Summary

Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and cereals, lean meats and reduced fat dairy products will give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs, at the right level and in the right balance.
There are 13 vitamins in total – 8 of these come from the B-group of vitamins.
Vitamins and minerals are essential for bodily functions such as helping to fight infection, wound healing, making our bones strong and regulating hormones.
Vitamins and minerals can cause toxicity if consumed in large amounts.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies and supplements

The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can be locked away in the liver and body fat, and stored for a long time. The water-soluble vitamins, including B-complex and vitamin C, are mostly only stored for a shorter period.

A vitamin deficiency takes weeks or months before it will affect your health. For instance, it would take months of no vitamin C before you developed scurvy.

Vitamin and mineral supplements may be recommended in certain circumstances to correct vitamin and mineral deficiencies – such as folate for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Others who may be at risk of a vitamin or mineral deficiency include:

pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding
people who smoke, drink alcohol in excess or use illegal drugs
crash dieters or those on very strict diets
the elderly (especially those who are disabled or chronically ill)
some vegetarians or vegans
women with heavy periods
people with food allergies
people with malabsorption problems (such as diarrhoea, coeliac disease, cystic fibrosis or pancreatitis).