Browse the corpus

Vitamins play vital roles in many biochemical processes in the human body and are essential for maintaining optimal health. There are 2 main groups of vitamins: fat-soluble (easily stored in fat upon absorption) and water-soluble (washed out and not easily stored). Although adequate intake of all vitamins is important, regular intake is required to avoid deficiency due to the transient nature of water-soluble vitamins. The water-soluble vitamins include Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folate, and cobalamin). Vitamin B complex and vitamin C are found in many foods, especially vegetables and fruits, as well as dairy, meat, legumes, peas, liver, eggs, and fortified grains and cereals. In addition to serving as cofactors in biochemical reactions, the vitamin B complex is vital for normal growth and development, healthy skin, proper nerve and heart function, and red blood cell formation. The overall lack of water-soluble vitamins is rare in North America, though it can present in alcohol use disorder, malabsorption syndromes, strict veganism, and malnourished states.