What are Vitamins? Sources and Functions of vitamins

 Vitamins

Vitamins are organic compounds that are not built in a definite pattern like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. They are not energy-providing foods nor bodybuilding foods; yet they are required in small quantities by animals, including humans, for normal health and development.

Deficiency diseases such as scurvy and beriberi are caused by the lack of certain chemical substances in our diet known as vitamins.

In both underdeveloped countries and developed countries, a deficiency of vitamins can arise. How?

In developed countries, people eat processed foods more, and thus, vitamin-rich raw fruits and vegetables are avoided.

In underdeveloped countries, people do not get a balanced diet and so are malnourished, resulting in vitamin deficiency.

Vitamins can be grouped into two types: 

• Fat-soluble 
• Water-soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins, as the name suggests, are soluble in fats and can be stored in the fats of the body, but water-soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body, and need to be supplied in the daily diet.

When a particular vitamin is deficient, characteristic symptoms appear. Usually, a mild vitamin deficiency is hard to detect, but it may impair a person’s well-being so he feels rundown or irritable. If the deficiency is severe, the particular deficiency disease will develop.

As vitamin supplements are becoming easily available over the counter, we must take the precaution of the dosage while consuming them. Larger quantities of some vitamins are toxic and may produce mild diseases, and should only be taken when prescribed.

Source and Functions of Different Vitamins

Vitamin A

Ever heard carrots are good for our eyes?

How is that?

Carrots are a rich source of vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin, and are required for the formation of a light-sensitive pigment in the retina and for maintaining healthy epithelial tissues. Rich sources of this vitamin include dairy products, fish liver oils, and green, leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B Complex

Vitamin B has many subtypes, many of which are important coenzymes in cellular respiration. Beri-beri and anemia are deficiency diseases caused by a lack of certain B vitamins.

Yeast, liver, and bran are rich sources of vitamins.

Vitamin C or Ascorbic Acid

It is a water-soluble vitamin. Vitamin C is needed for the synthesis of intercellular substances. The substances are found between the cells and they keep the cells together.

Vitamin C is also necessary for maintaining healthy epithelial tissues. It is, however, not effective against influenza according to popular belief.

The richest sources of this vitamin are fresh citrus fruits like oranges and lemons and some other fruits like papaya, guava, tomatoes, and bananas. Vitamin C is also found in fresh green vegetables. Fruit juices such as blackcurrant juice and rosehip syrup are often used as a convenient source of this vitamin.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, It promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus compounds from the intestines. It also allows the body to use these compounds in the formation of bones and teeth.

It is found in fish liver oils like Cod and Halibut, egg yolk, milk, and margarine. Ultraviolet rays in sunlight can convert a natural substance in the skin to Vitamin D. So if a person gets enough sunlight, Vitamin D is not needed in the diet.