Introduction to Vitamins

VITAMINS

Vitamins are organic compounds required in small quantities for good health. They cannot be made within your body, so you must take vitamins from your diet. Vitamins are required by the body for metabolism, to protect health, for proper growth in children, formation of hormones, blood cells, nervous-system chemicals, and genetic material.

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The 13 well-identified vitamins are classified according to their ability to be absorbed in fat or water. If the vitamins are soluble in fat, but not in water we call that vitamins fat soluble vitamins. Examples for fat soluble vitamins are vitamin A, D, E and K. These set of vitamins are generally consumed along with fat containing foods, and because they can be stored in the body's fat, they do not have to be consumed every day.

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The other type of vitamins, the water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body in that way and you need to take those vitamins frequently. Examples for water soluble vitamins are eight B vitamins and Vitamin C.

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Our body can only manufacture vitamin D in our body. When sunlight touches your skin a special steroid in your skin is converted into vitamin D. Due to this reason you should take every other vitamin except vitamin D along with your diet. If a given Vitamin is lacking, a characteristic set of symptoms will develop known as a deficiency disease. The text below will explain all the necessary details you should know about vitamins along with the principle sources and their deficiency disorders.

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Just click on a topic from the left side topics.
Vitamin A
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Vitamin B1

Vitamin B2
Vitamin B3
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B5

Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin H
Folic Acid
Vitamin Deficiency diseases

Vitamin Deficiency Diseases

Vitamin Deficiency Diseases

A vitamin deficiency disease is the characteristic set of symptoms which will occur as the result of lacking a given vitamin. The text below will explain all about the diseases which occur as a result of vitamin deficiency in brief.

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin A

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Skin becomes dry.
• Cornea becomes dry
• Mucous membranes degenerate.
• Poor 'night vision'
• Serious deficiency results in complete night blindness or Xerophthalmia
• Permanent blindness or Keratomalacia may occur if the vitamin is not present in the diet.

Vitamin D

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Rickets-This is the failure of growing bones to calcify. Bow legs are a common children and knock knees in older ones. Deformation of the pelvic bones in adolescent girls can occur which may lead to complications when they are pregnant, and give birth.
• Osteomalacia-An adult condition where the bones are painful and spontaneous fractures may occur. Here the bones are weakened and soften, becoming less mineralised with calcium and phosphate.

Vitamin E

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Anaemia-Increased breakdown of red blood cells.

Vitamin K

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Mild deficiency leads to a prolonged blood clotting time.
• Serious deficiency means blood fails to clot at all.

Water Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin B₁

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Beriberi-
• Nervous system affected.
• Muscles become weak and painful.
• Paralysis can occur.
• Heart failure (In severe cases this can cause death.)
• Oedema (Tissues swollen with fluid.)
• Children's growth is reduced.
• Keto acids like pyruvic acid, accumulate in the blood.

Vitamin B₂

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Tongue sores
• Sores at the corners of the mouth.

Vitamin B₆
Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Depression and irritability.
• Anaemia
• Diarrhoea
• Skin disorders -Dermatitis
• Cracks at the mouth corners
• Smooth tongue
• Kidney stones
• Nausea
• Convulsions

Vitamin B₅

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Poor nerve-muscle coordination.
• Fatigue
• Muscle cramp

Vitamin B₃
Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Pellagra-the first symptom of which is a sunburnlike eruption that breaks
  out where the skin is exposed to sunlight. Later symptoms are a red and
  swollen tongue
• diarrhea
• mental confusion
• irritability
• when the central nervous system is affected, depression and mental disturbances.
  

Vitamin B₁₂

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Pernicious anaemia.

  • Ineffective production of red blood cells

  • Faulty myelin (nerve sheath) synthesis

  • Loss of epithelium (membrane lining) of the intestinal tract.

  
  
  
  

Folic acid

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Anaemia-particularly in women during pregnancy
• Neural tube defects, a type of birth defect that results in severe brain or neurological disorders

Vitamin H
Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Dermatitis
• Muscle pains

Vitamin C
Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Scurvy-Skin of gums becomes weak and bleeds.
• Wounds fail to heal.
• connective tissue fibres fail to form
• Anaemia
• Heart failure

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B₂
The proper chemical name of vitamin B₂ is Riboflavin. It is a colourless crystalline substance.

Principle Sources

• Liver
• Eggs
• Milk
• Cheese
• Dark green vegetables
• Pasta
• Bread
• Mushrooms
• Yeast extract

Function

• Forms part of the prosthetic group of flavoproteins which are
  used in electron transport in respiration.

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Tongue sores

• Sores at the corners of the mouth.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C
The proper chemical name of vitamin C is Ascorbic acid.

Principle Sources

• Citrus fruits
• Green vegetables-Good vegetable sources are broccoli, brussels sprouts,tomatoes, spinach, kale, green peppers, cabbage, and turnips.
• Potatoes
• Tomatoes
• Other fruits like blackcurrants, fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, and guava

Function

• Concerned with the metabolism of connective tissue and the production of strong skin.
• Essential for collagen fibre synthesis.
• Enhances the absorption of iron from foods of vegetable origin.

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Scurvy-Skin of gums becomes weak and bleeds.
• Wounds fail to heal.
• connective tissue fibres fail to form
• Anaemia
• Heart failure

Vitamin H

Vitamin H
The proper chemical name of vitamin H is Biotin.

Principle Sources

• Liver
• Yeast
• Kidney
• Egg white
• Synthesis by intestinal bacteria

Function

• Used as a coenzyme for a number of carboxylation reactions.
• Involved in protein synthesis and transamination

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Dermatitis
• Muscle pains

Folic Acid

Folic acid
Folic acid, or folacin, is a coenzyme needed for forming body protein and hemoglobin.Folic acid is lost in foods stored at room temperature and during cooking. Unlike other water-soluble vitamins, folic acid is stored in the liver and need not be consumed daily.

Principle Sources

• Liver
• White fish
• Green vegetables
• Organ meats
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Whole grains
• Brewer's yeast.

Function

• Formation of red blood corpuscles.
• Synthesis of nucleoproteins.

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Anaemia-particularly in women during pregnancy
  Neural tube defects, a type of birth defect that results in severe brain or neurological disorders

Right Amount you Should Take

The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that women of child-bearing age take 0.4 mg of folic acid daily. Women should continue to take that dose through the first three months of pregnancy.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B₁₂
The proper chemical name of vitamin B12 is Cyanocobalamin. The deficiency of Cyanocobalamin is often due to the inability of the stomach to produce glycoprotein, which aids in the absorption of this vitamin.

Principle Sources

• Meat
• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Cheese
• Liver
• Kidneys
• Vegetarians are advised to take vitamin B12 supplements.

Function

• RNA nucleoprotein synthesis.
• Prevents pernicious anaemia.

Deficiency diseases and Symptoms

• Pernicious anaemia.
  ---Ineffective production of red blood cells
  ---Faulty myelin (nerve sheath) synthesis
  ---Loss of epithelium (membrane lining) of the intestinal tract.