DSM highlights 100 years of vitamins

The year 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of vitamins. In 1912, a scientist named Casimir Funk coined the term “vitamins” to describe bioactive substances essential for human and animal health. In the years that followed, a series of scientific breakthroughs were made that identified 13 vitamins and explored many of their functions in the body. The last century has witnessed remarkable discoveries and research that have advanced understanding of vitamins and their vital role in health and wellness. The Polish biochemist Casimir Funk isolated the first vitamin (B1) from rice bran. He realized that a compound inside of the rice bran could in fact cure patients. He gave the substance he discovered the name “vitamine” — a combination of “vita” (Latin for “life”) and “amine” (= nitrogen compound).

For 100 years the word “vitamin” has been an umbrella term for a group of essential, organic micronutrients that play a range of vital roles in our bodies. The majority of vitamins cannot be directly produced by the body and must therefore be obtained through dietary means (exceptions: niacin and vitamin D).