Vitamins: Easy as your ABCs (through XYZs)
The A-B-C's of Feeling Great: Why Vitamins A, B, and C Deserve a Permanent Seat at Your Nutritional Table
Let's be honest — most of us treat our bodies a little like a rental car. We push it hard, skip the maintenance checks, fuel it with whatever's convenient, and then act surprised when something starts rattling. As a chiropractor, I spend a great deal of my day helping people restore function, reduce pain, and move better. But here's something the chiropractic table can't fix on its own: the quality of the raw materials your body is working with every single day. That's where nutrition comes in. And today, we're keeping it wonderfully simple — we're talking about vitamins A, B, and C.
These aren't the exotic compounds and peptides that have been skyrocketing in the media recently. They're fundamental, well-researched, and yet chronically underappreciated in the average diet. So grab a carrot, a handful of leafy greens, and maybe a kiwi, and let's talk about why these three vitamins are absolute non-negotiables for your skin, your joints, your nerves, your energy, and your ability to recover from injury.
Vitamin A: Your Skin, Joints, and Eyes Are All Quietly Begging for It
Vitamin A is often overlooked in the flashy health biopshere, preferring to work quietly behind the scenes. However is has been getting more and more recognition in the skincare blogosphere because of it’s popular form as the anti-aging superhero: retinol. Vitamin a exists in two main forms in food: preformed vitamin A (retinol), found in animal products like liver, eggs, fish, and dairy; and provitamin A (primarily beta-carotene), found in colourful plant foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, leafy greens, and cantaloupe. Your body converts the plant-based version as needed, which makes it a remarkably intelligent system — assuming you give it the ingredients to work with. We’ll be talking about both forms today.
Starting from the outside in, vitamin A's effects on skin health are nothing short of remarkable. A 2023 peer-reviewed study published in Biomolecules confirmed that vitamin A and its metabolites enhance skin condition — whether aged by time or sun exposure — by stimulating the formation of new collagen and actively preventing its breakdown. This is not a minor action: collagen is the primary structural protein in your skin and its decline is the central reason skin becomes thinner, looser, and less resilient as we age. The same review noted that topical retinol has demonstrated "remarkable anti-skin aging effects," improving skin texture, diminishing fine lines, and increasing the thickness of both the epidermal and dermal layers. From a chiropractic and functional health standpoint, this matters beyond aesthetics — the skin is literally your first barrier against infection, environmental toxins, and mechanical stress. A well-nourished skin barrier is a functional health asset.
Moving deeper, vitamin A plays a meaningful role in supporting joint and connective tissue health — though this is a nuanced one worth understanding clearly. The key mechanism is its anti-inflammatory activity. Research cited in Frontiers in Chemistry (2023) highlights vitamin A's role in reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and supporting immune balance, meaning that maintaining adequate levels helps keep systemic inflammation in check. Why does this matter for joints? Because the science is unequivocal that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and chronic low-grade inflammation are central drivers of cartilage degradation and joint degeneration, as outlined in the landmark review Vitamins and Arthritispublished in Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. Vitamin A also supports bone formation and tissue remodelling — the biological machinery that your joints depend on to stay structurally sound. The key word here is balance: vitamin A at appropriate dietary and supplemental levels is protective and supportive; megadosing preformed retinol, on the other hand, can actually be counterproductive. Eat your sweet potatoes; don't try to outdo a pharmaceutical.
And then there are the eyes. This is the area where vitamin A's credentials are more well known, as this is the only thing I remember learning about vitamin A in my freshman biology class. But at least Ms. Kirlin wasn’t wrong about its importance in the visual system. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University describes in detail how vitamin A is essential to the visual cycle, specifically as the precursor to 11-cis-retinal, the light-sensitive molecule in the photoreceptors of the retina. Without sufficient vitamin A, night vision deteriorates, and prolonged deficiency leads to serious ocular conditions including xerophthalmia and irreversible vision loss. Research from Healthline (2024), drawing on the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2), also confirms the importance of vitamin A-related carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin in protecting the macula — the central part of the retina — against age-related macular degeneration. If you want to be reading the fine print on a restaurant menu at 75 rather than squinting cluelessly at it—or worse: asking the waiter to read it to you — this vitamin is part of your plan.
Best dietary sources: Liver, eggs, dairy, salmon, sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, butternut squash, and apricots.
Supplementation note: A high-quality multivitamin with mixed carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin) alongside modest preformed retinol covers the bases for most people without risk of toxicity. If you're eating a colourful, varied diet, you're likely in good shape — but gaps are common, particularly in those eating low-fat diets (fat is needed for carotenoid absorption) or those with digestive insufficiencies.
B Vitamins: The Engine Room of the Human Body
If vitamin A is the architect of your tissues, the B vitamins are the engineering crew keeping everything running. There are eight of them — B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12 (cobalamin) — and they don't so much work independently as form an integrated, mutually dependent team. Deficiency in one rarely occurs in isolation, which is why supplementing a with B-complex rather than individual B vitamins is usually the smarter strategy.
Let's start with energy, because that's what most people think of when they hear "B vitamins" — and they're not wrong, though the science is a little more precise than the marketing copy on energy drink labels. A 2023 randomised double-blind clinical trial published in the International Journal of Medical Sciences (Lee et al., 2023) found that 28 consecutive days of B-complex supplementation (B1, B2, B6, and B12) significantly improved exercise endurance performance and reduced exercise fatigue biomarkers in healthy, non-athlete adults. Importantly, the researchers clarified something that gets glossed over in popular media: B vitamins do not themselves provide energy — they serve as essential cofactors in the metabolic pathways that generate ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the actual energy currency of every cell in your body. In other words, they don't put fuel in the tank; they're the spark plugs that make combustion possible. Without adequate B vitamins, your cellular engines run rough, regardless of how much food you consume.
Thiamine (B1) is critical for converting carbohydrates into usable energy and for supporting the function of muscles and nerves — including the cardiac muscle. Of course, in pop-culture today the importance of a healthy insulin response is at the top of many people’s minds, and the conversion of carbs to energy is becoming a topic of concern in pre-diabetic and diabetic populations. Thiamine is among the important factors in a healthy metabolic system. Riboflavin (B2) is a precursor to FAD and FMN, coenzymes absolutely essential to the electron transport chain where the majority of ATP is produced. Without riboflavin, your mitochondria — your cellular power plants — are working with faulty wiring. Niacin (B3) similarly feeds into this chain, while B6 serves as a cofactor for over 100 enzymatic reactions, including those involved in protein and amino acid metabolism. A landmark review, B-Vitamins and Exercise: Does Exercise Alter Requirements? (Woolf & Manore, 2006, International Journal of Sport Nutrition), noted that physically active individuals with even marginally low B vitamin status showed a decreased ability to perform exercise at high intensities. If you're moving your body regularly — which I strongly encourage — your demand for B vitamins is almost certainly higher than average.
From a chiropractic perspective, B vitamins are particularly important for one reason that doesn't always make the headlines: nerve health. Vitamin B12 is essential for the production of myelin — the protective sheath surrounding every nerve fibre in your body. Without adequate myelin, nerve signal transmission slows and degrades. Research from the National Institutes of Health (PMC, 2021) confirms that B12 deficiency-related demyelination can cause muscle weakness, numbness, burning pain in the limbs, impaired balance, and gait problems. From a clinical standpoint, this is deeply relevant: as noted by Dee Cee Laboratories' research blog (2025), when B12 levels are low, nerve signalling impairment can produce symptoms — pain, weakness, poor coordination — that present almost identically to structural musculoskeletal problems. In other words, what looks like a spinal problem might be a nutritional problem wearing a convincing disguise.
B6 also deserves a specific mention for its role in muscle health. A 2024 study published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Okamoto et al., 2024) presented compelling evidence that vitamin B6 supplementation in B6-deficient individuals increases the expression of genes involved in myogenesis, cytoprotection, antioxidation, and mitochondrial biogenesis — all functions that are otherwise triggered by exercise itself. The researchers described B6 as potentially possessing "exercise-mimetic properties" in skeletal muscle. That doesn't mean you can skip the gym and pop a B6 tablet instead, but it does mean that B6 deficiency genuinely impairs your muscles' ability to adapt, repair, and grow.
Folate and B12 together also regulate homocysteine — an amino acid that, when elevated, is associated with increased inflammation, cardiovascular risk, and, notably, accelerated bone loss. These are exactly the kinds of downstream effects that eventually show up in my clinic as joint pain, spinal degeneration, or poor healing responses.
Best dietary sources: Meat (especially liver), poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and nutritional yeast.
Supplementation note: A high-quality, activated B-complex — look for methylcobalamin (B12) and methylfolate (B9) rather than the cheaper cyanocobalamin and folic acid — is an excellent safety net for most adults. Athletes, vegans and vegetarians, older adults, those on medications like metformin or proton pump inhibitors, and anyone under chronic stress have significantly elevated needs and are especially strong candidates for supplementation.
Vitamin C: Your Body's Master Repair Nutrient
If you still think of vitamin C primarily as something you reach for during cold and flu season, prepare to have your mind expanded. Vitamin C — ascorbic acid — is arguably the most important nutrient for tissue repair in the entire body, and its implications for anyone dealing with musculoskeletal injury, post-surgical recovery, or even the general wear and tear of daily movement are profound.
The biochemistry is fascinating and has been known for some time, though it never quite seems to get the attention it deserves. Vitamin C is an essential cofactor for two enzymes — prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase — that are required for the hydroxylation of proline and lysine residues in procollagen. This step is not optional; it's what allows collagen molecules to fold into their stable triple-helix structure. No adequate vitamin C? The collagen your body tries to build is structurally defective — weak, unstable, and prone to degradation. A 2023 review published in IntechOpendescribed how vitamin C supports wound healing across multiple phases: in the early inflammatory stage by reducing oxidative stress, and in the later re-epithelialisation stage by promoting collagen synthesis and epithelial cell migration. Collagen isn't just for skin — it forms the structural backbone of ligaments, tendons, fascia, bone matrix, intervertebral discs, and joint cartilage. Everything in the musculoskeletal system is, in one way or another, a collagen story.
A landmark 2018 systematic review published in Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (DePhillipo et al., 2018) reviewed the evidence specifically on vitamin C supplementation after musculoskeletal injuries. The review concluded that vitamin C is a viable supplement to enhance collagen synthesis and soft tissue healing after bone, tendon, and ligament injuries, and that it acts as a powerful antioxidant by neutralising the reactive oxygen species responsible for cellular death during the inflammatory phase of injury. From my perspective as a chiropractor, this is significant: every time a patient comes in following a sprain, strain, disc injury, or post-surgical recovery, their body is locked in this precise biological battle — trying to synthesise new collagen to rebuild damaged structures, while simultaneously managing the oxidative stress generated by inflammation. Vitamin C is working on both fronts simultaneously.
Older clinical studies cited in PubMed found that wound healing could be significantly accelerated with supplemental vitamin C even in subjects who were not overtly deficient — using daily doses of 500–3,000 mg in patients recovering from surgery, injuries, and ulcers. This suggests that the RDA (currently around 75–90 mg/day for adults) may represent a threshold for preventing acute deficiency disease (i.e. scurvy — yes, that's still technically on the table if you really neglect this vitamin), rather than an optimal intake for active tissue repair and healing. In a clinical or recovery context, therapeutic doses are often significantly higher, and guided supplementation is worth considering. Vitamin C is water-soluble and remarkably safe at higher doses (your kidneys simply excrete what isn't needed), making it one of the more forgiving nutrients to supplement generously.
There's also a strong immune angle, which loops back to injury recovery: vitamin C supports immune cell function and helps regulate the inflammatory response. When immune cells spike because a pathogen or virus is introduced to the system, it can occasioanally result in an highly inflammatory overreaction that causes the body more harm than good. Vitamin C modulates the levels of immune cells and ensures a cytokine reaction has the desired effect of eliminating the intruder, while also calming the troops before it becomes an all-put war.
For the skin, the vitamin C story runs parallel to the vitamin A story — collagen synthesis is the keystone in protective skin effects. As the 2025 review on skin ageing mechanisms in Cosmetics noted, ozone and environmental oxidative stressors actually deplete the skin's endogenous vitamin C, creating a localised functional deficiency even when serum levels appear normal. This means that for skin health, both dietary intake and topical application have distinct and complementary roles.
Best dietary sources: Bell peppers (particularly red and yellow — they contain more vitamin C per gram than oranges), citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, papaya, and guava—which is the highest and most concentrated source per gram.
Supplementation note: 1,000-2,000 mg/day of vitamin C is a reasonable maintenance dose for most active adults, ideally split across the day as it is absorbed most efficiently in smaller amounts. During periods of injury, illness, surgery, or high physical stress, working with a healthcare provider to increase this temporarily is evidence-supported and sensible. Look for buffered vitamin C (ascorbate) forms if you have a sensitive stomach.
Putting It All Together: Food First, Supplements Second
Now that I’ve made a compelling case for getting plenty of these vitamins in daily, you may be tempted to pop to CVS for a couple of bottles of multivitamin gummies. While I think supplements do have a use, hear me out before clearing your local pharmacy shelves. I'll make the case simply: the research is clear that food-form nutrients are absorbed and utilised differently — often more efficiently — than isolated supplements, and that the whole-food matrix (the co-occurring fibre, phytonutrients, enzymes, and companion nutrients) matters enormously to how a vitamin behaves in your body.
While it’s tempting to simply throw in some pills and forge on with your standard diet, depending on the amount of added sugar and refined foods that diet consists of, you may not be able to outrun the adverse effects. Sugar competes with Vitamin C to enter cells—significantly decreasing it’s anti-inlfammatory effects and reducing collagen synthesis. Since we know that collagen is the basis for healthy skin and connective tissue, this cockblocking effect has implications for your skins elasticity and youth, as well as your joint health.
While there is no perfect diet universally accepted by doctors and dietitians, the one thing they can agree on is that a diet high in ultra-palateable foods—refined grains, sugar, synthetic fats and additives, creates a highly inflammatory state in the body. It blocks absorption and utilization of nutrients, while simultaneously burning through them with the stress response. It’s an ugly loop, and while the body is in constant need of more quality nutrients, it drives us toward more destructive comestibles. So while you don’t have to completely overhaul your diet, especially if you’re already aware of it, gradually reducing the ultra-processed foods in your diet is a great way to help out your system.
At the same time, modern food processing, soil depletion, busy lifestyles, dietary restrictions, age-related absorption changes, and increased physiological demand from stress and physical activity all create gaps that even a well-intentioned diet can struggle to fill. High-quality supplementation isn't a crutch — it's an intelligent insurance policy.
However, the source of these vitamins and the quality of them affects their impact immensely, and I don’t want you just paying for expensive pee. Most generic multivitamin pills you can find at a drug store contain only the cheapest synthesized form of a vitamin that the manufacturer can legally say is viable. So here are a few things to look out for when buying a supplement:
Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12): This synthetic, factory-made form of B12 must be converted by the liver and requires a cyanide molecule to be detached and excreted. Instead, look for methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin, which are biologically ready to be used by the body immediately.
Folic Acid (Vitamin B9): Often used in fortified foods and basic multivitamins, this synthetic form must undergo multiple complex conversions to become usable, and un-metabolized folic acid can build up in the blood. Upgrade to methylfolate (5-MTHF), which is the naturally active form.
Magnesium Oxide: One of the cheapest and most common forms, but it has a very low absorption rate (often under 4%). Upgrade to highly absorbable forms like magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate.
Ferrous Sulfate (Iron): A common, synthetic iron often used in prescription and over-the-counter supplements. It frequently causes constipation and gastrointestinal upset. Iron bisglycinate is much gentler on the stomach and better absorbed.
(Vitamin A): Look for beta-carotene or retinyl palmitate if you decide to supplement. If your digestive tract struggles with this, you are better off getting preformed vitamin A from an animal-based source or multivitamin.
So eat your liver (or at least your sweet potatoes), get some leafy greens on the plate, reach for citrus and bell peppers when you need a snack, and if your diet has gaps — which most do — fill them with quality supplements. Your skin will glow, your nerves will signal cleanly, your tissues will repair themselves with something approaching elegance, and your eyes will keep reading the fine print well into your golden years.
Not to mention, your chiropractor will love you forever. Pretty good deal, for just learning your ABCs.
This article is for informational and educational purposes. Always consult with your healthcare provider before beginning a new supplementation program, particularly at therapeutic doses.
Key References:
Biomolecules (2023): Human Skin Aging and the Anti-Aging Properties of Retinol
Frontiers in Chemistry (2023): Oxidative Stress, Free Radicals and Antioxidants
Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University (updated 2024): Vitamin A Micronutrient Information
Lee et al., Int. J. Med. Sci. (2023): Anti-fatigue and exercise performance improvement following vitamin B complex supplementation — randomised double-blind trial
Woolf & Manore (2006): B-Vitamins and Exercise: Does Exercise Alter Requirements? — Int. J. Sport Nutr.
Okamoto et al., IJMS (2024): Does Vitamin B6 Act as an Exercise Mimetic in Skeletal Muscle?
PMC / NIH (2021): Impact of Vitamin B12 Insufficiency on Sarcopenia
DePhillipo et al., Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine (2018): Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries — Systematic Review
IntechOpen (2023): Vitamin C Promotes Wound Healing — Re-Epithelialization
Cosmetics / MDPI (2025): Decoding Skin Aging — Mechanisms, Markers, and Modern Therapies
