Required by the body for metabolism, to protect health, and for the proper growth in children, vitamins are essential for health. These organic compounds also assist in the creation of blood cells, hormones, genetic material, and nervous system chemicals. The intricate ways in which all the vitamins act on and in the body are still not completely clear, although much has been learned in the recent past through research and studies.
The different vitamins are not chemically related and differ in their physical actions, but all generally act as catalysts. By combining with proteins, vitamins help create metabolic enzymes. These active enzymes are then in turn involved with hundreds of critical chemical reactions throughout the body. Without the catalyst of the vitamins, many essential functions of the body will slow down dramatically, or even cease, which will result in disease or death.