Different Types of Vitamins and their Functions

Different Types of Vitamins and their Functions

Vitamins are nutrients for human body needs to function and fight off disease. Human body cannot produce vitamins itself, so we must get them through food you eat or in some cases supplements.

Vitamin was invented by Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins. The term vitamin was coined byCasimir Funk.
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There are 13 vitamins that are essential to our body working well. Knowledge of the different types and understanding the purpose of these vitamins are important for good health.

Types and Examples of Foods

On the basis of solubility, there are two types of vitamins: fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins.

A. Fat-soluble Vitamins are stored in your fat cells, consequently requiring fat in order to be absorbed.

The fat soluble vitamins: Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E & Vitamin K

B. Water-soluble Vitamins are not stored in your body; therefore, they need to be replenished daily. Your body takes what it needs from the food you eat and then excretes what is not needed as waste. Here is a list of vitamin types and some common food sources:

The water soluble vitamins: Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin C.

Chemical Name, Deficiency Disease and Sources of Vitamins

Vitamin	Chemical Name	Deficiency Disease	Sources
Vitamin A	Retinol	Night Blindness Xerosis Conjunctiva Xerosis Cornea Bitot’s Spots	Milk, Egg, Cheese, Green Vegetable, Fish Liver Oil
Vitamin D	Calciferol	Rickets (in Children) Osteomalacia (in Adults)	Fish Liver Oil, Milk, Egg
Vitamin E	Tocopherol	Less Fertility	Leafy Vegetables, Milk, Butter, Vegetable Oil, Sprouted Wheat
Vitamin K	Phylloquinone	Non-clotting of Blood	Green Vegetable, Tomato, Soybean Oil
Vitamin B1	Thiamin	Beriberi	Green Vegetables, Ground Nut, Seed, Liver, Pulses, Egg
Vitamin B2	Riboflavin	Cracking of Skin Red-dish Eye	Green Vegetables, Milk, Meat
Vitamin B3	Niacin	Whitening of Hair	Sugarcane, Milk, Meat, Nut, Tomato
Vitamin B5	Pantothenic Acid	Pellegra	Ground Nut, Potato, Tomato, Leafy Vegetables, Meat
Vitamin B6	Pyridoxine	Anemia Skin Disease	Grains, Liver, Meat
Vitamin B7	Biotin	Paralysis Hair Falling	Milk, Egg, Liver, Meat
Vitamin B9	Folic Acid (Folate)	Anemia	Vegetables, Pulses, Liver, Egg
Vitamin B12	Cynocobalamin	Anemia, Jaundice	Milk, Meat
Vitamin C	Ascorbic Acid	Scurvy	Orange, Lemon, Tomato, Chilly