So now, hoping to minimize confusion, we have only 13 vitamins that are claimed essential. Each of the 13 essential vitamins performs one or more specific functions in the body. If any one is missing, a deficiency disease becomes apparent. Vitamins do not provide energy, nor do they construct or build any part of the body. They are specifically needed for transforming foods into energy and body maintenance.
Research indicates that getting enough vitamins is essential to life.
In contrast, the body has no use for excess vitamins. High doses of certain vitamins can be dangerous, even fatal. Add to that the complication that the body can only store some vitamins for only relatively short periods. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are absorbed along with fat from various foods and are stored in the body. The water-soluble vitamins, the B's and C, generally are not stored.