ABSTRACT
Vitamins, as the Latin derivation of the name implies,* are essential for maintenance of adequate health and life. They are diverse organic substances provided in small quantities in the diet, and are found in a variety of chemical forms and structures. Vitamins have assorted essential biochemical roles in contributing toward maintenance of health, and have unique therapeutic places in the treatment of related disorders. Originally, most vitamins were used for the prevention of deÞciency syndromes associated with inadequate nutritional intake. For instance, in the presence of a deÞciency of a particular nutrient and the subsequent induction of the corresponding condition, adequate replacement of the deÞcient substance resulted in a cure. And, until recently, it was reasonable to conclude that by following a balanced diet, no additional vitamin supplementation was necessary. This assumption was valid for normal healthy children, adolescents, and adults, in the absence of deÞciency (with the exception of pregnancy and lactation). This message has not been heeded in recent years, however, as evidenced by the growing consumption (megadoses) and infatuation with vitamin supplementation in the U.S. This was encouraged by the misinformation that, if vitamins are important for maintenance of health, then greater ingestion must necessarily provide better health. The belief has been defended by the equivocal results of clinical and scientiÞc studies interpreted out-of-context. In particular, such studies have concluded that clinical beneÞts, such as prevention of aging, can be obtained from the beneÞcial effects of antioxidants against factors that contribute to oxidative stress.
