VITAMINS

Vitamins: How helpful are they?

Vitamins are just found in the early of 20th century. Its significance and importance were not emphasized until research found that it is just as essential as the other dietary components.

So what are Vitamins?

Vitamins are actually organic dietary compound that is not used by the body to produce energy. Unlike carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, vitamins' main roles is to preserve health in human body.

Vitamins cannot be produced by the body and thus we must get them mainly from food. Except for Vitamin D, which can be synthesized by the skin with the aid of sunlight.

Eventhough vitamins are essential, it is required only in small quantities. As small as it may seem, deficiency can lead to health complications in humans.

Requirements:

Vitamins are required in different proportions by different types of people. Men need more than women, babies, childrens, and adolescents all have specific needs and may required certain types of vitamins more or less than the others.

Types of Vitamins:

Vitamins can be classified in two groups:

1. Fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, K

2. Water-soluble vitamins: B vitamins, Vitamin C.

Functions of Vitamins:

Vitamin A
(also known as Retinol)

Vitamin A is very important in maintaining good sight. Deficiency may lead to night blindness or blindess in extreme cases. Vitamin A is also important in maintaining the integrity and health of membranes' lining, particularly the respiratory, digestive and urinary tracts.

Source of Vit. A: eggs, liver, beta carotene (carrot, red peppers, yellow coloured plants and vegetables, green leafy vegetables)

Excess beta carotene in the body can lead to carotenaemia - skin becomes pale an yellowish - but it is reversible when intake is decreased.

beta carotene is a type of Antioxidant, which is very important in combatting and preventing cancer.

Daily Requirement: 700 micrograms/day


Vitamin C
(also known as ascorbic acid)

Perhaps the most well known story of vitamin C is connected to the seaships, where barrels of oranges and citrus fruits were stored to prevent scurvy during long sea journeys.

Vitamin C is very important for formation of healthy skin (collagen), bones, cartilages, gums and teeth. It also helps to heal wounds and burns faster. It helps iron absorption in the body.
Like vitamin A, vitamin C is also an antioxidant.

Sources of Vit. C: Vegetables, Citrus fruits, kiwi, guava, strawberries.

Deficiency may lead to fatigue, loss of appetite, aching joints, scaly skin, sore gums, increased susceptibility to infections. Mental disorders and anaemia may appear in extreme cases.

Daily Requirement: 40 mg.


ALL the 8 Vitamin Bs

Vitamin B1
(also known as thiamin)

Thiamin acts by helping the body to convert carbohydrates, fats and alcohol into energy. it also helps to neutralize the toxic in human body.

sources of thiamin:
liver, heart, white bread, cereals potatoes and nuts.

Deficienty can lead to appetite loss, swelling of hands and legs, loss of sensation, mental confusion, muscle weakness.

Deficients are mostly heavy-alcoholics.

Daily requirement: 1 mg

Vitamin B2
(also known as riboflavin)

riboflavin acts almost like thiamin, which is to release energy from food, it acts with vitamin B6 and niacin to produce the beneficial effects in the body.

Sources of riboflavin:
milk, youghurt, eggs, meat, poultry, fish and fortified breakfast cereals.

Deficiency can lead to cracked, dry, scaly lips. inflamed, bloodshot eyes, inflammation fo the skin and fatigue due to anaemia.

Daily requirement: 1.3 mg



Vitamin B6
(also known as pyridoxine)

The functions of pyridoxine includes releasing energy for body consumption from proteins, it is also important for the formation of erythrocytes (red blood cells), the health of nervous system and optimising immune function.

Sources of pyridoxine:
Meat, poultry, eggs, fish, whole wheat bread and cereals, nuts, bananas, soya beans and yeast extract.

Deficiency is not common but it can be triggered by the usage of medicine used for fungal infection and tuberculosis. deficients may experience scaly skin.

daily requirement: 1.4 mg


Biotin

Biotin is needed to synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol, and needed in the metabolic processes which frees energy from food.

Sources of Biotin:
almost all food, liver, peanut butter, egg yolk.

Deficiency: Dermatitis and hair loss. it can be induced if raw egg whites are eaten regularly.

daily requirement: 10-200 mcg


Niacin
(also known as nicotinic acid)

Nicotinic acid is needed to produce energy in cells and to form chemical messengers in nervous system. It also helps in maintaining healthy skin and digestive system.

Sources of niacin:
lean meat, potatoes, nuts, cereals.

Deficiency may lead to tiredness, depression, pigmented skin rash, dermatitis and diarrhoea.

Excess may lead to skin appears flushed and liver damage.

Daily requirement: 17 mg


Pantothenic acid

Almost like pyridoxine, pantothenic acid is required to synthesize fats, cholesterol and red blood cells.

sources of panthotenic acid:
meat, vegetable foods, liver, dried fruits and nuts.

daily requirement: 3-7 mg




Folate
(also known as folic acid)


Folic acid is the more important side of vitamin B as it functions in formation of DNA, RNA and proteins in the body. it also helps cell division. Very impotant in pregnancy to help keeping fetus in healthy condition.

Sources of folate:
grean vegetables, liver, brussles sprouts, brocolli, wheatgerm and bread.

Deficiency of folate results in megaloblastic anaemia, wasting of the gut leading to malabsorption of nutrients. It is linked with the neural tube defects in fetus,

Daily requirement: 200 mg


Vitamin B12
(also known as cyanbalamin)

Just as folate, cyanobalamin is required in synthesizing DNA, RNA, and myelin. It also helps transports folate into cell. Vital in the formation of red blood cells.

Sources of vitamin B12:
meat, poultry, fish, soya bean.

Deficiency may lead to tiredness, megaloblastic anaemia, pins and needles and loss of sensation in limbs, degeneration of nervous system.

Daily requirement: 1.5 mcg



Vitamin D
(also known as calciferols)

Vitamin D requires calcium and fats before it can be absorbed in human body. It functions by helps our body to absorb calcium and phosphorus for formation of bones and teeth.

Sources of Vitamin D:
fish oils, eggs, margarines, tuna, salmon and sardines, exposure of skin to sunlight also helps our body to synthesize its own vitamin D.

Deficiency may lead to muscle weakness and tenseness, softening of bones and deformation of skeletons in children.

Daily requirement: 10 mg from the food, but exposure to sunlight is enough.


Vitamin E
(tocopherols)

this vitamin is another types of antioxidants, it helps by preventing the free radicals to change the shape fatty acids and cell membranes and other tissues in the body. Essential also in the health of reproductive system.

sources of tocopherols:
vegetable oils, nuts, seeds and margarine.

Deficiency can lead to hemolytic anemia and nerve damage, usually happens in people who cannot absorb fat.

Daily requirement: 4 mg.



Vitamin K
(phylloquinone, menaquinone)

this vitamin is needed in the formation of certain proteins and needed for normal blood clotting.

sources of vitamin K:
green leafy vegetables, cabbage, brussel sprouts and broccoli.

deficiency can lead to inability of blood to clot, usually it is due to drug therapy or because of disease.

Daily requirement: 70 mg.


So, I hope that this information will guide you on how to get your vitamins, it is essential that you consider them in your diet