What do vitamins do? Do microbes need vitamins?
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A vitamin is a complex molecule that we need in order to synthesize or use chemicals we need in our body. We can’t make collagen without Vitamin C, and without it, our tissues break down and can’t be fixed, causing scurvy. We need Vitamin K to activate certain enzymes and proteins in our blood, or else it can’t coagulate and we risk bleeding to death from any injury. Our bodies are very good at making just about anything from protein and carbs and fats that we eat, but there are a few things we can’t make enough of on our own, and those we call the vitamins.
Not all living things need the same vitamins. Most animals *can* make their own Vitamin C, and don’t require it in their diet. Microbes don’t need Vitamin K because they don’t bleed.
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