Water-soluble Vitamins such as B and C are needed daily because your body does not store them. Much of a water- soluble Vitamin from a supplement is excreted in urine within two or three hours. Yet over time a small amount is retained, which does increase levels in the blood and inside cells.

Fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E and K are absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream, then whatever is not used is stored in fatty tissue.

Mega-doses of these vitamins can cause side-effects. Excess amounts are stored in organs like the liver and kidneys, making it easier to reach a level of dosage where the effects of toxicity become apparent.

Minerals and vitamins work hand in hand. Vitamins are a group of complex organic substances that regulate your metabolism through enzyme systems that help you break down and use your food. With few exceptions (vitamin D and niacin), vitamins can’t be manufactured by the body and must be obtained through diet. Minerals, on the other hand, are chemical elements that have a range of actions, including enhancing the absorption of some vitamins.

If you have one without the other, they don’t work as effectively. In fact, supplementing with the following vitamins or minerals without their counterpart may even upset bodily systems so that you experience a deficit or overload of some nutrients. So, when choosing your supplements, bear in mind that the following go best in combination:
Copper, magnesium, iron and vitamin C
Manganese and biotin, B1 and vitamin C
Selenium and vitamin E
Sulphur and vitamin B
Zinc and vitamin A
Calcium and vitamin D