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 B₂ or riboflavin as its also known is one of the members of the vitamin B group. It plays a major role in the process of cellular oxidation. It is also a co factor with a number of enzymes that are involved in energy metabolism.

Dietary sources

The richest natural sources of Vitamin B₂ are eggs, milk, kidney, liver and green leafy vegetables. A small amount is present in fish and meat also. Cereals and pulses have relatively poor content of vitamin B₂. However, germination of the pulses increases this vitamin content and many breakfast cereal manufacturers actually add extra riboflavin.

Deficiency disorders

Deficiency of riboflavin is widespread in populations where rice is the staple food. The reason being that; cereals are a poor sources of Vitamin B₂. Riboflavin deficiency symptoms are almost always seen with the deficiency of other B complex vitamins like pyridoxine. It is a part of multiple vitamin deficiency disorder syndrome. The most common deficiency symptom of vitamin B₂ is Angular Stomatits. The other disorders that occur are glossitis, cheilosis, impaired wound healing, impaired neuromotor functions and may be increased vulnerability to cataract. Most of these signs and symptoms are seen among the malnourished both children and adults. The prevalence of these disorders is used as an index of the socio economic condition of the people and the state of nutrition of the children.

Daily requirement

Vitamin B₂ is not stored in the body. The daily requirement of the vitamin for the body is about 0.6 mg per 1000 Kcal of energy intake.