Vitamins & Minerals

What are vitamins?
Vitamins are natural substances found in plants and animals. Your body uses these substances to stay healthy and support its many functions. There are two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble.

What are water-soluble vitamins?
Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed by your body. Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, they don't have to be absorbed using bile acids (fluids used to digest fats). Your body doesn't store large amounts of water-soluble vitamins. The water-soluble vitamins you don't need are removed by your kidneys and come out in your urine.

What are fat-soluble vitamins?
Your body has to use bile acids to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Once these vitamins are absorbed, your body stores them in body fat. When you need them, your body takes them out of storage to be used. Eating fats or oils that are not digested can cause shortages of fat-soluble vitamins. This includes using mineral oil frequently to treat constipation or eating the fat substitute Olestra.

What are minerals?
Minerals come from the earth or from water. Plants and animals absorb them to get nutrients. Download the PDF file below for a few details about the major minerals.

Do I need to take vitamin and mineral pills?
The best way to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs is from the food you eat. Most people don't need to take additional vitamin and mineral supplements. You should never take extra vitamins and minerals without talking to your doctor first. However, your doctor may suggest taking extra vitamins or minerals if you have certain health problems. You also may need more vitamins and minerals at certain times in your life, such as the following:
If you are a woman and are trying to get pregnant, your doctor will likely suggest you take a pill that contains folic acid. Women who don't get enough folic acid during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby with neural tube defects (serious problems of the brain or spinal cord). It's important to take folic acid before becoming pregnant because these problems develop very early in pregnancy.
If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, your doctor may suggest that you take a prenatal mineral and vitamin pill that includes iron to protect you against anemia, calcium to keep your bones strong and folic acid.
If you're a woman and are at risk of osteoporosis, your doctor may suggest that you take a calcium supplement to support the health of your bones. If you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet (a diet that limits the animal products you eat), your doctor may suggest that you take a vitamin B12 supplement.

Can vitamin and mineral pills be dangerous?
Vitamins and minerals aren't dangerous unless you get too much of them. It would be hard to "overdose" on vitamins or minerals that you get from the foods you eat. But if you take supplements, you can easily take too much. This is even more of a risk if you take fat-soluble vitamins. Sometimes, taking too much of a vitamin or mineral can lead to problems such as the side effects listed above. Taking too much can also cause problems with some medical tests or get in the way of how some drugs work. It's very important to talk with your doctor before you take any vitamin and mineral pills, especially if you take prescription medicines, have any health problems or are elderly.
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