Types of Vitamins and Their Benefits

Vitamins place an importance role on the Human Health system. Vitamins are vital nutrients, indispensable to perform various tasks within the human body in order to promote optimal health and prevent various diseases.

How Vitamins Work?

 Vitamins work is more unique. Vitamins cannot be synthesized by human body; they rely on easily available animal and plant sources for replenishment. Conjunction in vitamins with other nutrients helps down to break down proteins, there by stabilizing the metabolism, enabling the growth of cells, tissues, bones and promoting a health immune system.

Nine vitamins such as eight B complex, comprising of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6 (pyridoxine), folacin, B12 (cyanocobalamin), pantothenic acid, biotin and vitamin C, PABA, inositol and choline fall under the category of water soluble. The remaining four vitamins such as A, D, E and K Vitamins are all fat-soluble vitamins. 

Types Of Vitamins.

1. Water soluble Vitamins

2. Fat soluble Vitamins.

Water Soluble Vitamins:

Water Soluble Vitamins require a regular supply in form of form of dietary sources or supplements, and these are non toxic and easily absorbed into the body through the gastrointestinal tract and then disseminated in the tissues.

Excess quantity of this vitamin consumed does not accumulate in the body and gets stored.  Vitamin B12 and B6 as exceptions, these are flushed out during urination. Most B Vitamins act as co-enzymes, playing a key role in the breaking down process of carbohydrates, fats and proteins and transforming them to energy. This regulates metabolism, besides promoting healthy digestive and immune system. Water soluble vitamins are easily soluble in water.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins:

Fat Soluble Vitamins are A, D, E and K vitamins due to their ability to dissipate in fat. In contrast to water-soluble vitamins, these types of vitamins do not require frequent replenishment. Fat-soluble vitamins absorb dietary fat in the small intestines with a tendency to accumulate the excess amounts in the liver and fatty tissues. As opposed to water-soluble vitamins, they are not discharged in the urine and the excess quantities consumed get stored in small amounts within the body making them toxic.

Water Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin (common names)	Benefits	Good food sources	Did you know?
THIAMIN (vitamin B1)	Helps convert food into energyNeeded for healthy skin, hair, muscles, and brain	Pork chops, ham, soymilk, watermelons, acorn squash	Most nutritious foods have some thiamin.
RIBOFLAVIN (vitamin B2)	Helps convert food into energyNeeded for healthy skin, hair, blood, and brain	Milk, yogurt, cheese, whole and enriched grains and cereals, liver	Most Americans get enough of this nutrient.
NIACIN (vitamin B3, nicotinic acid)	Helps convert food into energyEssential for healthy skin, blood cells, brain, and nervous system	Meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes, peanut butter	Niacin occurs naturally in food and can also be made by your body from the amino acid tryptophan, with the help of B6.
PANTOTHENIC ACID (vitamin B5)	Helps convert food into energyHelps make lipids (fats), neurotransmitters, steroid hormones, and hemoglobin	Wide variety of nutritious foods, including chicken, whole grains, broccoli, mushrooms, avocados, tomato products	Deficiency causes burning feet and other neurologic symptoms.
VITAMIN B6 (pyridoxal, pyridoxine, pyridoxamine)	Aids in lowering homocysteine levels and may reduce the risk of heart diseaseHelps convert tryptophan to niacin and serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays key roles in sleep, appetite, and moodsHelps make red blood cells Influences cognitive abilities and immune function	Meat, fish, poultry, legumes, tofu and other soy products, potatoes, noncitrus fruits such as bananas and watermelons	Many people don’t get enough of this nutrient.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)	Aids in lowering homocysteine levels and may lower the risk of heart disease Assists in making new cells and breaking down some fatty acids and amino acids Protects nerve cells and encourages their normal growth Helps make red blood cells	Meat, poultry, fish, milk, cheese, eggs, fortified cereals, fortified soya milk	Some people, particularly older adults, are deficient in vitamin B12 because they have trouble absorbing this vitamin from food. A lack of vitamin B12 can cause memory loss, dementia, and numbness in the arms and legs.
BIOTIN	Helps convert food into energy and synthesize glucose Helps make and break down some fatty acids Needed for healthy bones and hair	Many foods, including whole grains, organ meats, egg yolks, soybeans, and fish	Your body needs very little biotin. Some is made by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. However, it’s not clear how much of this the body absorbs.
VITAMIN C (ascorbic acid)	Foods rich in vitamin C may lower the risk for some cancers, including those of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and breast Long-term use of supplemental vitamin C may protect against cataracts Helps make collagen, a connective tissue that knits together wounds and supports blood vessel walls Helps make the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine Acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cells Bolsters the immune system	Fruits and fruit juices (especially citrus), potatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts	Evidence that vitamin C helps reduce colds has not been convincing.
CHOLINE	Helps make and release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which aids in many nerve and brain activities Plays a role in metabolizing and transporting fats	Many foods, especially milk, eggs, liver, and peanuts	Normally the body makes small amounts of choline. But experts don’t know whether this amount is enough at certain ages.

 

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Vitamin (common names)	Benefits	Good food sources	Did you know?
VITAMIN A (Retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid — three active forms of vitamin A in the body — are retinoids, "preformed" vitamin A. Beta carotene can easily be converted to vitamin A as needed.)	Essential for vision Lycopene may lower prostate cancer riskKeeps tissues and skin healthyPlays an important role in bone growthDiets rich in the carotenoids alpha carotene and lycopene seem to lower lung cancer riskCarotenoids act as antioxidantsFoods rich in the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin may protect against cataracts	Sources of retinoids: beef, liver, eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese	Many people get too much preformed vitamin A from food and supplements.Large amounts of supplemental vitamin A (but not beta carotene) can be harmful to bones.
		Sources of beta carotene: sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, squash, spinach, mangoes, turnip greens
VITAMIN D (calciferol)	Helps maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, which strengthen bonesHelps form teeth and bonesSupplements can reduce the number of non-spinal fractures	Fortified milk or margarine, fortified cereals, fatty fish	Many people don’t get enough of this nutrient.While the body uses sunlight to make vitamin D, it cannot make enough if you live in northern climes or don’t spend much time in the sun.
VITAMIN E (alpha-tocopherol)	Acts as an antioxidant, neutralizing unstable molecules that can damage cellsProtects vitamin A and certain lipids from damageDiets rich in vitamin E may help prevent Alzheimer’s diseaseSupplements may protect against prostate cancer	Wide variety of foods, including vegetable oils, salad dressings and margarines made with vegetable oils, wheat germ, leafy green vegetables, whole grains, nuts	Vitamin E does not prevent wrinkles or slow other aging processes.
VITAMIN K (phylloquinone, menadione)	Activates proteins and calcium essential to blood clottingMay help prevent hip fractures	Cabbage, liver, eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, sprouts, kale, collards, and other green vegetables	Intestinal bacteria make a form of vitamin K that accounts for half your requirements.If you take an anticoagulant, keep your vitamin K intake consistent.