Vitamins

This subpage on vitamins belongs to Biotech Academy’s primary school project The Body and the Diet

 

The body cannot do without vitamins and minerals, and some should preferably be supplied to the body every day. Just as the body cannot produce all amino and fatty acids, but needs to get them through the diet, there are also essential vitamins.

Vitamins are divided into two groups:

• Fat-soluble vitamins
• Water-soluble vitamins

What distinguishes the vitamins is their absorption, that is, their absorption. Water-soluble vitamins are soluble in water, whereas fat-soluble vitamins cannot be dissolved in water, but only in fat. This means that there must be fat in the body before it can benefit from them.

 

Fat-soluble vitamins – digestion

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins. The vitamins have different functions in the body and Table 1 shows the difference between them and what foods you need to eat to meet your daily needs.

Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the intestinal cells, where they are packaged in kylomicrons along with the fat and then transported into the lymph and further into the blood. As shown in Figure 6 in the ” Fats” section, kylomicrons contain triglycerides. Once the kylomicrons have released the triglycerides, they still contain fat-soluble vitamins, which are transported to the liver and adipose tissue. The liver and adipose tissue have the property of being able to deposit fat-soluble vitamins, which means that it is not necessary to supply fat-soluble vitamins to the body every day.

If, on the other hand, the cells need the vitamins, they are repackaged in the liver so that the bloodstream can lead them out to the vitamin-missing cells.

The amount of fat-soluble vitamins is important. It can have consequences if the body does not receive the amount of vitamins that are needed. Depending on which vitamin the body is deficient in, it can cause various diseases. If there is a lack of vitamin A, it can cause night blindness, while vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, which manifest themselves in wheel bones, large knees and deformed bones. However, the opposite can also be dangerous for the body, as an excess of vitamin D and vitamin A can act as toxins and, among other things, damage the liver. That’s why it’s important to strike the right balance.

 

Vitamin	Function	Food
Vitamin A (retinol)	Provides normal vision in the dark Helps against infections	Milk, cheese, fatty fish, liver, eggs and butter
Vitamin D	Importance for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestine, so that your teeth and bones get the amount they need.	Fatty fish, liver, butter, eggs, milk and fish oils. By sunlight, a substance in the skin is converted into vitamin D
Vitamin E	Counteracts oxygenation. Acts as an antioxidant.	Polyunsaturated fatty acids, vegetable oils, nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs and vegetables
Vitamin K	Necessary for blood to clot.	Broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and lettuce.

 

Water-soluble vitamins – digestion

As the name suggests, water-soluble vitamins are soluble in water. This means that the vitamins are more easily destroyed when cooked.

The following vitamins are water-soluble: vitamin B₁, Vitamin_{B 2}, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B₆, Vitamin_{B 12}, biotin, folate and vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Below in Table 2 you can read which foods contain the vitamins as well as their functions in the body.

Compared to fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble ones are easier to absorb into the body because they can dissolve in water. This means that their transport to the bloodstream occurs directly after the body absorbs them. So they don’t need any auxiliary transport molecules.

An excess of water-soluble vitamins is not dangerous for the body, as excess vitamins are excreted in the urine. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the body receives water-soluble vitamins every day.

Vitamin	Function	Food
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)	Necessary for glucose burning If there is a lack of thiamine, there is also a lack of energy for the nervous system	Lean pork, whole grain cereals, oatmeal, milk, eggs, cod roe, liver and vegetables
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	Necessary for optimal energy metabolism and growth	Milk, cheese, eggs, nuts, green vegetables and whole grain bread
Vitamin B3 (niacin)	Necessary to be able to burn fatty acids, amino acids and glucose in the cells	Fish, dried fruits, whole grain products and nuts Can also be formed from the amino acid trypthophan
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)	Important in the metabolism of fatty acids and carbohydrates	Meat, milk, mushrooms, liver and whole grains
Vitamin B6	Turnover of amino acids	Meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, nuts
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)	Necessary for the functioning of the nervous system. Necessary for the maturation of red blood cells in the bone marrow.	Meat, fish, seafood, eggs and milk
Biotin (vitamin B7)	Necessary for the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates	Egg yolk, liver, soy and nuts
Folate (vitamin B9)	Maturation of red blood cells Formation of amino acids	Green vegetables, fruits, edible mushrooms, lentils and beans
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)	Some of the features are: Necessary to absorb iron from food Necessary for the formation of antibodies	Fruits, berries, vegetables, potatoes and root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, beets, etc.)