Vitamins - Water Soluble and Fat Soluble
and Psuedovitamins

   
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Vitamins are a group of substances essential to normal metabolism, growth and development, and regulation of cell function; vitamins work together with enzymes, co-factors, and other substances.

Vitamins are usually defined as:  A component of a natural food but distinct from carbohydrates, fats, protein, minerals and water. They are present in most foods, and required by the body, in very small amounts. They are essential for fundamental body functions. Their absence will cause a specific deficiency disease or syndrome. They are not synthesized in sufficient amounts to meet physiological demands.

Vitamins are generally classified into two groups, fat soluble and water soluble.

The fat soluble vitamins are Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and Vitamin K.

The water soluble vitamins are Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Folic Acid, Cobalamin (B12), pyridoxine (B6) and Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Care should be taken if one relies on diet to supply all of ones vitamin requirements. With current food processing, cooking, harvesting, weather and genetics there is wide variability of vitamins in foodstuffs. Each vitamin has specific functions. If a certain vitamin is deficient, a deficiency disease results.

Vitamin A: this fat-soluble vitamin helps in the formation and maintenance of healthy teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin. It is also known as retinol, as it generates the pigments that are necessary for the working of the retina. It promotes good vision, especially in dim light. It may also be required for reproduction and lactation. Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A; it has antioxidant properties.   Vitamin A is necessary for the synthesis of rhodopsin and other pigments that are used for vision. Vitamin A is also involved in epithelial tissue, bone growth, reproduction and immune functions. Deficiency: A vitamin A deficiency can result in night blindness, poor growth and xerosis. Sources: Beef liver, milk, egg yolks and supplements are good sources of vitamin A. Vitamin A: Retinol, retinal and retinoic acid are names that have been used to describe vitamin A. Body Uses:  Provitamin A (carotene) is found in green leafy vegetables, carrots and spinach.

Thiamine(B1): helps the body cells convert carbohydrates into energy. It is also essential for the functioning of the heart and for healthy nerve cells and the brain. Thiamin (B1): Thiamin was one of the first vitamins discovered. As with many of the B vitamins, thiamin is involved in energy metabolism. Body Uses: Hydrochloric acid (stomach acid) is necessary for thiamin absorption. Thiamin’s primary function is as a coenzyme for oxidative decarboxylation of keto acids and sugars. Thiamin is involved in the Krebs (TCA cycle) for energy metabolism in the mitochondria and to a limited extent in the cytoplasm. Deficiency: The classic deficiency syndrome for thiamin is Beriberi. Beriberi’s symptoms include weakness, loss of appetite and nervous disorders. Additional thiamin deficiency symptoms include edema, an enlarged heart and tachycardia. Sources: Good sources of thiamin include, yeast, whole grains and pork.

Riboflavin(B2): works with the other B vitamins and is important for body growth and red cell production. Similar to thiamine, it helps in releasing energy from carbohydrates. Riboflavin (B2): Riboflavin is a key component of several enzymes necessary for carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Body Uses: Riboflavin is important for flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) and flavin mononucleotide (FMN). These compounds help regulate cellular metabolism through oxidation-reduction reactions. Deficiency: A deficiency of riboflavin can result in decreased growth, nervous disorders, degeneration of myelin sheaths, edema and photophobia. Sources: Good sources of riboflavin are meats, nonfat milk and oysters.

Niacin (B3): Forms of niacin include nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. Niacin is involved in over 40 biochemical reactions. Body Uses: Niacin is important for normal tissue integrity, especially the skin, gastrointestinal tract and the nervous system. Niacin is also involved in carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Deficiency: A deficiency of niacin can result in diarrhea, dermatitis, loss of appetite, weakness, decreased growth and mental confusion. Sources: Niacin is widely distributed and good sources are meats, seafood, mushrooms and greens. Niacin may also be added to enriched breads and cereals to help replace niacin loss during processing.

Vitamin (B6): is also known as pyridoxine. The more protein a person eats the more B6 is required to use the protein. It helps in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of normal brain function. It also assists in the synthesizing of antibodies in the immune system. Pyridoxine (B6): Vitamin B6 consists of several compounds including, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine and pyridoxine. Body Uses: Over 50 enzymes depend on B6 coenzymes. B6 is especially involved in amino acid metabolism. Deficiency: A B6 deficiency can result in dermatitis, convulsions, anemia and excitability. Sources: Good sources of B6 are meats, cereals and bananas.

Pantothenic Acid: Pantothenic acid is found in two enzymes - coenzyme A and acyl-carrier-protein (ACP). Pantothenic acid is important for normal tissue metabolism. Body Uses: Pantothenic acid is involved with the synthesis of fatty acids, cholesterol and sterols. Deficiency: While deficiencies are rare, they can include, nervous disorders, edema, subcutaneous hemorrhage, vomiting and fatigue. Sources: Pantothenic acid is widely distributed in plant and animal foods, especially in egg yolks, liver and yeast.

Biotin: Biotin is essential for carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. Body Uses: Biotin is involved in the conversion of protein and carbohydrate into fat. Biotin also helps to maintain normal blood glucose levels from fat and protein when carbohydrate is low. Deficiency: Biotin deficiencies are rare but can result in anorexia, nausea and depression. Large intakes of raw egg whites (containing avidin) may induce a deficiency. Sources: Good sources of biotin include, yeast, liver, milk and egg yolks.

Folic acid (Folacin): Folic acid is important as a component of tetrahydrofolic acid, which is involved in the transfer of one carbon groups. Body Uses: Folic acid is important for the transfer of methyl groups to help resynthesize methionine from homocysteine and to make choline. Folic acid is also important in the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines. Deficiency: A folic acid deficiency can cause megaloblastic anemia (defective DNA synthesis resulting in abnormal red blood cells especially, in bone marrow), diarrhea, fatigue and depression. A deficiency may also cause neural-tube birth defects. Sources: Yeast, spinach and beef liver are good sources of folic acid.

Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is important for metabolism. It helps in the formation of red blood cells and in the maintenance of the central nervous system. Cobalamin (Vitamin B12): Vitamin B12 is the generic name for a group of compounds with B12 activity. B12 is essential for several enzyme systems. Body Uses: Most reactions using B12 involve the transfer of one carbon units for the methylation of homocysteine. B12 is also important in the metabolism of nucleic acids and proteins. Deficiency: A B12 deficiency can result in anemia, fatty liver, and peripheral nerve degeneration. Sources: Beef liver, meats, fish, poultry and milk are good sources of B12.

Pantothenic acid and biotin: pantothenic acid is essential for the metabolism of food. It is also essential in the synthesis of hormones and cholesterol. Biotin is essential for the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates like the other B vitamins, and in the synthesis of hormones and cholesterol.

Folacin works with vitamin B12 in the production of red blood cells. It is necessary for the synthesis of DNA, which controls heredity as well as tissue growth and cell function.

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. It promotes healthy teeth and gums, helps in the absorption of iron, and in the maintenance of normal connective tissue. It also promotes wound healing. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid): Vitamin C is involved in several biochemical reactions. Body Uses: Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is involved in the synthesis of collagen, carnitine and norepinephrine (for arteriole contraction and lipid release). Deficiency: A deficiency of vitamin C can result in fatigue, anorexia, loss of appetite, retarded wound healing and rupture of the capillaries. All of these symptoms are characteristic of the classic vitamin C deficiency - scurvy. Sources: Good sources of vitamin C are papaya, oranges, broccoli and grapefruit juice.

Choline: While choline is not classified as a vitamin, using the classical definition, it is considered as essential, mainly for infants. It is believed that adults can synthesize sufficient amounts of choline. Body Uses: Choline is necessary for cell membrane synthesis, lipid transport, a source of labile methyl groups and acetylcholine (nerve transmission). Choline has been used to treat fatty livers and Alzheimer’s disease. Deficiency: Choline is essential for some animals but a classic deficiency has not been demonstrated in humans. Infants, however, may need choline and supplementation is recommended. Sources: Good sources of choline are lecithin, seed oils, liver and egg yolks.

Vitamin D is also known as the "sunshine vitamin" since it is manufactured by the body after being exposed to sunshine. Ten to fifteen minutes of sunshine three times weekly is adequate to produce the body's requirement of vitamin D. It promotes the body's absorption of calcium, which is essential for the normal development of healthy teeth and bones. It also helps maintain the adequate blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, which are minerals.  Vitamin D: There are two primary forms of vitamin D, ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3). Cholecalciferol is found only in animals. The active hormonal form of vitamin D is 1,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol. Body Uses: The primary purpose of vitamin D is to regulate plasma levels of Ca and P to support bone mineralization. Deficiency: A vitamin D deficiency primarily results in rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Natural exposure to sunlight will normally provide adequate levels of vitamin D. Sources: Vitamin D can be produced in the skin during exposure to sunlight. Fortified milk and supplements are good sources of vitamin D.

Vitamin E is also known as tocopherol; it is an antioxidant. It is also important in the formation of red blood cells and the use of vitamin K.Vitamin E: Vitamin E activity in food is from a series of compounds called the tocopherols and tocotrienols (trienols). Eight forms are found in nature. Body Uses: Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that helps prevent cellular damage. The primary function of vitamin E is to maintain cell membrane integrity from oxidative damage. Polyunsaturated fatty acids may increase the need for vitamin E. Deficiency: A deficiency of vitamin E can result in decreased birth weights and anemia in children and neuropathy in adults. Sources: Good sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils, cereal products, liver and vitamin supplements.

Vitamin K is known as the clotting vitamin, because without it blood would not coagulate. Some studies indicate that it helps in maintaining strong bones in the elderly. Vitamin K is used to describe several quinone compounds that helps the blood clotting process. Body Uses: The primary purpose of vitamin K is to activate several blood clotting factors to help blood clot and stop the bleeding process. Deficiency: A deficiency of vitamin K can result in defective blood clotting in children and adults. Sources: Green leafy vegetables, liver, soybeans and supplements are good sources of vitamin K.

Vitamin-like Compounds

Inositol: Inositol’s function is not completely understood but inositol is believed to help metabolize fats and may help restore nerve function after nerve damage from diabetes.

Bioflavionoids: Bioflavionoids are a group of compounds found in citrus fruits. There is no evidence that these compounds are essential but additional research may help clarify if they are important for certain disease situations.

Lipoic Acid: Lipoic acid functions, along with thiamin, in certain coenzymes. Lipoic acid can be made in the body.

Carnitine (vitamin B-T): As with choline, carnitine plays a role in fat metabolism. Carnitine helps transfer fats across the cell membrane for utilization. Usually the body can make carnitine and supplements are not necessary. Some people may require carnitine if sufficient amounts are not made. Possible deficiency signs are, muscle weakness, low blood sugar and high ammonia levels in the blood.

Coenzyme Q: Coenzyme Q is also referred to as ubiquinone. Coenzyme Q is involved in energy metabolism. Research is being conducted to determine if coenzyme Q has a role in treating heart disease.

Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA): PABA is a part of the folic acid molecule. PABA is used mainly in sunscreens to help prevent sunburn. There is no evidence of a positive effect of PABA when taken orally. Also, ingestion in large amounts can cause vomiting and nausea.

Betaine (trimethylglycine): Betaine is similar to choline in structure. Betaine’s primary role appears to be as a methyl donor (supplies one carbon groups). Although not considered to be essential, betaine may help reduce the level of homocysteine in the body. While choline and betaine are methyl donors, betaine appears to be more efficient as a methyl donor in humans.

Pseudovitamins:

Vitamin B17 (Laetrile): Another name used for this compound is amygdalin. At one time this compound was used to treat cancer. There was the thought that the cyanide in laetrile destroyed cancer cells. Research does not support this use.

Vitamin B15 (Pangamic Acid): This compound has not been chemically identified. Products on the market have been shown to contain, calcium gluconate, glycine and dichloroacetate. Dichloroacetae is the only component shown to have pharmacological activity. There is no evidence that pangamate has any therapeutic benefit.

Vitamin B13 (Orotic Acid): Orotic acid is an intermediate in pyrimidine metabolism. Orotic acid is not recognized as a vitamin and may even increase hepatic lipids.

Vitamin H3 (Gerovital or GH3): Vitamin H3 is a buffered solution of procaine hydrochloride (also know as Novocain® ), which is a painkiller. Vitamin H3 has been promoted as a nutritional substance that decreases the symptoms of diseases related to aging. There is no sound research to support this claim. This compound is not recognized as a vitamin.

Vitamin U: Vitamin U is the methylsulfonium salt of methionine. Vitamin U is found in cabbage and other green vegetables. Claims have been made that vitamin U is an antipeptic ulcer factor. These claims have not been supported by research. This compound is not recognized as a vitamin.

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