It goes without saying that the best source of nutrients comes from a healthy, balanced diet. But most of us don't get our recommended nutrition when we change our eating habits. That's why we take vitamins and minerals. As essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals give us the nourishment we need to stay healthy, prevent illness and get-up-and-go. Read up on the vitamins and minerals that best help support dieting and fitness:

Multivitamins & Minerals
Multiple vitamin-mineral (MVM) supplements contain a variable number of essential and/or non-essential nutrients. Their primary purpose is to provide a convenient way to take a variety of supplemental nutrients from a single product, in order to prevent vitamin or mineral deficiencies, as well as to achieve higher intakes of nutrients believed to be of benefit above typical dietary levels. Read more...

B-Complex
The vitamin B-complex refers to all of the known essential water-soluble vitamins except for vitamin C. These include thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), biotin, folic acid and the cobalamins (vitamin B12). "Vitamin B" was once thought to be a single nutrient that existed in extracts of rice, liver, or yeast. Researchers later discovered these extracts contained several vitamins, which were given distinguishing numbers. Unfortunately, this has led to an erroneous belief among non-scientists that these vitamins have a special relationship to each other. Further adding to confusion has been the "unofficial" designation of other substances as members of the B-complex, such as choline, inositol, and para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), even though they are not essential vitamins. Read more...

Calcium
When you reduce excess body mass there is also a risk of losing bone mass. In order to prevent the onset of osteoporosis and protect your joints, it is necessary to supplement your diet. Calcium is needed to form bones and teeth and is also required for blood clotting, transmission of signals in nerve cells, and muscle contraction. But the importance of calcium for preventing osteoporosis is probably its most well known role. Read more...

Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that has a number of biological functions. Acting as an antioxidant, one of vitamin C's important functions is to protect LDL cholesterol from oxidative damage. (Only when LDL is damaged does cholesterol appear to lead to heart disease, and vitamin C may be one of the most important antioxidant protectors of LDL.) Vitamin C may also protect against heart disease by reducing the stiffness of arteries and the tendency of platelets to clump together. Read more...

Chromium Picolinate
With our diets so high in sugars and starches, chromium picolinate is an essential nutrient. Needed so that insulin can effectively regulate the metabolism of foods, a chromium deficiency can lead to blood sugar imbalances, obesity and diabetes. More and more people are taking chromium picolinate to help control blood sugar levels, reduce body fat, encourage muscle development and control hunger and weight. Read more...

Other Vitamins & Minerals