Here are thirteen things I have learned about vitamins:
- Vita means life. Amine means nitrogen.
- Vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein and fats.
- There two types of vitamins: Fat soluble and water soluble.
- Fat solube vitamins are: A,D,E,K and F. These vitamins are stored in the body. Potential for toxicity when taken at high doses. I will be listing info on fat soluble vitamins as that is the chapter we are presently discussing.
- Water solube vitamins are: B group, C and P. These vitamins cannot be stored in the body and need to be supplied by our food everyday.
- Vitamin A, Retinol and Carotenoids, is known as the ophthalmic vitamin. This is the first vitamin to be discovered in 1913. Vitamin A is found in two forms:
Animal foods (meat, milk, eggs) mainly as retinol. This is preformed vitamin A. Sources: fish liver oils, liver, whole eggs carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, vitamin A fortified dairy products.
In plant foods as carotenoids: dark green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, yellow fruits. Beta-carotene is the most common and most efficently converted to vitamin A by the body.
Functions: Vision, bone growth, reproduction, regulate immune system.
Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children.
- Vitamin D: is known as the sunshine vitamin. It is a hormone and a vitamin. It can be absorbed from dietary intake and produced through the action of sunlight.
Vitamin D is formed by ultra-violet light (sunlight) on the oils of the skin. It is thought that 20 minutes of sunlight on the face and arms will stimulate the bodys production of vitamin D. Several studies have shown that women who cover most of their body for religious reasons risk vitamin D deficiancy.
Foods that contain vitamin D: cod liver oil, salmon, mackeral, tuna.
Vitamin D regulates blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, necessary for bone health, may help maintain healthy immune system.
- Vitamin E is a group of fat-soluble compounds known as tocopherols. Alpha tocopherols is the most abundant form of vitamin E. Gamma tocopherols is most commonly found in food and readily absorbed. Vitamin E supplements are natural or synthetic. Natural vitamin E is made from soybean or wheat germ oil. It is prefixed by a d for d-alpha tocopherols. Synthetic is manufactured from purified petroleum oil and is prefixed by dl. Natural vitamin E is the most beneficial.
This vitamin is an antioxidant. It helps protect from toxic substances, heavy metals, radiation, free radicals and drugs. Oxygenate tissues, dilate blood vessels, plus much more.
Found in vegetable and wheat germ oil, nuts, green leafy vegetables.
- Vitamin K is a group of three fat-soluble vitamins:
K1 produced by plants.
K2 produced by animals, plants and bacteria in the intestines.
K3 produced syntheticallyHealthy bacteria manufacture around 50% of the RDA of Vitamin K in the intestine. Antibiotics destroy this bacteria; supplement w. B vitamins to restore bacteria.
Functions in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and may help regulate blood sugar.
Found in dark green leafy vegetables, milk, soy beans, bacteria in GI tract.
- The RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance)is the minimal amount needed to function. It will not take into consideration any diseases, conditions or defiencies one might have.
- For instance the RDA for a 40 year old women is 700-800 mcg. One half cup of sliced, raw carrots has about 1700 mcg. This one half cup will meet your daily requirement and the remaining amount will be used by the body to address a condition or possible defiency.
- I will be adding more information regarding Vitamins as individual pages. Including RDA amounts.
- I hope you learned something and were not overwhelmed. In the next couple of weeks I will do the water soluble vitamins.
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I’m first here. Your lists are very interesting. Nice to know about vitamins.
Thanks for sharing. My T13 is up too.
I had to learn all of that for a pharmacology class I had to takefoe school.
Tons and tons of information! 
I hope you have a great week!
Lots of good information there. I had a friend who took part in a study on the adsorbtion of vitamins by the body. They wern’t told that the researchers were going to take a 2mm square out of their bottom each time they checked to see how much was getting adsorbed until after they’d signed on!
that was awesome! thank you! i get overwhelmed when looking online or through books at what vitamin does what and where to find it. this was digestible. i look forward to your future vitamin posts!
That’s an impressive yet easily comprehensible list, which will be very useful. Thanks for sharing it.
I learned a lot about vitamins when I was taking a nutrition course awhile back - and thank you, thank you, thank you for your suggestion on my T13 on what to make with the contents of my pantry - it made me hungry just thinking about it.
I was just diagnosed with a vitamin D deficiency and have to take a supplement once a week for 8 weeks, then I’ll be rechecked. Me! The girl who used to LOVE the sunshine! I’ve gotta eat more sushi, that’s it!
So much I didn’t know in that list, thanks!
Happy Thursday.
Wow, you ARE learning a lot in this class. How do you keep it all straight? Maybe it’s because I’m so tired that my mind’s boggled. Off to bed… happy TT!
I am convinced that Cod Liver Oil and Vitamin E are changing my life. I swear they helped me head off the Post Partum depression this time and since we have been taking it we are so damn cheerful all the time we can’t even stand ourselves. Imagine that. Good info!
You forgot Vitamin Sea!!
all kidding aside, great list, hope you’re not going to test us on this later!
I feel better from taking fish oil tablets. I’m convinced it helped my son whilst breastfeeding too.
Thanks so much for visiting me
I never heard of EFA’s being called Vitamin F or bioflavonoids being called Vitamin P before. I had to Google these to get their more common names…
Wow, you’re learning a lot in your class. I had to learn a lot of stuff about vitamins for my chemistry and health/fitness classes, but I think I sorta forgot most of it.
Thanks—I’ll be saving that list for future reference. It’s my favorite sort of T13 (something I didn’t know before).
great list - and I’m all for healthy info!
Interesting facts about vitamins…must note.
:D
Happy TT!
Very interesting! I knew some of it, but certainly not all!
Thanks for visiting my essentials TT.
Thanks for the awesome information. I didn’t know a lot of it and I read it with interest.
Thank you! This is some terrific information, and yes I did learn some new things because of it. Happy TT and thank you for stopping by! Spiders bug me too (pun not intended, ok maybe it was) Cheers!
How informative. I had no idea of the breakdown of the word. I wonder how nitrogen fits.
Happy TT
Be well and enjoy the day.
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Hi Nancy! I studied all this from Adelle Davis years ago. Did I say that before? Blogging and studying are a good combination and fit with my theme of writing to synthesize what I’m learning at the time.
a good list. I knew some of it just from my love of sports and the need to drink gatorade when I feel dehydrated
Very informative. I (briefly) mentioned vitamins in my 13 this week too…but mine is much less educational.
A nice list of facts! Good stuff to know about good stuff (taken in the correct dosages, of course!)
And thanks for visiting my Thursday Thirteen, and for the congratulations!
Interesting list. Would have been extra useful for me last year when I was pregnant.
Happy TT.
I have such a hard time taking my vitamins.
More pills = me unhappy. ha.
You know I loved this list Sister friend! High five!
I love reading things about food and nutrition so so much.
Are you taking a class in this you said? I am so out of it…I am catching up with blog friends this week and sorry I’ve been MIA almost…I think it’s the hot weather has me distracted…
Cheers my TT is all photos if you have time…
This was very interesting and informative. Happy Thursday!
That’s a lot of good information. I’ll have to refer back to your list if I have vitamin questions.
Happy TT!
Good info. I always like to learn new things. Sorry I’m visiting so late, internet wasn’t working. I have a T13 up too.