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Vitamins
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Vitamins are substances that play an essential part in animal metabolic processes, but which the animals cannot synthesise. In their absence the animal develops certain deficiency diseases or other abnormal conditions. Vitamins are chemicals other than proteins, carbohydrates, fats and mineral salts that are essential constituents of the food of animals. Although certain animals can synthesise certain vitamins and all animals needing vitamin D can manufacture it from ergosterol in the presence of u.v. light, the precise mechanism of action of many vitamins is still poorly understood. Small amounts of vitamins are essential for the regulation of all bodily processes.
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Vitamins are organic compounds required by the body for purposes of metabolism, health and especially for correct growth in children. They can ... assist in forming hormones, blood cells, nervous system chemicals and genetic material. Vitamins usually act as catalysts in conjunction with proteins to produce these various reactions. The properties and actions of some vitamins are very intricate and so many functions are not entirely known. Thirteen vitamins have been well-identified.
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Vitamins are essential for the normal growth and development of a multicellular organism. Using the genetic blueprint inherited from its parents, a fetus begins to develop, at the moment of conception, from the nutrients it absorbs. It requires certain vitamins and minerals to be present at certain times. These nutrients facilitate the chemical reactions that produce among other things, skin, bone, and muscle. If there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop a deficiency disease. Even minor deficiencies may cause permanent damage.[21]
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Vitamins, which may be consumed from a wide range of sources, are important to the human body in a variety of ways. One of the main roles of vitamins is to act as enzymes, or coenzymes that work with other metabolic enzymes, to catalyze and aid in the completion of biochemical reactions. The specific reactions involved... are vitamin dependent, each molecule being associated with certain kinds of activities. Vitamin B1, for instance, is associated with the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, while vitamin B12 is believed to facilitate red blood cell production in humans and other higher animals. Some of the other aspects of health that vitamins are concerned in include the formation of proteins crucial for blood clotting (vitamin K), inhibition of oxidation in body tissues (vitamin E), and the production of collagen (vitamin C).
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Although they are essential for life, yet all vitamins are not required for all the species of animals. The physiological requirement is net with the synthesis of a particular vitamin in the organism.
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The U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), an independent organization that sets quality standards for drugs, has ... implemented standards for vitamins. Consumers may look for the USP label on products of companies that adhere to these standards. USP verification means the following:
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Vitamins