Vitamin

A Vitamin is an organic molecule required by a living organism in minute amounts for normal health. An organism deprived of all sources of a particular vitamin will eventually suffer from disease symptoms specific to the missing vitamin.

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In general, an organism must obtain vitamins or their metabolic precursors from outside the body, most often from the organism's diet. Examples of vitamins that the human body can derive from precursors include vitamin A, which can be produced from beta carotene; niacin from the amino acid, tryptophan; and vitamin D through exposure of skin to ultraviolet light.

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The term, vitamin, does not encompass other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids or essential amino acids, nor is it used for the large number of other nutrients that are merely health promoting, but not strictly essential.

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The word vitamin was coined by the Polish biochemist Kazimierz Funk in 1912. Vita in Latin is life and the -amin suffix is short for amine; at the time it was thought that all vitamins were amines. Though this is now known to be incorrect, the name has stuck.

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Diet: Diet may mean:...

Amino acid: In chemistry, an amino acid is any molecule that contains both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups....

Skin: :For alternate meanigns see skin (disambiguation)...

Vitamin related Images and Photos (experimental)

Vitamin C Ascorbic Acid . Polarized Lm

Skin of a Person with Scurvy Caused by a Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid Deficiency