维生素

Vitamins are organic compounds that cannot be synthesized by humans and therefore must be ingested to prevent metabolic disorders. Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions including mineral metabolism, regulation of growth and differentiation, acting as cofactors and functioning as antioxidants. They are essential part of cellular metabolism and vitamin deficiency can lead to pathologies such as scurvy, pellagra, night blindness, beriberi, etc. The vitamins can be either fat soluble (vitamins A, D, E and K) or water soluble (vitamin of B complex and vitamin C).