Why are vitamins not considered as food?

Answer 1

They are considered a "supplement" to give you iron, vitamin A, E, C, D and other nutrients that are not normally found in the body, but we need for good health.

There is a pill called "Theramine" that IS considered a "Medical food". This contains nutrients found in fruits and vegetables and are in stronger doses. It can only be obtained via a prescription. This helps with joint pain, Arthritis and many other things.

Answer 2

First vitamin that was isolated and syntetized was B1 - thiamin which happened to be amine, and was researched as it was concluded it affects health greatly - preventing beriberi disease. It was concluded that there is a wider group of molecules which had great impact on health in small dosages, and it was at this point assumed they would all be amines, so they were named Vita (lat. life) + amine = Vitamine. Later when more vitamin structures were identified, and with it that most aren't in fact amines, "e" was dropped from the name Vitamine(e) to lessen the confusion, but the name was kept as it was already wide spread.

Answer 3

They are called drugs.