More About Vitamins
Vitamins are essential
When it comes to vitamins we often forget one simple truth. They’re absolutely essential for our survival. These vital organic compounds are required in small amounts by all living organisms, including humans.
Unlike certain other types of nutrients, vitamins cannot be synthesized by our bodies, so we must obtain them from our diet, either from the foods we eat or through supplementation.
Why should I take vitamin supplements?
A healthy, balanced diet is the ideal way to obtain the vitamins we need in sufficient quantities to support good health. However, this assumes your diet is comprised of nutritious whole foods grown in well-balanced soil. While the majority of us aspire to eat healthy, today’s highly processed and refined foods just don’t provide adequate levels of the vitamins and other nutrients we need on a daily basis.
This is why every day more and more people are incorporating vitamin and multivitamin supplements into their health regimen. While your diet should always be your primary source of nutrition, vitamin supplements and multivitamins can help bridge the gaps in your diet to ensure you’re getting the nutrients you need for optimal health.
The ABCs of vitamins
You may be wondering why vitamins are so important:
- Vitamin A – Like all vitamins, Vitamin A is important for a myriad of bodily functions including normal visual function, immune system health, healthy bones and teeth, and healthy skin. Our bodies also need Vitamin A to utilize protein, and this vitamin is also an antioxidant that protects against free radical damage.
- Vitamin B – B vitamins serve as coenzymes, which are biochemical cofactors or participants in a wide range of chemical reactions in the body. B vitamins in supplemental form are converted to the biologically active coenzyme form in the body. As a whole, B vitamins are extremely important for nervous system and neurological health.
- Vitamin C – A well-known antioxidant nutrient, Vitamin C supports the immune system and is involved in tissue growth and repair due to its role in the formation of collagen, your body’s main structural protein. It’s an electron donor for the creation of important enzymes and is a cofactor in the production of numerous essential biochemicals.
- Vitamin D – Vitamin D enhances the intestinal absorption of the dietary minerals calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, and therefore plays an important role in skeletal health. Low levels of Vitamin D have been associated with low bone mineral density. This well-known vitamin also supports healthy immune system function, and more recent research suggests Vitamin D may play a role in normal cardiovascular function as well.
- Vitamin E – Vitamin E is an antioxidant vitamin that prevents the spread of free radical damage that arises when fat in our bodies is oxidized. This important nutrient is also involved in a wide range of metabolic processes such as cell signaling and gene expression, and plays a role in platelet aggregation, immune system function and neurological function.
- Vitamin K – While Vitamin K may not be as well-known as other vitamins, it is nonetheless crucial for several important body functions. It’s necessary for proper coagulation, a critical component of cardiovascular function. Research has shown that Vitamin K plays a role in the proper disbursement of calcium throughout the body, which in turn supports bone health. In fact, Vitamin K-2 has been shown to play a pivotal role in vascular elasticity.
- Multivitamins – As you’ve read, all vitamins are important for our health in some way. But popping tons of pills a day just isn’t feasible or desirable for many of us. This is why multivitamins are a valuable part of many individuals’ health regimen today. With a high quality, comprehensive multivitamin formula you can get the nutrients you need at the dosages recommended by the experts.
The NOW® Difference
We know you have plenty of choices when it comes to vitamin supplements, so we go to great lengths to ensure we use only the best raw materials, and we test for identity, potency and purity. Just like all NOW® products, our vitamin and multivitamin supplements are produced with the same industry-leading attention to quality we’re known for.
Multivitamins are a great way to ensure you’re getting balanced nutrition every day, and at NOW we produce all of our vitamins with this goal in mind.
