December 18, 2011, 8:00pm


"Vitamins: What are they and can we have too many?" 


by Ethan Kegley




Abstract:

What does the general population know about vitamins? Most people would say that vitamins run though the beginning of the alphabet from A to E. The average person might comment that vitamin A comes from carrots, vitamin B comes from their breakfast cereal, vitamin C comes from oranges, vitamin D comes from milk and that vitamin E is taken in the form of a pill to keep your skin from aging too quickly. The average person does not know a whole lot about vitamins. Why is this? How many vitamins are there actually? Where do they come from and what do they do in our bodies? Is it even possible to take too many vitamin pills?

I hope to give a basic overview of what vitamins are, their similarities, differences, what they do in our bodies and how the general population has come to know so little about them. The term vitamin was made up by a Polish scientist in the early 20th century. One of the first ways to classify vitamins is by their solubility. Some are water soluble, others are fat soluble. We all know the vitamins A-E, but how much do we know about vitamin “K” or vitamin “B9?” There is plenty of information to be had about vitamins, but the information is not always whole or in some cases can be somewhat misleading.

Is it possible that having a better understanding of the way we eat and the way or bodies deal with the intake and processing of vitamins and or lack of vitamins could be a major factor in health? I will deal with these issues and hopefully clear up any misconceptions about vitamins and possibly create an interest in living a healthier life.