Water-Soluble Vitamins
In order to function at its best, your body needs a wide array of vitamins to support its many functions.1 These vitamins are best incorporated by your body from eating a healthy diet, but sometimes even the best diet may have certain nutritional gaps.
When that happens, it can be very beneficial to include vitamin supplements to make sure you’ve got the bases covered for optimal health. But deciding to take a vitamin supplement is only the first step! It’s also important to make sure you’re taking your vitamins correctly to ensure the best absorption possible.
When it comes to absorbing essential nutrients (those which must come from outside the body),2 some are best taken with food, but nine major vitamins stand out as being water soluble.
What are Water-Soluble Vitamins?
Water-soluble vitamins have two primary characteristics which set them apart from other vitamins. Firstly, this type of vitamin dissolves in water and so requires sufficient fluid to be present during digestion for proper absorption.3
Secondly, water-soluble vitamins are not stored long term in the body’s tissues.4 This means that it’s important to maintain healthy levels of these nutrients as it may be possible for them to become depleted in the body over time.
Which Vitamins are Water Soluble?
The category of vitamins which are water soluble includes some of the most important and well-known essential nutrients. The family of B vitamins, including biotin and folate, comprise a large part of this category, in addition to vitamin C.5
Water Soluble B Vitamins
Are B vitamins water soluble? They certainly are! Eight B vitamins are categorized as being water soluble:
- Thiamin (vitamin B1)
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
- Niacin (vitamin B3)
- Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)
- Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)
- Biotin (vitamin B7)
- Folate (vitamin B9)
- Cobalamin (vitamin B12)
These vitamins each perform important roles in supporting your body’s overall wellness, including supporting a healthy metabolism and energy.6
Being water soluble, these nutrients can be eliminated from the body through the urinary system, so it’s important to replenish them daily through healthy eating and supplementation.
Vitamin C
Another water-soluble nutrient is vitamin C. Vitamin C is a dynamic force for good used by your body for everything from forming soft tissues like collagen and muscles to helping build strong bones and acting as an antioxidant defender against damage caused by free radicals.7
And of course, everyone knows that vitamin C plays a crucial role in supporting immune health!8
Whether you’re supplementing your diet with B vitamins or vitamin C, hydration plays a very important part in helping your body absorb these nutrients.
Why is Hydration Important?
Proper hydration is important to your overall health and wellness as it is required by your body for many critical functions, from removing waste and toxins to maintaining healthy temperature.9
It’s also essential to absorbing water-soluble vitamins.
Water-soluble vitamins are absorbed into the body during digestion, passing directly into the bloodstream from the small intestine.10 This means that water-soluble vitamins become quickly available to your body’s tissues as they pass through the capillaries and can be used almost immediately for important functions from supporting immune health to boosting metabolism and energy production.
Making a Splash with Water-Soluble Vitamins
Making sure that your body has adequate levels of water-soluble vitamins is an essential part of promoting overall health and wellness. But making sure that you’re getting these vitamins and absorbing them correctly is just as important.
That’s why you should consider sources of these vitamins which will provide hydration naturally, such as orange juice for vitamin C or leafy greens and dairy for B vitamins.11 It’s also a no-brainer to take your water-soluble supplements with a glass of cool water.
After all, it’s the fluids from these sources that the vitamins will need to pass effectively from the intestines into the bloodstream so you can reap the benefits for enhanced health!
Keep this in mind when considering your health regimen goals, and you’ll be well on your way to a healthier future!
Always serving our customers,
Your friends at Swanson
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Sources
1. The Importance of Vitamins to Your Body. Healthy Eating. Read source
2. Essential Nutrient. Science Direct. Read source
3. Water Soluble Vitamins. Very Well Health. Read source
4. Water Soluble Vitamins. National Institues of Health. Read source
5. Biochemistry, Water Soluble Vitamins. National Library of Medicine. Read source
6. Health Benefits of B Complex Vitamins. HealthLine. Read source
7. The Benefits of Vitamin C. WebMD. Read source
8. Vitamin C and Immune Function. National Library of Medicine. Read source
9. The Importance of Hydration. Harvard School of Public Health. Read source
10. How Are Water Soluble Vitamins Absorbed? ShareCare. Read source
11. Sources of B Vitamins. Health Line. Read source
