subject: All About Vitamins- Their Types, Lists Of Vitamins, And Their Deficiency Problems [print this page] Vitamins, in scientific terms, are organic compounds that are essential in adequate quantities for our living. Vitamins can"t be directly produced by the body. Hence, it is necessary that our daily diet contains a good amount of vitamins. And, not all the vitamins are common for all the living beings on the earth. For example, Vitamin C which contains ascorbic acid is important for human beings but not for animals like dogs and cats. Likewise, there are several vitamins that are specifically important for the animals but not so much important for human beings. In simple words, vitamin is an organic compound that contains carbon that can only be derived from the food that we eat.
There are fat soluble and water soluble vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins are the ones that get stored as fat under the skin. The body readily accepts the fat soluble vitamins than the water soluble ones. These types of vitamins are absorbed by the intestinal tracts by lipids. And the vitamins that get stored as fat are used up by the body at a later stage when there is a need for energy to do activities. Interestingly, the fat soluble vitamins can remain in the body for several days and can be used anytime. Examples of fat soluble vitamins are Vitamins A, D, E and K. Water soluble vitamins don"t stay in the body for long. They remain for a short time before they get expelled from the body through sweat and urination. And, since they get expelled at frequent intervals there is a need to replace them quickly. That is why doctors say we have to drink at least three to four liters of water every day. Examples of water soluble vitamins are Vitamin B and C. Given below in brief is the list of vitamins, the information of which I gathered when I was surfing the web using my Internet connection powered by Xfinity Internet.
Names of vitamins
Vitamin A
Type: Fat soluble.
Deficiency might cause night-blindness or other eye disorders that directly affect the cornea or the vision of the person.
Deficiency of this vitamin might cause paresthesia
Rich sources - meats, whole grains, broccoli, avocados, and fish.
Vitamin B6
Type: Water soluble.
Deficiency of this vitamin might cause anemia, or peripheral neuropathy.
Rich sources - meats, bananas, whole grains, vegetables, and nuts. Freezing, drying and canning of milk reduces upto 50% of vitamin B6.
Vitamin B7
Type: Water soluble.
Deficiency may cause dermatitis, or enteritis
Rich sources - egg yolk, liver, and vegetables.
Vitamin B9
Type: Water soluble.
Deficiency may cause problems for pregnant women and may affect child birth.
Rich sources - leafy vegetables, fruits, legumes, baker's yeast, liver, sunflower seeds and certain fortified grain products.
Vitamin B12
Type: Water soluble.
Deficiency of this vitamin might cause megaloblastic anemia
Rich sources - fish, shellfish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and dairy products. Fortified cereals and soy products also contain vitamin B12.
Vitamin C
Type: Water soluble.
Deficiency may cause megaloblastic anemia
Rich sources "" lemon, fruit and vegetables, and liver.
Vitamin D
Type: Fat soluble.
Deficiency of this vitamin might cause rickets, and osteomalacia.
Rich sources "" Direct exposure to sunlight enriches the body with vitamin D naturally. It is also found in traces in fish, eggs, beef liver, and mushrooms.
Vitamin E
Type: Fat soluble.
Deficiency of this vitamin is uncommon. But a deficiency may cause mild hemolytic anemia in newborn babies.
Rich sources - kiwi fruit, green leafy items, avocado, almonds, eggs, milk, nuts, unheated vegetable oils, wheat germ, and grains.
Vitamin K
Type: Fat soluble.
Deficiency may cause bleeding or diathesis.
Rich sources - leafy green vegetables, avocado, and kiwi fruit. And Parsley contains adequate amounts of vitamin K.
