Every morning, as I get ready, I take my multivitamins for women. Why do I take them? (Because my mom told me to.) Thanks to biochemistry, I now understand the importance of taking the vitamins for my health. I have attached an image of the supplement facts for the vitamins I take.
We have learned about four of the vitamins listed. Biotin (vitamin B7) is a coenzyme for pyruvate carboxylase in gluconeogenesis, and this same reaction helps replenish the Citric Acid Cycle. Vitamin B12 is a coenzyme for methyl-malonyl-CoA mutase in the oxidation of odd-chain fatty acids. NAD+/NADP+ are synthesized from niacin (vitamin B3), and a deficiency in niacin can lead to pellagra. Most recently, we learned about vitamin B6, which is important for producing pyridoxal phosphate (PLP), the coenzyme for aminotransferases involved in amino acid catabolism.
Biochemistry has taught me the importance of taking my vitamins each day. It is empowering to understand the biochemistry behind everyday things, and I feel more in control of my health.
I really liked how you connected the vitamins you take every day to the coenzymes we learned in class. It was helpful to see how the pathways we’ve been learning—like gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation—actually depend on these vitamins to work properly. I also liked that you pointed out how different vitamins play roles in totally different parts of metabolism. Your examples made it easy to understand why these vitamins actually matter.
I really enjoyed reading your reflection on how biochemistry helped you understand the vitamins you take every day. Prior to learning about them in this class I just generally knew that they were good for you but I had no idea why. It’s so interesting to see how each vitamin connects to a specific metabolic pathway we’ve learned about and really helped further my understanding. Your post made me realize how much goes on behind the scenes in something as simple as a multivitamin and that I should probably invest in some vitamins myself.
This is really interesting Katie! I think vitamins are a really fascinating topic we’ve learned about, as they play such a significant role in our health. I also find it fairly cool that vitamins can be a very easy supplement to add in as a solution for certain health conditions and have such a significant impact.