Vitamins

Vitamins

1. Fat soluable

   • Vitamin A
     • Also known as Retinol
     • Sources
       • Liver
       • Cheese
       • Eggs
       • Fortified Low fat Spreads
     • Function
       • Strengthening immune system
       • Helping Vision in low light
     • Deficiency
       • Night Blindness
     • Excess
       • Pregnant women shouldn't eat too much Vitamin A and avoid liver altogether
       • Liver Damage
   • Vitamin D
     • Sources
       • The Sun
       • Oily Fish
       • Eggs
       • Fortified Fats, Spreads and Breakfast cereals
     • Functions
       • Helps to regulate the amount of calcium and Phosphate in the body.
       • Contributes to healthy bones and teath
     • Deficiency
       • Rickets in Children
       • Osteomalacia in Adults
       • Osteoperosis
     • Excess
       • Kidney Damage
       • Too much being absorbed than excreted
   • Vitamin E
     • Sources
       • Soya
       • Nuts
       • Seeds
       • Olive Oils
     • Functions
       • Maintain the cell structure by protecting cell membranes
   • Vitamin K
     • Sources
       • Green Leafy Vegetables
       • Vegetable oil
       • Cereals
     • Functions
       • Blood Clotting
       • Wound Healing
       • Maintenance of bone
     • Deficency
       • Rare
       • Newborns given a vitamin K injection

2. Water Soluable

   • Vitamin C
     • Sources
       • Citrus Fruits
       • Berries
       • Green Vegetables
       • Peppers
       • Tomatoes
       • Potatoes
     • Functions
       • Helps Absorb Iron
       • Normal functioning of immune system
       • Maintence of healthy connective tissues
       • Help wound healing
     • Deficency
       • Fatigue
       • Feeling out of sorts
         • Irritability Miserable all of the time
       • Pain in limbs
         • Particularly the Legs
       • Red/Blue spots on the skin
   • B Vitamins
     • B1
       • Also known as Thiamin
       • Sources
         • Eggs
         • Peas
         • Liver
       • Functions
         • Helps break down and release energy from food
         • Keeping nerves and muscle tissue healthy
       • Deficency
         • Beriberi
           • Its a nervous system disorder that rare in the UK
     • B2
       • AKA Riboflavin
       • Sources
         • Eggs
         • Milk
         • Rice
       • Functions
         • Keeping Skin, eye and the nervous system healthy
         • Help the body release energy from carbohydrates
       • Deficency
         • Magenta Tongue
           • Painful red/sore tongue
         • Dry/Cracked Skin
     • B3
       • AKA Nicain
       • Sources
         • Eggs
         • Milk
         • Meat
         • Fish
       • Function
         • Helps produce energy from foods
         • Helps keep the nervous and digestive systems healthy
       • Deficiency
         • Pellagra
           • Sun sensitive  skin
     • B6
       • Sources
         • Milk
         • Eggs
         • Fish
         • Chicken
       • Functions
         • Allowing the body to use and store energy from protein and carbohydrates in food
         • Helps haemoglobin, the substance that carrier oxygen around the body
       • Deficency
         • More than 200mg a day for a long time can lead to a loss of feeling in the are and legs
           • Known as Peripheral neuropathy
     • B12
       • Not found in vegetables so vegans should take suppliments
       • Functions
         • Making red blood cells
         • Helps keep the nervous system healthy
         • Releasing energy from the food we eat
         • Processing folic acid
       • Sources
         • Milk
         • Eggs
         • Meat
         • Fortified breakfast cereals
   • Folate
     • Sources
       • Liver
       • Chickpeas
       • Fortifid Bereakfast cereals
     • Functions
       • Works together with vitamin B12 to form healthy red blood cells
       • Helps reduce the risk of central nervous system defects such as spina bifida in unborn children
     • Deficency
       • Pregnancy
         • If you are pregnant or trying to have a baby, take a 0.4mg (400 microgram) of folic acid supplement daily from the time you stop using contraception untill the 12th week of pregnancy. This is to prevent birth defects of the central nervous system.
     • Excess
       • Vitamin B12 deficency
         • Taking doses of folic acid higher than 1mg can disguise vitamin B12 deficiency. An early symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency is anaemia. However, taking large amounts of folic acid treats the anaemia without treating the B12 deficiency. If a vitamin B12 deficiency is not noticed it can be eventually damage the nervous system. This is particularly a concern for older people because it becomes more difficult to absorb vitamin B12 as you get older.