by Ho Tin

Created on: August 20, 2007   Last Updated: May 16, 2010

Vitamins, like minerals, are beneficial to our body. Vitamins don't work alone in the body system. One type of vitamin may help the adsorption of another into the blood stream. Sometimes, vitamins are required for the normal function of a mineral to operate. At other times, minerals are needed for vitamins to be adsorbed into the body. For instance, calcium is only adsorbed by the body in the presence of vitamin D.

Taking vitamins with the correct food helps in the absorption and storage of vitamins in the body system. Most vitamins are fat-soluble. As such, when vitamins are taken with food, the fat in the food will help to absorb the vitamins and carry them into the body. If vitamins are not taken with the appropriate food, vitamins taken into the body may be lost or only partially adsorbed.

Sometimes, vitamins may harm the body when taken on an empty stomach. For people with weak stomachs, vitamin C has to be buffered before taking so that the vitamin will not attack the stomach. Taking vitamins with an empty stomach may also cause other disturbances, such as nausea and heartburn, which ends up harming the body.

Due to busy schedules, there has been an increase in the number of people dining out instead of eating home-cooked food. As such, there is a need to supplement the processed food with vitamins, which helps to provide the vitamins that our meals lack.

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