Vitamins are organic molecules that contain carbon. They play a crucial role in maintaining the body's normal functions.

Vitamins play a vital role in combating infections, aiding in wound healing, enhancing your immune system, supporting normal growth and development, and ensuring that cells and organs function correctly. The body requires specific quantities of these nutrients; a deficiency can lead to various health issues, while an excess of certain vitamins can be toxic. Therefore, maintaining the right balance of vitamins is crucial, as both shortages and surpluses can be detrimental. There are primarily two types of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble.

Fat Soluble vitamins:

Fat-soluble vitamins are those that dissolve in fats and are retained in the body. The four primary fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. These vitamins are stored in the liver and adipose tissues for future use.

Vitamin A:

It's a collection of organic substances that include retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid, along with various carotenes, among which beta-carotene is especially notable. The active version is found in animal tissues.

Vitamin A can be found in both animal and plant sources, such as liver, egg yolk, and dairy products, as well as carrots, melons, pumpkin, mango, and leafy vegetables.

Lack of vitamin A can lead to night blindness, dry skin, dry eyes, and dry hair.

Vitamin D :

This is another vitamin that dissolves in fats, and our bodies can synthesize it from cholesterol. However, this process relies on sunlight exposure because UV rays from sunlight transform cholesterol into provitamin D. This provitamin D is then stored in the liver and later converted into its active form by the kidneys when needed.

The body needs 0.01 mg of vitamin D every day, which can be obtained from cheese, margarine, butter, milk, cereals, and fatty fish.

Vitamin D is essential for maintaining calcium balance in bones. A deficiency in this vitamin can lead to improper bone mineralization, resulting in Rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. These conditions make the bones soft and more likely to fracture.

Vitamin E :

It consists of a collection of compounds, including tocopherols and tocotrienols, which are naturally found antioxidants. These are also known as anti-aging factors.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin E ranges between 8 to 10 mg. You can find natural sources of this essential nutrient in oils, green leafy vegetables, nuts, cereals, sunflower seeds, beef, seafood, and eggs.

Thanks to its antioxidant properties, it helps prevent cell oxidation and degeneration, as well as aids in healing.

A lack of it can lead to a skin condition known as Phyrenoderma, as well as muscle weakness, difficulties in coordination, and a sensation of numbness and tingling.

Vitamin K :

Vitamin K is essential for some proteins that help maintain blood clotting in the body and for other proteins that bind calcium to bones.

Prothrombin is a coagulation protein that vitamin K helps produce, along with other factors involved in the coagulation cascade. This is why vitamin K is often referred to as the anti-hemorrhagic vitamin.

Foods rich in Vitamin K feature cabbage, cauliflower, meat, liver, green leafy vegetables, egg yolk, and cheese.

The liver relies on it to produce coagulation factors, so a deficiency can lead to bleeding disorders.

Water Soluble vitamins:

These vitamins dissolve in water, which means they aren't stored in the body but are instead expelled through urine. Although they are a varied group of compounds, they share the common characteristic of being water-soluble.

These are categorized into B complex vitamins and non B complex vitamins.

Vitamin C can be found in Non B complex.

B complex vitamins:

B complex vitamins are divided into two additional categories based on their roles.

Hematopoietic involves folic acid and vitamin B12

Thiamine B1, Riboflavin B2, Niacin B3, and Pyridoxine B6 are vital for energy production.

Sources of water soluble vitamins:

Niacin: nuts, milk , cereal, milk and fish

Thiamine: unpolished rice , cereals and whole wheat

Riboflavin: any diet ensures sufficient intake thanks to diverse foods.

Pyridoxine: Meat , fish , poultry and cereals

Vitamin C: citrus fruits

Folic acid: green leafy vegetables

Vitamin B12: Meat and Meat products

A lack of vitamin B12 and folic acid results in anemia. Furthermore, a shortage of folic acid during pregnancy can cause neural tube defects in children, such as a small skull disability and Meningemylocele.

A lack of vitamin C leads to scurvy, which results in bleeding gums, loose teeth, and poor wound healing.

A lack of pyridoxine leads to neurological issues, including convulsions, and can result in skin conditions such as pellagra, which is also triggered by a deficiency in niacin.

A lack of riboflavin can cause cracks at the corners of the mouth, a smooth purplish tongue (glossitis), and various skin issues.

A lack of thiamine can result in beri beri, a condition marked by swelling, weakened heart muscles, damage to peripheral nerves leading to sensory issues, and muscle weakness.

Conclusion:

It is clear that vitamins play a crucial role in keeping our bodies functioning properly, and we have explored various natural sources for them. It's important to develop the habit of including vitamin-rich foods in our diets. For those experiencing symptoms related to vitamin deficiencies, it's advisable to see a doctor and follow their recommendations for vitamin supplements.