Vitamins - The Vital Nutrients!

Multivitamins - A Brief Explanation: -

Vitamins (A Definiation)!: -

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism.

A compound is called a vitamin 'when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet.'


Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions, including function as hormones (e.g. vitamin D), antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E), and mediators of cell signaling and regulators of cell and tissue growth and differentiation (e.g. vitamin A). The largest number of vitamins (e.g. B complex vitamins) function as precursors for enzyme cofactor bio-molecules (coenzymes), that help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism.


For example, biotin is part of enzymes involved in making fatty acids. 'Vitamins also act as coenzymes to carry chemical groups between enzymes.' For example, folic acid carries various forms of carbon group – methyl, formyl and methylene - in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme reactions are vitamins' best-known function, the other vitamin functions are equally important.

The Classification of Vitamins!: -

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  Vitamins are classified as either 'water - soluble or fat soluble.'



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  In humans there are 13 vitamins: 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E and K) and 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C).
  
  
  
  Water Soluable Vitamins!: -
  
  
  Water-soluble vitamins dissolve easily in water, and in general, are readily excreted from the body, to the degree that urinary output is a strong predictor of vitamin consumption. Because they are not readily stored, consistent daily intake is important.Many types of water-soluble vitamins are synthesized by bacteria.
  
  
  
  Fat Soulable Vitamins!: -
  
  
  Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the help of lipids (fats). Because they are more likely to accumulate in the body, they are more likely to lead to hypervitaminosis than the water-soluble vitamins.
  
  Fat-soluble vitamin regulation is of particular significance in cystic fibrosis.
  
  
  

All The 16 Vitamins!: -



Vitamin A: -

'Vitamin A' can be found in various forms: -

Retinol: the form of vitamin A absorbed when eating animal food sources, is a yellow, fat-soluble, vitamin with importance in vision and bone growth.

Since the alcohol form is unstable, the vitamin is usually produced and administered in a form of retinyl acetate or palmitate.
other retinoids, a class of chemical compounds that are related chemically to vitamin A, are used in medicine.

The various popular forms of Vitamin A: -

· Retinol

· beta-carotene, dissolved in oil

· beta-carotene, common dietary

· alpha-carotene, common dietary

· beta-cryptoxanthin, common dietary

Vitamin B Complex: -

The B vitamins are a group of eight water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in cell metabolism. Historically, the B vitamins were once thought to be a single vitamin, referred to as vitamin B (much as people refer to vitamin C or vitamin D).


Later research showed that they are chemically distinct vitamins that often coexist in the same foods. Supplements containing all eight are generally referred to as a vitamin B complex. Individual B vitamin supplements are referred to by the specific name of each vitamin (e.g. B1, B2, B3 etc.).

List of B Vitamins!: -

• Vitamin B1 (thiamine)



• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)



• Vitamin B3 (niacin or nicotinamide)



• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)



• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal, or pyridoxamine)



• Vitamin B7 (biotin), also known as vitamin H



• Vitamin B9 (folic acid), also known as vitamin M



• Vitamin B12 (various cobalamins; commonly cyanocobalamin in vitamin supplements)

Vitamin C: -

Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of higher primate species, a small number of other mammalian species (notably guinea pigs and bats), a few species of birds, and some fish.

Vitamin D: -

Is also known as the 'Sunshine Vitamin.'

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble prohormones, the two major forms of which are vitamin D2 (or ergocalciferol) and vitamin D3 (or cholecalciferol). Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements.

Vitamin E: -

Vitamin E is the collective name for a set of 8 related α-, β-, γ-, and δ-tocopherols and the corresponding four tocotrienols, which are fat-soluble vitamins with antioxidant properties.


It has been claimed that α-tocopherol is the most important lipid-soluble antioxidant, and that it protects cell membranes from oxidation by reacting with lipid radicals produced in the lipid peroxidation chain reaction.

Vitamin K: -

Vitamin K (K from "Koagulations-Vitamin" in German and Scandinavian languages) denotes a group of lipophilic, hydrophobic vitamins that are needed for the posttranslational modification of certain proteins, mostly required for blood coagulation.

Inositol (Vitamin B8): -

Myo-Inositol was classified as a member of the vitamin B complex (often referred to as vitamin B8), but was found to be synthesized by the human body (thus, declassifying it as a vitamin). It should be noted, however, that substances such as niacin and choline can also be synthesized in the body, but are not made in amounts considered adequate for good health, and are classified as essential nutrients.

Inositol is not considered a vitamin itself because it can be synthesised by the body.

Choline: -

Choline is an organic compound, classified as a water-soluble essential nutrient and usually grouped within the Vitamin B complex. This natural amine is found in the lipids that make up cell membranes and in the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid): -

PABA is an essential nutrient for some bacteria and is sometimes called Vitamin Bx. In humans, PABA is normally made by E. coli in the colon and therefore PABA from food is not normally essential to human health.

PABA is therefore not officially classified as a vitamin. PABA is an intermediate in bacterial synthesis of folate. Although humans lack the ability to synthesize folate from PABA, that is also normally done by E. coli. PABA is sometimes marketed as an essential nutrient for use whenever normal PABA synthesis by intestinal bacteria is insufficient

References: -

The Doctors Book of Herbal Home Remedies: Cure Yourself with Nature's Most Powerful Healing Agents by The Editors of Prevention Health Books and Varro E. Tyler Ph.D. Sc.D.

Doctor's Book of Food Remedies by Selene Yeager, The Editors of Prevention Health Books, and Prevention Health Books (Paperback - May 2000).

Healing with Vitamins: Straight from Nature, Backed by Science--The Best Nutrients to Slow, Stop, and Reverse Disease (Rodale Health Books) by Editors of Rodale

Health Books.

Multivitamins - A Ticket to Daily Health (Special Report) by Pat Davis and Health eBook Reports.

Vitamins and Supplements - Learn how to naturally improve your health by James Louis.