Vitamin ABCs: Get the Nutrients You Need

We all need vitamins for a variety of biological processes, such as converting food to energy and resisting infection. "People with diabetes have the same nutrient requirements as people without diabetes," says Karmeen Kulkarni, M.S., R.D., CDE. Research is ongoing as to vitamins' effects on diabetes. The most common vitamins being studied are those involved in glucose metabolism, such as niacin, and antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E.

There are two kinds of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble.

Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are not stored in your body. Your body gets rid of any extra intake of these vitamins through your urine.

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in your body fat and liver to be used by your body as needed. Large intakes of these can accumulate and can, though quite rare, become problematic. Be careful to not take these vitamins in excess.