Nutrient	What it Does	Rumored Benefits	Food Sources	Daily Dose	Watch Out For		Fun Fact
Vitamin A (Also known as beta carotene and retinal)	It's essential to the function of the retina and forms a chemical that allows for vision in partial darkness. Aids in treatment of many eye disorders. Promotes bone growth, teeth development and reproduction and help form and maintain healthy skin and hair.	Buffers against cancer, guards against effects of pollution and smog, acts against stress, speeds healing, fights infection and skin diseases.	Fresh apricots, asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, kale, pumpkin, spinach, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and watermelon.	5000 IU	A study has shown that consuming more than 10,000 IU may cause birth defects. Most of the concern is aimed at pre-formed vitamin A, which comes from animals products, enriched breakfast cereals, and dietary supplements. Natural beta-carotene, like that found in fruits and vegetables and in some fortified foods is considerably less toxic.	The average person has a two-year supply of vitamin A stored in the liver.
Thiamin (Vitamin B-1)	Keeps mucous membranes healthy; maintains normal function of the nervous system, muscles and heart; and aids in treatment of herpes zoster.	Cures depression, prevents fatigue, and helps people whose stores of B vitamins are harmed by excessive alcohol.	Beef kidney, beef liver, brewer's yeast, rye and whole-wheat flour, chickpeas, kidney and navy beans, pork, rice bran, raw brown rice, salmon, soybeans, sunflower seeds, whole grains and wheat germ.	1.5 mg	Can interfere with muscle relaxants used for surgery and cause muscles to relax too much.	Some believe that thiamin can be used to repel insects--insects are reportedly repulsed by its taste and smell in perspiration.
Riboflavin (B-2)	Aids in release of energy from food; maintains healthy mucous membranes; preserves integrity of the nervous system; and treats infections and burns.	Cures eye diseases, eases stress, stimulates hair growth in bald men, and improves vision.	Almonds, brewer's yeast, cheese, chicken, organ meats, wheat germ.	1.7 mg	Athletes, people who smoke, women who use birth control pills, and those who eat a lot of processed food may need more.
Niacin (B-3)	Helps synthesize DNA; aids in release of energy from food; reduces cholesterol and triglycerides.	Prevents PMS, headache and migraines, protects against pollutants, cures motion sickness, and cures depression.	Beef liver, brewer's yeast, white chicken meat, halibut, peanuts, pork, salmon, sunflower seeds, swordfish, tuna, turkey, veal.	20 mg.	Can lower blood pressure too much if taken with blood pressure drugs. High doses over long periods can cause liver damage or aggravate active stomach ulcers.	Some say niacin stimulates the sex drive.
Vitamin B-12	Acts as a co-enzyme for normal DNA synthesis, promotes normal fat and carbohydrate metabolism, promotes growth and cell development, manufactures covering of nerve cells, maintains normal cell function.	Helps mental/nervous disorders, improves resistance to disease, increases energy and improves memory.	Beef, beef liver, bleu cheese, clams, eggs, flounder, herring, liverwrust, mackerel, milk and milk products, snapper, and swiss cheese; not found in vegetables.	6 mcg.	Natural B-12 only available from animal sources so vegetarians should take a supplement to ensure they are getting enough.	B-12 is used to treat pernicious anemia and nerve damage.
Vitamin C	Promotes healthy capillaries, gums, and teeth, aids iron absorption, helps heal wounds and broken bones, prevents and treats scurvy, treats anemia, treats urinary-tract infections, helps form collagen in connective tissue, increases iron absorption from intestines, contributes to hemoglobin and red-blood cell production in bone marrow.	Prevents or cures colds, but is also said to reduce cholesterol, protect against heart disease, and prevent periodontal disease.	All citrus fruits, black currants, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, collards, sweet and hot peppers, guava, kale, mangoes, papayas, potatoes, rose hips, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes watercress.	60 mg.	It is believed to cause kidney stones in huge doses, although studies have not established a conclusive link. If you take more than 1000 mg a day, drink at least 2 quarts of water.	To preserve Vitamin C, eat food raw or minimally cooked, shorten cooking time by putting vegetables in very small amounts of water, avoid letting fruits and veggies sit out at room temperature and don't soak vegetables before cooking them.
Calcium	Helps build strong bones and teeth, protects against osteoporosis.	Prevents PMS	Milk, yogurt, tofu, cheese, calcium-fortified juices.	1,000 mg (1,200 mg. for older women and teens)	There's no known benefit to taking more than 2,00 mg. per day of calcium. Also, some say it aggravates acne.
Vitamin D	Regulates growth, hardening and repair of bones, controls absorption of calcium and phosphorus from small intestine, prevents rickets.	Cures arthritis, treats cystic fibrosis, herpes simplex and herpes zoster.	vitamin-D fortified milk, sunlight, cod-liver oil, mackerel, herring, salmon, sardines.	400 IU	taking too much in pregnancy can cause fetal abnormalities	The body makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. People who live in sunny climates can make enough from sun exposure.
Vitamin E	Prevents oxidation of free radicals in the body, acts as an anti-blood-clotting agent, promotes normal red blood cell formation.	Treats fibrocystic breast disease, treats sickle-cell anemia, treats lung toxicity from air pollution, prevents or alleviates coronary-artery heart disease, enhances sexual performance, prevents hair loss, treats menopause.	Almonds, corn oil, cod-liver oil, cottonseed oil, hazelnuts, margarine, peanut oil, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, wheat germ, whole wheat flour.	30 IU	At extremely high intake (about 800 IU a day) vitamin E causes a tendency to bleed easily, impaired sex function, and altered immunity. Watch out for megadoses.	Some studies have shown that large doses of vitamin E can improve symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's Disease, but that evidence is far from conclusive.
Folate	Reduces the risk of neural-tube birth defects, which develop within the first six weeks of pregnancy.	It is being studied as a potential treatment for heart disease.	Enriched cereal grain, some legumes, peas, fresh green leafy vegetables, oranges, grapefruit, and many berries.	400 mcg	Not recommended if you have pernicious anemia or take anti-convulsant medications	Better absorbed as food than in supplement form. All bread products have been enriched with the vitamin.
Vitamin H (Biotin)	Helps formation of fatty acids, facilitates metabolism of amino acids and carbohydrates, promotes normal health of sweat glands, nerve tissue, bone marrow, male sex glands, blood cells, skin and hair.	Cures baldness, alleviates muscle pain, cures dermatitis and alleviates depression.	Brewer's yeast, brown rice, bulgur wheat, butter, calves' liver, cashew nuts, cheese, chicken, eggs, lentils, mackerel, meats, milk, oats, peanuts, soybeans, split peas, sunflower seeds, tuna, walnuts.	3 mcg	Huge quantities of raw eggs contain a compound that inhibits biotin. Cooking eggs destroys the compound.	Intestinal bacteria produces all the biotin the body needs, so you don't need to seek out a supplement.
Iron	Prevents iron-deficiency anemia, stimulates bone-marrow production of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to cells in the blood, and forms part of several enzymes and proteins in the body.	Controls alcoholism, alleviates menstrual discomfort, stimulates immunity, boosts physical performance.	Organ meats, red meats, eggs, blackstrap molasses, green leafy vegetables, and dried fruits.	18 mg	Iron overdose can cause internal bleeding and stop absorption of calcium.	Iron content of foods can be boosted by cooking in a cast-iron skillet.
Magnesium	Promotes proper bone growth, necessary for proper functioning of the nerves and muscles, promotes absorption and metabolism of other minerals and helps convert blood sugar into energy.	Regulates body temperature, treats polio, prevents tooth decay, treats depression.	Seafood, whole grains, dark green vegetables, molasses, and nuts.	400 mg	Taking it with milk--vitamin D binds with magnesium and carries it out of the body.	Some studies have shown it helps keep calcium and phosphorus from solidifying into stones in the urinary tract.
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B-5)	Acts as a co-enzyme in metabolism of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Aids in release of energy from food, helps synthesize numerous body materials.	Alleviates stress, stimulates wound healing and treats fatigue.	Bleu cheese, brewer's yeast, corn, eggs, lentils, liver, lobster, meat, peanuts, soybeans, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and whole grain products.	10 mg	Don't exceed the recommended dose if you're pregnant or nursing. Enormous megadoses of 10 to 20 grams a day can cause diarrhea and water retention.	It's said that a cream containing B5 applied to burns, cuts or abrasions helps them heal faster.
Pyroxidine (B-6)	helps normal brain function, promotes normal red blood cell formation, maintains balance among body fluids, regulates secretion of water, helps in energy production and resistance to stress, acts as a so-enzyme in carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism.	Treats PMS, treats depression when used with oral contraceptives, relieves morning sickness, cures migraines, relieves nausea, prevents tooth decay, cures carpal tunnel syndrome.	Avocados, bananas, bran, brewer's yeast, carrots, whole wheat flour, hazelnuts, lentils, rice, salmon, shrimp, soybeans, sunflower seeds, tuna and wheat germ.	2 mg	Large doses taken for several months can cause nerve damage.
Zinc	Promotes normal absorption of vitamins, essential for synthesis of nucleic acid (which controls formation of cell proteins), aids growth and development of the reproductive organs.	Promotes healing of wounds, treats infertility, and lessens the duration of cold symptoms	Sunflower seeds, seafood, organ meats, mushrooms, brewer's yeast, soybeans.	15 mg	High doses of zinc can interfere with the body's ability to metabolize iron.	The body contains about 1.8 mg of zinc.