Health and Fitness

Vitamins what they do and why you need them

All the vitamins with an explanation of why you need them, recommended amounts and deficiency symptoms.

Vitamin A For healthy eyesight amongst other things.
Vitamin B1 Thiamine A water soluble Vitamin.
Vitamin B2 Plays a major role in the process of cellular oxidation.
Vitamin B6 Pyridoxine One of the most important vitamins among the Vitamin B complex.
Vitamin B12 Helps in the synthesis of DNA.
Vitamin C The most famous vitamin, found in oranges amongst other things.
Vitamin D For strong bones.
Vitamin E Tocopherol a natural antioxidant.
Vitamin K Helps blood clot.
Niacin Essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system, skin, and intestines.
Pantothenic acid An organic acid that serves many physiological functions.

All the above Vitamins help make up a healthy balanced diet.

Vitamin A What it does and why you need it

‘Vitamin A’ covers both a pre-formed vitamin, Retinol and a pro-vitamin, Beta-Carotene. Some amounts of beta-carotene transform into Retinol by GI enzymatic action. Retinol is converted to some pigments in our retinal tissue. These pigments are absolutely essential for our vision in dim light. Vitamin A is also essential to maintain the integrity of the glandular and the epithelial tissues present in every organ in our body. It also helps in the skeletal growth and boosts the immune system.

Daily requirement of Vitamin A –

Sources of Vitamin A: -

Foods of Animal Origin – eggs, liver, whole milk, butter, cheese. Fish Liver oils such as Cod liver oil and Halibut liver oils are the richest sources of Vitamin A, but generally they are used as food supplements.

Foods of Plant origin: -

Green leafy vegetables like spinach, amaranth. All the yellow vegetables like carrot, pumpkin, tomatoes, and papaya contain a great amount of Vitamin A in the form of Beta-carotene.

Fortified foods: -

Some commercially available foods like baby foods, milks and margarines are fortified with Vitamin A.

Effects of Vitamin A deficiency: - 

These are primarily seen in our eyes. The effect can be as low as nightblindness up to extremely detrimental condition like Keratomalacia where the eyes become rotten. Among the extra-ocular manifestations, these are anorexia, growth retardation and follicular hyperkeratosis.

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