The most important thing about vitamins is that they cannot be manufactured in significant quantities in the body, but must be obtained from the diet.

Vitamins have diverse  functions. Some have hormone-like functions  (e.g. vitamin D), or regulators of cell and tissue growth (e.g. some forms of vitamin A). Others function as antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E and  vitamin C). The largest number of vitamins (e.g. B complex vitamins)  help enzymes in their work as catalysts in metabolism: for example, biotin is part of enzymes involved in making fatty acids;  folic acid carries various forms of carbon groups – methyl, formyl and methylene – in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme reactions are vitamins’ best-known function, the other vitamin functions are equally important.

The value of eating certain food to maintain health was recognised long before vitamins were identified

Vitamins are essential for normal growth and development, and even minor deficiencies can result in permanent damage.

Today we know that food processing, storage and traveling ruins much of the healthy vitamin content of fruit and vegetables, resulting in the need to supplement.

People are often under the mistaken impression that ‘natural products’ cannot do harm. However, in large doses, some vitamins have documented side effects that tend to be more severe with a larger dosage. The likelihood of consuming too much of any vitamin from food is remote, but overdosing from vitamin supplementation does occur. At high enough dosages some vitamins cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.  When side effects emerge, recovery is often accomplished by reducing the dosage.

As with any supplementing, common sense and caution should prevail.  It is also worth mentioning that not all vitamin supplements are the same.  The scourge of the ‘vitamin industry’ is sub-therapeutic dosing – your product may have every vitamin from A-Z, but in such a small quantities that they are of no benefit to your body.

At The Good Health Shop we are careful what supplements we choose to sell.  Among our vitamin varieties you will find Solgar V2000 and Omnium, , Viridian High 5 Multivitamin and mineral, Platinum Health (Tones), Bioharmany Optimum Nturition formula, Holistix Total supply and Bio-Strath.

You will, of course, also find variants, single vitamins, minerals and other supplements, all carefully chosen with optimising health as a priority.