Vitamins: - The Most Important Micro Nutrient

Vitamins are organic compounds which are necessary for daily life in small quantities. Our body does not produce it naturally except vitamin D, which is built the body itself in the presence of sunlight. All have to depend on external sources like fruits, vegetables, and the sun. Vitamins have a significant role in our mental or physical development.

Most of the vitamins are from food sources, but sometimes people use vitamin supplements to cure its deficiency. More than ten vitamins are known as water-soluble or fat-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins are easy to digest in the body, but, water-soluble vitamins are hard to understand.

A vitamin is one of the significant micronutrient called as organic substances and, present in minute amounts in a few natural foods and food supplements.

Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are generally in the liver and tissues in the form of body fat. Vitamins like A, D, E, K are fall into the fat-soluble group. These are easily storable vitamins in the body for a long time as stored fat. Body use these vitamins when the body is in starving conditions.

Water-soluble vitamins are easily digestible, and the body cannot store them as fleshed out in the urination. Vitamin C and B fall in the category as flushed more often. It cannot stay in the body for longer times as by its name they are mixed in the water and flushed out.

Here is some necessary vitamins classification

Vitamin A

Chemicals-carotenoids

Vitamin A is fat-soluble, and its deficiency cause night-blindness and cornea disorders.

Foodstuffs like liver, sweet potato, broccoli, egg, dairy products, and carrots are rich in vitamin A.

Vitamin B

Water-soluble vitamin.

Chemical- thiamine

Foods like brown rice, asparagus, potatoes, liver, and eggs are rich in vitamin B.

Deficiencies like beriberi caused when you don’t take its desired quantity.

Vitamin-B2

Type of water-soluble vitamin called as riboflavin and its deficiency cause airoboflavinosis.

Right vitamin-rich foods include banana, yogurt, milk, fish, meat, and eggs.

Vitamin B3

Chemical- niacin, niacinamide.

Vitamin B3 is water-soluble.

May cause pellagra, diarrhea, mental disturbance etc.

 Majority B3 present in chicken, beef, eggs, tomatoes and, dates.

Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid

It is soluble in water, and its deficiency is the biggest causative agent behind anemia.  

Vitamin c is commonly in fruits and vegetables like lemon, orange.

Vitamin D

Chemical- Ergocalciferol

Insoluble in water and fat-soluble

Many deficiencies like bone weakness and rickets

The primary source of vitamin D is direct exposure in sunlight. Also found in fatty beef liver, fish, and mushrooms.

Vitamin E

Chemical- Tocopherols

Only fat-soluble

Deficiencies like anemia in newborns as blood cells reduction.

Vitamin E commonly present in some fruits and nuts like kiwi, almonds, whole-grains, eggs, leafy vegetables, and milk.

Vitamin E

Chemical- Menaquinones

Only fat-soluble 

Complications like unusual bleeding

Vitamin K presence in some leafy vegetables, parsley, and green vegetables. 

Importance of Vitamins and Minerals in the Diet

Vitamins are the essential nutrients for the body because they perform hundreds of roles in mental and physical health. There is a fine line between consuming enough of these nutrients in natural form or gulping vitamin supplements without knowing its effects and side effects. Eating a complete diet of macro and micronutrients remains the best way to get desired amounts of these vitamins and minerals.

Role of vitamins

A right combination of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium revives your bones against traumas.

Natural folic acid food supplements early in pregnancy help in preventing several physical defects in offspring.

The mineral fluoride and calcium not only helps the bone formation and strengthening but also keeps dental cavities away.

I'm Basant Kumar is a full-time content writer in AC Care India . I write contents and blogs for different SEO sites like- Blogger, APP sense, Medium, and Sooper Articles, etc. I am a postgraduate from ITM University Gwalior in Biotechnology. I am an active member of the writing sites like blogger and some more.