It is fact that if we don't get vitamins in our diets, we will develop serious health problems, says Dr. Gary Elmer, associate professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy.
Vitamins help the enzymes in our bodies carry out very important metabolic steps.
Vitamin E, an antioxidant, aids in the prevention of heart disease, for instance, by keeping unstable oxygen molecules from destroying healthy cells in our bodies. When oxygen molecules that are missing an electron enter our bodies, they destroy the healthy cells we need to fight diseases such as cancer by ripping off their electron. Studies show that vitamin E gives up its electron when it meets an unstable oxygen molecule, thereby preventing further damage. Elmer said that if you polled the scientists and physicians, including himself, who are conducting research with vitamin E, you'd find that most have increased their intake of it. Other vitamins that have been directly linked to the prevention of specific diseases include folic acid, a vitamin found in green, leafy veggies that prevents anemia and birth defects.