Vitamins Overview: Water vs Fat-Soluble

Vitamins

• Vitamins are a collection of different molecules.
• They do not share common chemical characteristics.
• Fats, carbohydrates, and proteins do share a common chemical characteristic.
• Vitamins are classified based on their solubility in water or organic solvents.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

• Water-soluble vitamins (9 B vitamins and vitamin C) dissolve easily in water.
• They are readily excreted from the body through the kidneys.
• They are easily absorbed into the blood.
• The amount of urine produced is a good indicator of vitamin consumption.
• They are not stored in the body, so daily intake is crucial.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

• Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in organic solvents and are absorbed with lipids.
• They are more likely to accumulate in the body and cause hypervitaminosis.
• Excess fat-soluble vitamins accumulate in fatty tissues.
• They can be toxic.
• They are transported by lymphatic system,similar to fats.
• They are stored in fat cells
• If fat is lost, there's no place for these vitamins to go, affecting metabolism.
• Mothers who overdose can affect infant health.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

• Protects cells from damage by free radicals.
• Converts free radicals into less damaging molecules.
• Affects iron absorption by reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron and binding it.
• Important for collagen synthesis.

Scurvy

• Scurvy results from inadequate vitamin C intake.
• It involves skin changes linked to collagen synthesis.
• Gum capillaries hemorrhage easily and wound healing is poor.
• Early symptoms include swelling of interdental papilla in gums, tendency to bleed, easy lesions in gums.
• In advanced cases, lesions have infection and require antibiotics alongside Vitamin C for healing.
• James Lind's 1747 experiment showed oranges/lemons cured scurvy on naval ships.

Vitamin B12

• Essential for metabolism.
• Deficiency leads to megaloblastic anemia (pernicious anemia) and spinal cord degeneration, peripheral neuropathy (damage to nerves).
• Crucial for creating the fatty myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers.
• Myelin is a fatty, protective coating around nerve axons essential for fast nerve impulse transmission.
• Myelin damage leads to visual, motor, sensory, coordination, and cognitive issues.
• Deficiency is often associated with poor absorption due to a lack of intrinsic factor (IF) in the stomach, common in the elderly.
• IF is a stomach protein aiding B12 absorption.

Vitamin B9 (Folate)

• A vital part of nucleic acid synthesis (purines and pyrimidines).
• Deficiency results in megaloblastic anaemia.
• Immature red blood cells in bone marrow due to failure in normal maturation process.
• Deficiency increases the risk of neural tube defects in offspring.
• The neural tube forms during embryonic development (3rd and 4th week after fertilization).
• Failure to close properly results in neural tube defects.
• Sources of folate include green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, legumes and fortified food products.

Vitamin D

• Synthesized in the skin following UV exposure from sunlight.
• Important for calcium balance management.
• Promotes calcium absorption, reduces excretion and mobilization of bone calcium.
• Cholecalciferol is the primary form.
• Cholecalciferol is the primary dietary component converted to 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in the liver and further converted into 1,25(OH)2D in the kidneys.
• Deficiency results in rickets (children), osteomalacia (adults) - poor mineralization of newly formed bone.
• Other resulting disorders include osteoporosis (age-related bone loss) and bone malformations like knock knees.

Vitamin E

• The term represents a family of 8 antioxidants.
• Alpha-tocopherol is actively maintained in the human body and found in high concentrations in blood tissues.
• Important for preventing cancer and cataracts.
• Crucial for preventing lipid oxidation in cell membranes and lipoproteins.
• Prevents platelet aggregation and helps maintain vascular smooth muscle proper functioning.
• Deficiency is rare, typically linked to severe malabsorption issues.

Vitamin K

• Derived from the German word "koagulation" (blood clotting).
• Necessary for various blood clotting proteins.
• Critical in blood clotting processes
• Newborns regularly receive prophylactic vitamin K.
• Vitamin K can be given orally or by injection.
• Caution is advised around vitamin K-rich foods for those on anticoagulants.
• Menaquinones, an active form of vitamin K, are synthesized by bacteria in the large intestine.
• Green leafy vegetables and some vegetable oils are significant dietary sources.

Vitamin A

• A generic term for various compounds, including retinol, retinaldehyde, retinoic acid and retinoids and carotenoids.
• Carotenoids, like beta-carotene, are precursors to vitamin A.
• Essential for vision, and antioxidant.
• Deficiency is a leading cause of preventable blindness, especially in developing nations.
• Symptoms include impaired night vision, Bitot's spots (conjunctival changes), and xerophthalmia (dry eye and corneal problems).

Deficiency of various vitamins

• Food sources for various vitamins (including example amounts) vary
• Various possible deficiency symptoms, including those affecting blood clotting, immune response, bone health
• Deficiency symptoms associated with particular diseases

Explore the fascinating world of vitamins with this quiz focusing on their classifications. Learn the differences between water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, their absorption, storage, and importance in daily nutrition. Test your knowledge and understand why daily intake is crucial for your health.