What Are Vitamins? Easily Explained

What are vitamins? Answer: Substances that the body cannot produce itself

The body needs vitamins to maintain vital functions such as the immune system. Unlike other nutrients, vitamins are not sources of energy, but simply substances that the body cannot synthesize itself.

• Vitamins cannot be assigned to any uniform chemical substance group. They are organic molecules formed by plants, bacteria or animals. For example, vitamin C is ascorbic acid and vitamin A is retinol.
• Plants do not need any vitamins, they can produce all the substances they need themselves. Various substances are considered vitamins for animals and humans, depending on which substances they cannot produce themselves.
• For humans, there are 13 organic compounds that are considered vitamins. Under certain conditions, humans can also produce two of these vitamins themselves.
• Vitamin D, for example, can either be ingested through food or synthesized by the body when exposed to strong sunlight.
• If the body lacks certain vitamins, deficiency symptoms occur. Muscle pain, fatigue, and psychological fluctuations can be the result. If you don’t take vitamins at all, you can die from them.