We have vitamin b6 and b12 but I’ve never seen others. I’ve seen vitamin A but never a number with it. How did we get here? Similarly, why aren’t other often grouped supplement ingredients labeled as vitamins? Thinking of Omegas, fish oil, niacin etc. did we run out of letters? Is there a characteristic needed to be called vitamin?
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I can answer one part of your question, why some things aren’t vitamins. vitamins are defined as small organic molecules that are necessary micronutrients for human health. Organic molecules meaning mostly made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with occasionally nitrogen, sulfur, or others. So, things that aren’t considered vitamins include A) macronutrients – things we need a large amount of (ie carbs, protein, and fats), B) minerals, like potassium, magnesium, zinc, etc, these are not organic molecules, and C) non-essential nutrients, like creating, taurine, etc.
Now there are some things that probably should be given a vitamin designation, but haven’t, like choline. It pretty much fits the criteria. And some vitamins have an alternate name, like niacin, which is one of the B vitamins (B3? don’t remember for sure)
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