What are vitamins? The term 'vitamin' was first given to a group of substances that were thought to be vital for life, each containing a nitrogen-containing component known as an amine. Vitamins are essential for the proper functioning of our body. They help to strengthen the immune system, to ward off disease, and even to improve the overall mood of a person. If a particular vitamin is missing from your diet, it may lead to a deficiency disease.

Vitamins can help prevent diseases mainly in two ways. First, they prevent the deficiency syndromes characteristic of the respective vitamin. Second, they increase the health benefits of the specific vitamin.

Vitamins mainly belong to two categories - fat-soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins are those that can be stored in the body fat and hence need not be replenished daily. Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body and need to be taken daily.

The debate has always been whether you need vitamin supplements to meet the body's daily needs or whether you can get it from a balanced diet. Theoretically, you do not need vitamin supplements. However, in reality, you cannot get enough of the vitamins that the body needs from your diet. Blame it on pollution, blame it on declining soil quality due to intensive agricultural practices, blame it on your eating habits, it's getting more and more difficult to get your daily dose of vitamins from your food.

Taking vitamin supplements are, therefore, unavoidable. You need to take them regularly if you need to get all the vitamins into the body. Trying to compromise on that could lead to the breakdown of your immune system, and deficiency diseases.

But there are plenty of vitamin supplements out there. How do you choose the best one? For one, you cannot hope to take a vitamin pill and end the story. Because your body needs multivitamins, and pills containing all of them in the required quantities will be real big pills. They will be a pain to carry and eat regularly, to say the least. Again multivitamin supplements should have the correct mix. If you end up taking too much of one vitamin, that again is can cause health problems.

Talking of multivitamin supplements, one cannot ignore glyconutrients, a recent discovery. Glyconutrients are the plant carbohydrates. Though there are more than 200 of these, eight of them are most essential for our body. These eight essential sugars are responsible for some of the most fundamental biochemical processes in the body. Glyconutrients help in cell-to-cell communication. When the 600 trillion cells in your body talk well, they build well too. That means the body's systems and processes stay fighting fit!

What are the benefits of glyconutrients? Glyconutrients are known for their anti-aging properties. They help athletes in improving their performance and to reduce the recovery time in case of injury. Glyconutrients have also produced positive effects in children suffering from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

Whether you are suffering from a medical condition or not, glyconutrients are essential for your body. They help your body heal, repair, regenerate, regulate and protect itself.

So when you select your multivitamin supplement, make sure it contains glyconutrients. They are absolutely necessary for maintaining optimum wellness of the body.