Multivitamins and your health: A reappraisal
Vitamin basics
Vitamins are organic (carbon-containing) chemicals that are essential for the body's metabolism. Because the human body cannot manufacture vitamins, they must be supplied by foods or dietary supplements. The only major exception is vitamin D, which can be produced in the skin — but since sunlight is required to make vitamin D, many modern Americans don't make enough on their own.
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