Vitamins

The document from August 2012, authored by Bryon Lauer and Nancy Spector, discussed the importance of vitamins, particularly vitamin D, in human health. The authors noted that vitamin D deficiency could increase the risk of various health conditions, including autoimmune diseases, osteoarthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, schizophrenia, depression, and wheezing. As a result, the Institute of Medicine recommended that children and adolescents over one year old should consume 600 IU/day of vitamin D. The authors also explained that vitamins are organic compounds that humans cannot synthesize in adequate quantities, so they must be consumed in our diet. Each vitamin has unique functions in the body, including hormone regulation, cell proliferation, tissue growth and differentiation, and antioxidant effects. Vitamins also serve as cofactors for multiple metabolic pathways. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, while vitamin B complexes and vitamin C are water-soluble.