Types of vitamins, their benefits and sources, what they are, and their different functions
Types of vitamins, their benefits and sources, what they are, and their different functions
Our wrong diet causes many diseases, in addition to the most severe diseases, which are obesity, anemia, cancer and diabetes.
One of the main causes of poor human health is primarily due to malnutrition, and thus poor health. Food is not only a matter of taste, it is the fuel and energy for our bodies.
Food provides us with six types of nutrients, namely: (protein, vitamins, fats, minerals, carbohydrates, and water) and each of these elements has a function.
What are the types of vitamins and their benefits and symptoms of deficiency?
_ Vitamin A or retinol.
_ Vitamin B.
_ Vitamin B family (1,2,5,6,9,12)
_ Vitamin C.
_ Vitamin E.
_ Vitamin K.
Let's start by defining vitamins. What are the vitamins?
The word vitamin means the nitrogen of life or energy generators for the body, And the first letters of the alphabet for each vitamin are called different vitamins, as some tend to call them by their names, and they are found in many and varied foods, and they are not a source of energy as is commonly believed.
Vitamins are natural organic substances necessary for the body to carry out its natural functions, and they are necessary for growth, health and activity, as our bodies cannot produce them, except for vitamin D.
Therefore, it must be supplied to the body through food or in the form of medical extracts, and it is obtained from all foods, especially vegetables and fruits.
How many divisions are vitamins divided into?
There are two types of vitamins:
The first type are vitamins that dissolve in water, and they are vitamins B and C, so the body does not store them in large quantities, and they are lost through sweating or urine, and they must be taken continuously.
The second type dissolves in fat and is stored by the body as vitamin K, E, D, and A.
Are vitamins tonics and nourishing the body?
Contrary to what people know, vitamins are not nutrients or tonics for the body, but rather compounds that help the body build, repair, digest, and convert food into energy and materials that build new cells in the body.
Vitamins do not contribute to increasing the weight of those who take them and do not have calories. Rather, there are periods in a person’s life when he is at risk of severe vitamin deficiency.
Among these periods are pregnancy and breastfeeding on the mother, the period of adolescence, the stage of old age, smoking, colds and colds, and When exercising, in sick cases, especially acute infections and major surgeries.
Types of vitamins and their benefits and symptoms of deficiency?
The different functions of vitamins:
Vitamin A or Retinol:
Vitamin A promotes strength, growth, and youth, and helps activate and form White blood cells.
Vitamin A protects skin cells, binds to and affects the vision process in the eyes, and prevents premature aging. It is considered necessary for the growth of children, so it is known or called the vitamin of beauty.
Vitamin A loses its value and benefits if exposed to air, light and high temperatures.
Vitamin A deficiency leads to:
Affects the fetus and delays its growth.
Hair loss and dry skin.
Damage to the surface tissue of the body, making it more susceptible to infection.
It affects the retina and vision.
It weakens the mucous membranes and affects the respiratory and digestive systems.
Its deficiency leads to premature aging.
This vitamin is found in: grape leaves, watercress, mint, molokhia, lettuce, radish leaves, red pepper, potatoes, garlic, onions, carrots, spinach, apricots, cabbage, grains, and it is also found in dairy products and internal animal organs such as liver, eggs, and fish oil. And in the kidneys and heart.
Vitamin B:
Vitamin B is not stored in the body, and it is very important for the health of the body, as it is resistant to infections, important for the nerves, an appetizer, the functioning of the intestines, and the activity of all cells of the body.
Deficiency of this vitamin in the body leads to many diseases: defects in the nervous and digestive systems, anemia, defects in muscle tissue, in addition to types of ulcers, weakness in liver function, in addition to defects in the oxidation of carbon hydrates, dryness and flaking of the skin.
Among the most important sources of obtaining it:
Wheat, peas, soybeans, beans, egg yolks, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, pineapples, liver, oranges, cabbage, lentils, apples, honey.
Vitamin B family:
_ Thiamine B1 :
It improves the correct metabolism of sugars and energy extraction, rejuvenates the overall body and muscle activity, and reduces and prevents diabetes.
Vitamin B1 deficiency causes hair loss, red eyes, cracked corners of the lips, and in the case of severe deficiency, it causes paralysis and weakness in the heart, in addition to constipation, headaches, flatulence, and damage to the nervous system.
It is found in vegetables and fruits, milk, eggs, meat, nuts, and wholemeal bread, especially in the outer shell of the grain.
_ riboflavin:
Vitamin B2 contributes to the health and safety of cells, building blood hemoglobin, stimulating the optic nerve, and is essential for growth and skin health.
Its deficiency leads to inflammation and redness of the lips, cracking and peeling of the skin around the nose and eyes, accumulation of fatty substances on both sides of the nose and around the ears, loss of balance when walking, and hair loss. The patient loses weight, activity decreases, and the eyes become very sensitive to light.
This vitamin is found in many foods such as: dairy products, liver, fish, eggs, wheat, and fresh vegetables.
_ Pantothenic acid B 5 :
It is a vitamin necessary for hair growth and prevents infection from pellagra, which means rough skin that causes a rash on the arms, legs, neck, forearms and knees with cracked and ulcerated skin. If the disease progresses, the nervous system becomes infected and paralyzes. Deficiency also causes inflammation of the mucous membranes, vagina and rectum, and deficiency leads to weakening and hardening of blood vessels and liver failure. Most of the victims of this disease are alcoholics.
This vitamin is found in grains, peppers, dried vegetables, beans, peas, beans, liver, dairy, and meat.
_ Peridoxin B 6 :
This vitamin helps form red blood cells, is essential for protein utilization, corrects nervous system function, rejuvenates muscles, and prevents diabetes. Helps children develop and strengthen the immune system in the body. Known as the growth vitamin, too much can lead to nerve damage.
Deficiency stunts growth, reduces appetite, and causes skin infections, especially around the mouth, eyes, ears, and nose. Deficiency also causes nervous symptoms, dizziness, convulsions, kidney damage, stone formation, and anemia.
Its sources include wheat, spinach, egg yolk, liver, milk, cabbage, potatoes, lettuce, bananas, dry grains, and it is available in breast milk.
_ Vitamin B9:
It helps to form red and white blood cells. It is necessary for the mother and the fetus during pregnancy. Its sources are leafy vegetables, carrots, beans, peas, eggs, and liver.
_ Cyanocco Palamin B 12 :
It helps in the formation of red blood cells and helps in the proper functioning of the nervous system. Important for the process of metabolizing blood cells. Treats pernicious anemia.
What are the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency:
It causes general weakness and weight loss, as its decrease generates tingling pain in the extremities, apathy, pernicious anemia, breakdown of stomach cells, in addition to atrophy of the optic nerve.
This vitamin is present in good quantities in liver, milk, meat, eggs, and all animal products and fish.
_ Vitamin (C) ascorbic acid:
This vitamin is very important for the health of the body in general, and its presence helps in the proper functioning of various organ systems, increases susceptibility to food, and helps prevent fatigue and muscle weakness in the body. It strengthens the immune system against heart disease and cancer, and it also plays a role in stimulating ovarian function in women, preventing colds, and protecting the digestive system from cancerous tumors. Necessary for the growth and formation of bones and teeth and activates iron absorption.
It is considered one of the most important inhibitors of oxidation, which prevents the deposition of cholesterol in the arteries, and also prevents the conversion of nitrates into carcinogens, and is important for improving the functioning of vitamin E.
Its deficiency leads to an imbalance in human health in general without the presence of distinctive symptoms of a particular disease, but a severe deficiency leads to scurvy, which is anemia. Acute causes pain in the joints and their enlargement, bleeding in the mucous tissues, the digestive tract, the skin, the muscles, and inflammation of the gums. It may develop gangrene, which leads to tooth loss and weakness in the bones, which makes them vulnerable to breakage at the slightest shock, inflammation of the cell tissue, and tuberculosis.
This vitamin is found in lemons, tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, berries, guavas, cabbage, peas, onions, and grapes.
_ Vitamin D:
This vitamin is produced when the human body is exposed to sunlight and with the help of special proteins. This is because the older the person, the less able he is to produce this type of vitamin in the body.
This vitamin is important in regulating the utilization of calcium and phosphorus in the body and plays an important and distinctive role in the intestines, liver and kidneys and for stabilizing calcium in the bones, since without it we do not benefit from the calcium we eat. Essential for pregnant women and children, especially during growth, as it aids in muscle formation, function, and tissue formation.
The deficiency of this vitamin in the body leads to a deficiency in blood calcium, which provokes the activity of the parathyroid glands, which secrete a hormone that dissolves bone calcium and turns it into blood, in addition to the side effects of calcium deficiency in the functions of muscles, heart, respiratory system and blood. Vitamin D deficiency usually leads to symptoms and phenomena. Its disease can affect children in their first months of life when mothers are severely deficient in this type of vitamin. It usually appears during the period between four and twelve months, which is the period of accelerated growth for the child, which is known as rickets in children, and its symptoms are also instability, irritability, enlargement of the chest bones, and constipation.
This vitamin is present in the following foodstuffs: the most important of which is the liver of fish and animals, and in small quantities in milk, cheese, butter, eggs, nuts and honey.
Daily exposure to sunlight for a short period, especially in infants, preferably in the morning, is an important factor for health and well-being because it provides the child with vitamin D
_ Vitamin E:
The presence of this vitamin in the body maintains the safety of red blood cells, and this vitamin benefits in fertilization, natural growth, rejuvenation, activity, strengthens the blood, reduces tumors, protects cell membranes, and participates with vitamin C as an antioxidant and anti-cancer, maintains the health of the heart arteries, fights aging, maintains beauty, and preserves tissues muscular and nervous.
Deficiency of this vitamin in the body leads to blood breakdown, hypoproteinemia and stomach ulcers. Its deficiency also leads to weakness of the male and female reproductive system, weak sexual ability and all that accompanies it. It prevents pregnant women from abortion, and doctors prescribe it to strengthen the heart and blood vessels. For many neurological disorders, it is insoluble in water, soluble in fats, and oxidizes rapidly. This vitamin is found in whole wheat grains, pistachio oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, olive oil, cabbage, spinach, walnuts, lettuce, peas, sesame, liver, tomatoes, watercress, fish, milk and eggs.
_ Vitamin K:
Necessary to freeze blood and heal wounds. This vitamin produces a bacterial yeast that forms in the ascending large intestine, but is only active when
bile in the digestive tract.
The deficiency of this vitamin in the body leads to organic bleeding and profuse bleeding as soon as the body is wounded or even if it is scratched.
This vitamin is given during surgical operations, as it is given in hepatitis and jaundice. This vitamin is available in spinach, soy oil, tomatoes, liver, milk, cabbage, carrots, fish oil, potatoes, strawberries, eggs, and fresh vegetables.
What are the symptoms of vitamin deficiency in the human body?
There are some symptoms that result from a lack of vitamins in the human body, such as:
_ Loss of appetite to eat.
_ Increased risk of infection.
_ Feeling exhausted, insomnia, and excessive fatigue.
_ Inability to concentrate.
If you follow a healthy, balanced diet, you can get all the vitamins you need from your daily diet. Vitamin deficiencies can affect the normal biochemical functioning of the body, causing functional-physiological symptoms such as changes in mood and behavior, or leading to disease symptoms.
