Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid or ascorbate, is a water-soluble anti-oxidant.  One of its main functions in our bodies is to protect our cells from oxygen-based damage. Healthy adults need about 75 to 90 mg per day; pregnant and lactating women need more; children need less.  Pediatric doses range from 15 mg to…

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. Most of your intake of Vitamin D, though, comes from skin exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D plays important roles in the regulation of certain minerals (calcium, phosphorus), in the maintenance of bone, in the regulation of blood sugar, blood pressure, inflammation and immune system responses. The amount of sun…

Vitamin E

What is commonly referred to as Vitamin E is actually a group of related, fat-soluble compounds found in many foods and as a man-made supplement. Vitamin E is one of the anti-oxidant vitamins (along with C and B3).  It protects cells against oxidative damage. Because sufficient amounts of Vitamin E are easily obtained from foods,…

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a major role in the blood-clotting process.  In fact, the “K” comes from the German “Koagulationsvitamin”, as it was called when the initial discovery was announced in a German scientific journal. In addition to its function in blood-clotting, Vitamin K is also involved in calcium-bonding processes in bone…