Americans in 2020 spent over $35 billion on vitamins and herbal supplements.* One in five U.S. adults used herbal supplements with 50% taking multivitamins. Many also took individual supplements without truly understanding if they were receiving the desired benefits. Vitamin supplementation is big big business. It is often the preferred method used in an attempt to give our bodies what is missed by our unhealthy eating patterns.
Most of us have a very limited understanding of vitamins often leading us to waste our hard earned dollars on what we don’t need.
The following chart shares insights on vitamins: the functions and benefits in the human, 
their solubility and foods which contain them. But first let’s start with a term unknown to a number of us….soluble. Soluble means the ability to dissolve. A vitamin is classified as either ‘fat-soluble’ or ‘water-soluble.’ This describes how the vitamin is absorbed, stored and removed from the body.
Water Soluble vitamins are usually taken with water, easily absorbed and the excess is processes out via the kidneys.
Fat Soluble vitamins are absorbed in the lymph, transported in the blood, and can be stored in the liver and fatty tissues for use as needed. One should never take more than the serving doses recommend when using fat soluble vitamins thinking more is better. Actually fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body leading to build up towards toxic levels when consumed in excessive amounts.
Click here to view in detail: Vitamin: Fat/Water Soluble Chart
Blog written by: Marika Bethel
*Most dietary supplements don’t do anything. Why do we spend $35 billion a year on them? Written by Tamar Haspel, January 2020 Fact Checked