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Summary

Vitamins are substances that your body needs to grow and develop normally. There are 13 vitamins your body needs. They are:

• Vitamin A
• B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12 and folate)
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

You can usually get all your vitamins from the foods you eat. Your body can also make vitamins D and K. People who eat a vegetarian diet may need to take a vitamin B12 supplement.

Each vitamin has specific jobs. If you have low levels of certain vitamins, you may get health problems. For example, if you don't get enough vitamin C, you could become anemic. Some vitamins may help prevent medical problems. Vitamin A prevents night blindness.

The best way to get enough vitamins is to eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods. In some cases, you may need to take vitamin supplements. It's a good idea to ask your health care provider first. High doses of some vitamins can cause problems.

Start Here

• Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD) (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements)
• Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Fact Sheets (National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements)
• Vitamins and Minerals: How to Get What You Need (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Can Vitamins Help Prevent a Heart Attack? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Foods for Eye Health (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Vitamin Deficiency Anemia (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Micronutrients (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Vitamins (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Association between Fat-Soluble Vitamin Metabolic Process and Glioma Progression.
• Article: The immunomodulatory effects of vitamins in cancer.
• Article: Causal effect of immune cells, metabolites, cathepsins, and vitamin therapy in...
• Vitamins -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Definitions of Health Terms: Vitamins (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

• Find a Nutrition Expert (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Food and Drug Administration
• Food and Nutrition Information Center
• National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements

Children

• Vitamins (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Vitamins and Minerals (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Women

• Prenatal Vitamins: OK for Women Who Aren't Pregnant? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal Vitamins: Why They Matter, How to Choose (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Vitamins (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish