Vitamins and minerals are vital to your health and well-being. You need both to survive. There are 13 essential vitamins that you need to help your body work properly. With that many vitamins available, it can be easy to forget about some.
Dr. Lynne Ahn is a board-certified gastroenterologist and anti-aging regenerative medicine physician. She enjoys helping patients make better choices to live healthier lives. Below she discusses vitamins that people often overlook.
The 13 Essential Vitamins
Can you list all of the 13 essential vitamins? If you can’t, that is okay. Most people can only list a handful. The 13 essential vitamins include the following:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Thiamine
- Riboflavin
- Niacin
- Pantothenic acid
- Biotin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Folate
The Top 5 Vitamins That People Often Overlook
Even when you work hard to get the right amount of vitamins and minerals in your daily diet, it can be easy to forget about some. Below are the top five vitamins that people often overlook.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is important to vision, growth, the immune system, reproduction and development. It can be found in eggs, milk and certain fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting and wound healing. It can be found in green leafy vegetables and some fruits.
Thiamine
Thiamine helps the body turn food into energy. It is also important for cell function, growth and development. You can get thiamine from fortified foods, whole grains, meat, fish, legumes, seeds and nuts. Most people can get enough thiamine from the foods that they eat. However, that doesn’t mean that it isn’t often overlooked. People who drink a lot of alcohol or have certain other conditions may have an increased risk of a thiamine deficiency.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is needed for the production of red blood cells and DNA. It is also necessary for cell metabolism and nerve function. You can get Vitamin B12 in fortified cereals as well as from meat, fish, eggs, and dairy.
Folate
Folate is necessary for the production of red blood cells and DNA. It is especially important for those who are pregnant. Folate can be found in a variety of foods including leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, eggs, dairy, meat, nuts, beans, and seafood.
Vitamin IV Therapy
Although supplements have traditionally been the best way to get added vitamins into your system, IV therapy is a new, highly effective solution. The IV puts the vitamins directly into your bloodstream rather than passing them through the digestive system, which means that you can absorb more nutrients and experience the benefits more quickly.
Contact Dr. Ahn
Dr. Ahn understands the important role that vitamins play in your health. To learn more about the vitamins that you may be overlooking, contact Dr. Ahn at Ahn Point Wellness in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Please call (781) 237-1600 to make an appointment.
