Oil Soluble Vitamins
Oil soluble vitamins are vitamins that do not need to be replaced in the body on a daily basis; they are stored in the body and used whenever they are needed for specific functions in the body. Eating a normal, well balanced diet can help you from having to supplement the oil soluble vitamins which include Vitamins A, D, E, and K. Eating foods that contain these vitamins will not cause toxicity in them, but taking supplements that have a mega dose of them can harm you severely.
The function of vitamin A (which is also called retinol) in the body is to help the eyes adjust to light changes, it also helps with bone growth, tooth development, reproduction, cell division, and gene expression. The daily recommended dose for the average adult female who is not pregnant would be 700mcg. The best way to ensure that you have gotten the right amount of vitamin A in your diet is to eat a variety of foods; vitamin A is supplied in animal originating foods like dairy, fish and liver. Some that are of plant origin are carrots, pumpkin, winter squash and dark leafy greens. Toxic levels of vitamin A are more of a concern than having a deficiency. Symptoms of toxicity include dry, itchy skin, headaches, nausea and loss of appetite. Signs of overdose include dizziness blurred vision and slowed growth.
Vitamin D plays a major role in the body’s absorption of Calcium and phosphorus, it increases the amount of calcium absorbed from the small intestine and helps to form and maintain bones. The daily recommended dose for the average adult female who is not pregnant would be 5mcg. Some of the primary foods that you can find vitamin D in are milk and other dairy products, oily fish (such as herring, salmon, and sardines) as well as cod liver oil. We also absorb vitamin D through our skin from the sunlight. Signs of a deficiency in growing children would be rickets, or long, soft bowed legs and flattening of the back of the skull, in adults it is called osteomalacia, which results in muscular weakness and weak bones. Signs of toxicity include excess calcium in blood, slowed mental and physical growth, decreased appetite, nausea and vomiting.
Vitamin E acts like an antioxidant and protects vitamins A and C, red blood cells and essential fatty acids from being destroyed. The recommended daily dose for the average female who is not pregnant would be 15mg. Research shows that taking an antioxidant supplement such as vitamin E can help lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, but some findings are showing that people who take these supplements are not better protected from such things as non-supplemented people. Vitamin E can be found in many types of foods from vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, fortified cereals, and some fruits. Deficiency is rare and occurs in premature infants or people who cannot absorb fats.
Vitamin K is naturally produced by the bacteria in the intestines, it plays an essential role in normal blood clotting and helps promote good bone health. Good sources of vitamin K are green vegetables such as turnip greens, spinach, cauliflower, cabbage and certain vegetables oils including soybean oil, and canola oil. Animals do not contain adequate amounts of vitamin K. Vitamin K deficiency can occur in infants or in people who take anticoagulants and also antibiotic drugs. Hemorrhaging may occur without sufficient amounts of vitamin K.
Water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body, and therefore have to be replenished every day. Water soluble vitamins helps with specific vital functions. Unlike fat soluble vitamins, water soluble vitamins are eliminated in urine. The vitamins that are water soluble are B-Complex, and vitamin C.
There are eight different B vitamins that make the B-complex vitamins and they are thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, B12, biotin and pantothenic acid. They are widely distributed in food, and they function as coenzymes to help the body obtain energy from food. They also help maintain appetite, vision, healthy skin, and nervous system, and red cell formation. There are three well known deficiencies when it comes to B-vitamins; they are Beriberi, pellagra, and pernicious anemia. They are not common, nor a problem in the United States, but occur on occasion when people omit certain foods from their diet. Alcoholics are prone to thiamin deficiency because they often replace food with alcohol, Vegans need B12 supplements because they lack the needed vitamin in their diet, and they cannot get it from a vegetable rich diet. Foods that contain B-vitamins are Liver, whole grains, meat, fish, citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, milk, and most fresh vegetables just to list a few.
Vitamin C helps with the immune system and keeps it healthy and in working order. Vitamin C helps hold all our body cells together and aids in wound healing, it also helps with bones and teeth. Without vitamin C we would have a hard time absorbing iron, another needed substance in our body; it also helps with nutritional ailments such as scurvy. We do not make vitamin C on our own in our body, therefore we have to get it from an outside source such as fruit, especially citrus fruits, kiwis, sweet red peppers, etc. There is some controversy over mega doses of vitamin C to prevent the common cold and other disorders, but nothing has come of it, but extra vitamin C will not hurt, nor help you in any way, it will not help you get over the common cold or anything else, the only thing a vitamin can cure is the deficiency for that vitamin. Vitamin C also works as an antioxidant; it helps vitamin E as a free-radical scavenger.
References:
Anderson, J. (2008). Fat Soluble Vitamins. Retrieved from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09315.html
Anderson, J. (2008). Water Soluble Vitamins. Retrieved from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09312.html
