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Vitamins. What is a vitamin anyway? Vitamins are something that most people don’t even think twice about. They don’t even question what they are and what they do for our bodies. All people know is that they are healthy. It is true that they keep you healthy but the information does not stop there. I chose the topic vitamin A because I feel there is a lot that should be known about this mysterious and yet important part of our diet. The first way to come to know this vitamin is to question it. What is it? Where does it come from? How does it work? Why do we need it? Do we get enough of it? When can a deficiency occur? How can we get enough? Can we take too much? Are there any side affects? After all of these questions are answered a person will then be educated about the importance of vitamin A and will take into consideration the value of this and many other vitamins. Upon my research, I found many of these answers and discovered some very interesting facts. Vitamins are essential nutrients that must be supplied exogenously (1). They are any of the organic compounds required by the body in small amounts for metabolism, to protect health, and for proper growth in children. Vitamins also assist in the formation of hormones, blood cells, nervous-system chemicals, and genetic material. The various vitamins are not chemically related, and most differ in their physiological actions. They generally act as catalysts, combining with proteins to create metabolically active enzymes that in turn produce hundreds of important chemical reactions throughout the body. Without vitamins, many of these reactions would slow down or stop. The fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are generally consumed along with fat-containing foods, and because they can be stored in the body’s fat, they do not have to be consumed every day (2). In vitamins A and D, toxicity is more commonly seen (1). The body can manufacture only vitamin D. All others must be derived from the diet (2). Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin (3). It supports the formation of the cells of the skin and is utilized in the process of vision (5). Retinol is one of the most active, or usable, forms of vitamin A. Retinol is often called preformed vitamin A.
Approximate Word count = 1576
Approximate Pages = 6.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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