesis of norepinephrine, an important...
The B-complex includes eight different water-soluble vitamins that perform various physiological duties, among which is helping you metabolize food into energy. Because they are water-soluble, your body is unable to store B-complex vitamins, and...
Vitamins and minerals are a part of our daily intake, whether intentionally through supplements or through the food we eat. During research for the Food and Nutrition Board, the National Institutes for Health and the Institute for Medicine...
The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are found in many foods, do not easily get lost in cooking and digest better when accompanied by fat. They are needed in only small amounts, and the excess is stored in the liver and fat tissues, so healthy...
The antioxidant vitamin A, also referred to as retinol, is a fat-soluble vitamin necessary for the immune system, healthy eyes, teeth, bones, soft tissues and skin. Animal sources of vitamin A are high in cholesterol and saturated fat and include...
Better known as essential fatty acids, or EFAs, Vitamin F is composed of two types of fatty acids: linoleic and alpha-linolenic. The body cannot produce EFAs by itself, so you have to get them from food sources where they are known as unsaturated...
Vitamins are chemicals the body needs in small amounts for certain chemical reactions to work properly. One vitamin, K, is needed for the function of some of the proteins involved in blood clotting. Blood clots can cause many health problems,...
Vitamin B-12, or methylcobalamin, keeps your nervous system and blood cells healthy. B-12 is necessary for creating DNA, and its presence helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, which may leave you feeling weak and tired. According to the National...
According to Medline Plus, vitamin K is known as the clotting vitamin because it is essential for blood clot formation. In fact, according to Harvard School of Public Health, vitamin K is needed to make four of the thirteen proteins essential for...
The B vitamins, also known as the B complex, are essential for overall health, and the best way to get them is by eating in their natural state. They include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B12...
Vitamin B7, also known as vitamin H or biotin, aids a variety of biochemical functions within your body. If you eat a balanced diet you probably obtain enough, but for varied reasons a great many Americans fail to maintain a well rounded diet....
Vitamin B3 is necessary for metabolism and general functioning of your body, reports the MedlinePlus health encyclopedia published by the National Institutes of Health. On nutrition labels, this vitamin can sometimes be noted as "niacin."...