There are a group of vitamins that are vital to the body – known as essential vitamins. The body can’t function properly without them. The body can’t make essential vitamins by itself, so we must get them through our diet. However, even with the best intentions, it’s not always possible to get enough of the vitamins we need to keep our body functioning at its very best. Why do people take vitamins? Millions of people around the globe take vitamins to supplement their dietary intake and promote optimum health. It’s...

You might know a bit about vitamins, and may even take some every day, but do you really know what they are? We’ve got the answers to your vital vitamin questions: What are vitamins? Vitamins are compounds that our bodies need to work properly. Because we can’t make most of them, we have to get them from our diets. There are 13 vitamins altogether and they are classed as micronutrients because we only need them in small quantities, usually milligrams (mg) or micrograms (mcg or μg), every day.  One exception...