Magnesium plays a key role in relaxing the body and smoothing out muscles. It does this by increasing GABA, this blocks certain brain signals and decreases activity in your nervous system producing a calming effect within the body. Ultimately this can lead to lower stress, anxiety, and fear. It is essential for the body to switch off, especially to sleep. Magnesium is used to aid this to provide a relaxing, restful night's sleep. As well as this Magnesium is also used to activate enzymes to produce new DNA. Each day new strands of DNA are synthesised, and this cannot be done without enzymes, they speed up the reactions between chemicals within our body and some enzymes need cofactors to be able to do their job effectively. Magnesium is a cofactor that enzymes use to transcribe new DNA strands which keep our body alive.

 

Vitamin C is essential for good immune system health as it helps to encourage the production of white blood cells that help to protect the body against infection. Along side this once the cells are produced, they help to keep the cells healthy for as long as possible. Vitamin C is also known for keeping the skin and bones healthy by helping the body to produce collagen, which aids wound healing, refining fine lines and wrinkles and strengthens the overall skin. As we age our body produces less collagen and unlike other vitamins and minerals our body does not store Vitamin C, which is why we need to ensure, especially as we age, that our body is getting the correct amount of Vitamin C to keep the skin as healthy as possible.

 

Vitamin B12 is considered one of the most important vitamins as it is a co-enzyme that is vital at converting food to be used as energy, not only this but it also helps to synthesise serotonin which boosts mood. Day to day this helps you feel less tired or weak and stimulates your metabolism keeping you energised. It also promotes healthy skin, hair, and nails as Vitamin B12 plays a role in cell production alongside many other vitamins. When the body is low on Vitamin B12 it can cause hyperpigmentation of the skin, which means that patches of the skin can darken, as well as nail discolouration. In cases of Vitamin B12 deficiencies the bones can become fragile over time as there is a decreased mineral density, to maintain bone health it is important to make vitamin B12 part of your daily routine.

 

Alongside Vitamin B12, B5 powers the enzymes to break down food and transform the glucose into energy. On top of this Vitamin B5 enables the skin, hair, and eyes to stay healthy, it does this by essentially absorbing the moisture from the air. As it is beneficial for the skin it can also decrease healing time for wounds as well as locking the moisture within the skin to keep it hydrated, which in turn results in youthful glowing skin. Vitamin B5 works with the other B vitamins to keep the digestive system healthy by assisting the body to use other vitamins, it is normal for all vitamins to work beside each other to maximise their potential for the body, for example Vitamin B5, B12 and C all work together to ensure that blood cells are healthy and are able to travel around the body to carry oxygen, without one the other wouldn't work as well.

 

The body uses Iron to create a protein needed for the red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen to various parts of the body and another protein used to provide oxygen to muscles. Although Iron has a large job of transporting oxygen around the body other parts of the body also rely on Iron everyday such as the immune system and digestive system. The immune system needs Iron to be able to fight off infections day to day and without Iron it could lose the ability to do this. If you do not have enough Iron within the body the red blood cells cannot transport oxygen around the body, which can lead to fatigue and eventually lead to a change in your brain function. It is quite common for people to have an Iron deficiency (Anaemia), this is where there are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body, this is because they lack the essential protein which iron is responsible for producing.

 

Vitamin D is known as an essential vitamin within the development of children to ensure that their bones and muscles are developed to a healthy standard, this does not stop as you grow up. Getting the correct amount of Vitamin D is great to keep the bones and teeth healthy, this is because Vitamin D helps to regulate calcium levels within the body. It has also been known to boost and regulate mood and unlike some other vitamins, which must be absorbed through food and drink, Vitamin D can be absorbed through the skin in the form of sunshine. Studies have shown that within the winter, with a lack of sunshine and Vitamin D, their mood deteriorates and there is a lack of motivation whereas in the summer this is not the case as there is a healthy dose of Vitamin D.

 

There are so many vitamins, and they all work hand in hand to ensure that the body is healthy and can work sustainably each day. Vitamins can be absorbed into the body through different foods but you can also get your vitamins thorough vitamin supplements, vitamin drinks and rehydration sachets. These are just a few of the vitamins that we think are essential for the body. Let us know below which vitamins you think are essential or comment a fact that we have not mentioned above!