If we don't get vitamins in our diet, 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 body carry out 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. 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 vegetables that prevents anemia and birth defects. Most people know whether they are on a well-balanced diet, Elmer says. If you are meeting the RDA, you can rest assured that you' re on the winning side against disease, because the RDA is not a minimum but is set at a higher level than what is essential, Elmer said.