Characteristics of Vitamins

When you were young, your parents and doctor always told you to get plenty of vitamins in your diet. They weren't just nagging; vitamins are important to keep you functioning. Each vitamin in food has specific purposes and benefits in the body. For example, vitamin D ensures that calcium in your bloodstream is deposited into your bones and teeth, making them stronger, vitamin A strengthens your eyesight and vitamin C enables your body to heal wounds and to fight off disease. All vitamins share several characteristics.

Fat-Soluble and Water-Soluble

• Vitamins dissolve in either fat or water. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K are stored in the liver and fatty tissues; therefore, they stay in the body for a longer period of time than do water-soluble vitamins such as B and C. Colorado State University warns against the over-consumption of fat-soluble vitamins; because they stay in the body for prolonged periods, supplies can build up and lead to toxicity and health problems such as nausea, irritability, blurred vision and growth retardation.

  Water-soluble vitamins, by contrast, are not stored in the body. They exit with urine. Therefore, you must replenish your supplies

Natural Occurrence

• Vitamins occur naturally in foods, so the body doesn't need to create them. Therefore, most vitamins cannot be synthesized in your body in adequate amounts, so you have to include vitamins in your diet or take vitamin supplements. The only vitamin that your body synthesizes is vitamin D, but only when your skin is exposed to sunlight, according to Creighton University School of Medicine.

No Energy

• Unlike fats, carbohydrates and proteins, vitamins contain no usable energy. Energy-containing nutrients are arranged in molecular chains that react with stomach acid and enzymes in the digestive tract to dissolve into usable energy, according to Lane Community College. Vitamins' molecules are arranged differently from what your body is designed to process as energy. However, the vitamins themselves can be used to increase the functionality of various organs and systems.