Vitamins – shalom

What are vitamins?

The term vitamin is derived from the words vital and amine, because vitamins are required for life and were originally thought to be amines. Although not all vitamins are amines, they are organic compounds required by humans in small amounts from the diet.

Vitamins are a group of substances that are needed for normal cell function, growth, and development. There are 13 essential vitamins. This means that these vitamins are required for the body to work properly. They are two types of vitamins:

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s fatty tissue. The four fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins are absorbed more easily by the body in the presence of dietary fat.
Water-soluble vitamins: Vitamin C and eight B vitamins. The body must use water-soluble vitamins right away. Any leftover water-soluble vitamins leave the body through the urine. Vitamin B12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that can be stored in the liver for many years.

Each of the 13 vitamins has an important job in the body. A vitamin deficiency occurs when you do not get enough of a certain vitamin. Vitamin deficiency can cause health problems.

Not eating enough vegetables, whole grains and fortified dairy foods may increase your risk for health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and poor bone health. In the bottom of this article, we list the function and sources of each vitamin.

What kind of multivitamin should I take?

Meeting all your nutrition needs from diet is ideal but is not possible sometimes. Vitamin deficiencies are commonly linked to chronic diseases, special life stage such as pregnancy and menopause. Even a complete diet may not be giving you the nutrients you need. That’s where multivitamins come in.

Multivitamins are supplements that contain many different vitamins and minerals, sometimes along with other ingredients. Multivitamins are the most commonly used supplements in the world. A daily multivitamin can help provide a good foundation for your health. It can also protect you when you’re experiencing stress, sleeping poorly, or not getting regular exercise. The question is: with so many choices available, how do you know exactly what to look for when shopping for a multivitamin?

Experts say there are seven ingredients your multivitamin should have, no matter what brand you choose:

Vitamin D: it helps our bodies absorb calcium, which is important for bone health. Not getting enough of vitamin D can increase your likelihood of getting sick, bone and hair loss, and back pain.
Magnesium: it is best known for being important to our bone health and energy production.
Calcium: many people are not getting this mineral they need for strong bones and teeth.
Zinc: it supports our immune system and helps our body use carbohydrates, protein, and fat for energy. It also aids in wound healing.
Iron: certain circumstances like having your menstrual cycle, going through puberty, and being pregnant may increase the amount of iron you need.
Folate: it is needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow, convert carbohydrates into energy, and produce DNA and RNA.
Vitamin B-12: it works to keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA. Vegan or vegetarians are prone to vitamin B-12 deficiency.

(Source: National Institute of Health)

Fat-soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body’s cells and are not excreted as easily as water-soluble vitamins. They do not need to be consumed as often as water-soluble vitamins, although adequate amounts are needed. If you take too much of a fat-soluble vitamin, it could become toxic.

A balanced diet usually provides enough fat-soluble vitamins. You may find it more difficult to get enough vitamin D from food alone and may consider taking a vitamin D supplement or a multivitamin with vitamin D in it.

Nutrient	Function	Sources
Vitamin A (and its precursor*, beta-carotene)	Needed for vision, healthy skin and mucous membranes, bone and tooth growth, immune system health	Vitamin A from animal sources (retinol): fortified milk, cheese, cream, butter, eggs, liver Beta-carotene (from plant sources): Leafy, dark green vegetables; dark orange fruits and vegetables (carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin)
Vitamin D	Needed for proper absorption of calcium; stored in bones	Egg yolks, liver, fatty fish, fortified milk. When exposed to sunlight, the skin can make vitamin D.
Vitamin E	Antioxidant; protects cell walls	Polyunsaturated plant oils (soybean, corn, cottonseed); leafy green vegetables; wheat germ; whole-grain products; liver; egg yolks; nuts and seeds
Vitamin K	Needed for proper blood clotting	Leafy green vegetables such as kale, and spinach; green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus; also produced in intestinal tract by bacteria

Water-soluble vitamins

Water-soluble vitamins travel freely through the body, and excess amounts usually are excreted by the kidneys. The body needs water-soluble vitamins in frequent, small doses. These vitamins are not as likely as fat-soluble vitamins to reach toxic levels.

A balanced diet usually provides enough of these vitamins. People older than 50 and some vegetarians may need to use supplements to get enough B12.

Nutrient	Function	Sources
Thiamine (vitamin B1)	Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism; important to nerve function	Found in all nutritious foods in moderate amounts: pork, whole-grain or enriched breads and cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds
Riboflavin(vitamin B2)	Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism; important for normal vision and skin health	Milk and milk products; leafy green vegetables; whole-grain, enriched breads and cereals
Niacin (vitamin B3)	Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism; important for nervous system, digestive system, and skin health	Meat, poultry, fish, whole-grain or enriched breads and cereals, vegetables peanut butter
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)	Part of an enzyme needed for making DNA and new cells, especially red blood cells	Leafy green vegetables and legumes, seeds, orange juice, and liver; now added to most refined grains
Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)	Part of an enzyme needed for protein metabolism; helps make red blood cells	Meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits
Biotin (vitamin B7)	Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism	Widespread in foods; also produced in intestinal tract by bacteria
Folic acid (vitamin B9)	Part of an enzyme needed for making DNA and new cells, especially red blood cells	Leafy green vegetables and legumes, seeds, orange juice, and liver
Cobalamin (vitamin B12)	Part of an enzyme needed for making new cells; important to nerve function	Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, milk and milk products; not found in plant foods
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)	Antioxidant; part of an enzyme needed for protein metabolism; important for immune system health; aids in iron absorption	Found only in fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, vegetables in the cabbage family, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, kiwifruit, etc

What are vitamins?

What kind of multivitamin should I take?

Did you know?

Fat-soluble Vitamins

Water-soluble Vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins

Nutrient

Function

Sources

Vitamin A (and its precursor*, beta-carotene)

Needed for vision, healthy skin and mucous membranes, bone and tooth growth, immune system health

Vitamin A from animal sources (retinol): fortified milk, cheese, cream, butter, eggs, liver

Beta-carotene (from plant sources): Leafy, dark green vegetables; dark orange fruits and vegetables (carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, pumpkin)

Vitamin D

Needed for proper absorption of calcium; stored in bones

Egg yolks, liver, fatty fish, fortified milk. When exposed to sunlight, the skin can make vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Antioxidant; protects cell walls

Polyunsaturated plant oils (soybean, corn, cottonseed); leafy green vegetables; wheat germ; whole-grain products; liver; egg yolks; nuts and seeds

Vitamin K

Needed for proper blood clotting

Leafy green vegetables such as kale, and spinach; green vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus; also produced in intestinal tract by bacteria

Water-soluble vitamins

Nutrient

Function

Sources

Thiamine (vitamin B1)

Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism; important to nerve function

Found in all nutritious foods in moderate amounts: pork, whole-grain or enriched breads and cereals, legumes, nuts and seeds

Riboflavin(vitamin B2)

Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism; important for normal vision and skin health

Milk and milk products; leafy green vegetables; whole-grain, enriched breads and cereals

Niacin (vitamin B3)

Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism; important for nervous system, digestive system, and skin health

Meat, poultry, fish, whole-grain or enriched breads and cereals, vegetables peanut butter

Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)

Part of an enzyme needed for making DNA and new cells, especially red blood cells

Leafy green vegetables and legumes, seeds, orange juice, and liver; now added to most refined grains

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)

Part of an enzyme needed for protein metabolism; helps make red blood cells

Meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits

Biotin (vitamin B7)

Part of an enzyme needed for energy metabolism

Widespread in foods; also produced in intestinal tract by bacteria

Folic acid (vitamin B9)

Part of an enzyme needed for making DNA and new cells, especially red blood cells

Leafy green vegetables and legumes, seeds, orange juice, and liver

Cobalamin (vitamin B12)

Part of an enzyme needed for making new cells; important to nerve function

Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, milk and milk products; not found in plant foods

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)

Antioxidant; part of an enzyme needed for protein metabolism; important for immune system health; aids in iron absorption

Found only in fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, vegetables in the cabbage family, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, lettuce, kiwifruit, etc

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