The fat soluble vitamins
Vitamins A, D, E and K are known as fat soluble vitamins. This means that they are stored in fatty tissues and the liver, ready for whenever your body needs them. They stay in the body for around half a year.
Vitamin A is a strong antioxidant which has the main purpose of supporting your immune system. It is important to bone strength and the health of your skin, as well as helping your eyes see clearly. Vitamin D is also useful for keeping bones healthy and also contributes to making sure you have good teeth. Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because we get most of our supplies for exposure to the sun.
Vitamin E takes care of cells and tissues and enables you to grow and regrow fibres of the body. This vitamin plays a role in virtually everything your body does, making it one of the most important. Vitamin K, found in all leafy green vegetables, ensures that your blood can clot. It also plays a part in the health of your liver.
The water soluble vitamins
Water soluble vitamins are those that the body flushes out in any lost water. Naturally we need to take on more water soluble vitamins as they leave our system much more quickly. The water soluble vitamins are C and the B complex vitamins.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that regulates cholesterol and blood pressure. It improves your ability to absorb iron and helps wounds heal more quickly. The B complex vitamins are a family of eight vitamins that play a number of crucial roles throughout the body. B vitamins are important for digestion, energy, metabolism and the production of red blood cells.