Vitamins and Minerals in Modern Society

Vitamin B and vitamin C are vitamins that are soluble in water, also known as water soluble. Whilst, vitamin D and vitamin k belong to a group that are soluble in fat which are known as fat soluble.

By observing the diet of the Inuit, it can be concluded that there are no essential foods, only essential nutrients. Without knowing that people might at first assume that a diet scarce in fruits and vegetables would result in countless cases of vitamin deficiency. However many vitamins such as Vitamin A which North Americans usually derive from fruits are oil soluble and can be found in oils of cold water fish. The biggest mystery in the past has been the dilemma of how the Inuit people consumed Vitamin C, which is not oil soluble and is usually has been though to only be found in fruit. However, with further

- In general, the body can call upon its stores of fat-soluble vitamins; whereas, most water-soluble vitamins are not stored.

B7 (Biotin): Depression, lack of intestinal absorption, inflamed bowel syndrome, skin irritation, hair loss, poor muscle control, seizures, development delayed

varied food supply make severe vitamin deficiencies unlikely but this doesn’t mean everyone gets enough of everything all the time. Marginal deficiencies often go unnoticed and can be mistaken for other conditions.

Being aware of your own personal mineral intake is quite an essential part of your well-being. It is often overlooked by both me and others. There are two main types of minerals: trace minerals and macro minerals. The term macro mineral refers to the group of minerals that you need to make sure you include relatively large amounts of in your diet. Macro minerals refer to minerals such as sulfur, calcium, sodium, and potassium. Trace minerals refer to the group of minerals that your body needs miniscule amounts of in order to work properly and be healthy. Trace minerals refer to minerals such as copper, zinc, selenium, and iron. Our mineral intake comes directly from plant based sources and indirectly from animal based sources. In addition,

Fat soluble vitamins occur in association with water, are very sensitive to the effects of heat, and are easily destroyed by cooking or food processing.

Vitamins are a class of nutrients that contain carbon. Vitamins are needed in small amounts to maintain health and allow growth. There are two types of vitamins fat-soluble and water-soluble this means that they dissolve in fat and water. There are 4 fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E,K. Vitamin A keeps your eyes and skin looking healthy. It also is needed for the growth of bones and teeth. Vitamin D is the sunlight vitamin and helps absorb calcium. Vitamin E protects your cells and vitamin K clots your blood. All of these can be stored if you have extra as fat. The water-soluble vitamins need to be replenished daily because any extra will be discharged as waste. Water Soluble vitamins are any one that was not mentioned above. They are needed to produce

Therefore, it must get them from food. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble and only found in

Other sources of vitamin B₁₂ are dietary supplements, tablets/lozenges, and prescription medications. In dietary supplements the vitamin is the form of cyanocobalamin which the body changes to methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin. The ability to absorb the vitamin through the supplements is restricted due to the volume of the body’s intrinsic factor. Tablets/lozenges are known to have exceptional bioavailability. Prescription medications such as intramuscular injections can come in the form of cyanocobalamin or hydroxocobalamin and is used to treat vitamin B₁₂ deficiencies. Prescription medication can come in a gel form for people who would take it instead of injections and raises B₁₂levels in

Vitamins are primarily classified by solubility. Some vitamins are soluble in water and others are soluble in fat. “According to The National Institute of Health, the body needs 13 vitamins for normal health.” This includes vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B complex vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12 and folate. Each of these vitamins provides a variety of functions to the body which can be obtained from a well balanced diet (Farris, 2012).

Vitamin intake is a commonly overlooked necessity in basic nutritional health. What most people do not know is that certain vitamin deficiencies can cause many health risks and problems. Many people believe that are getting all the vitamins they need from their diet, however most of the time they are not. One of the most common vitamin deficiencies is the low intake of Vitamin D. There are some vitamins that are produced by the body such as vitamin K; however some of the most important vitamins are not produced by the body. Vitamin D is one of the vitamins that our body needs to function correctly that is not naturally produced by the body. Vitamin D can be consumed through

Fat soluble vitamins and water soluble are the two groups of vitamins. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. Vitamin C is a polar molecule which means that it is only soluble in other polar solvents but are insoluble in non-polar solvents. Vitamin C is soluble in water because water is also a polar solvent hence why Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin because Vitamin C is insoluble in fat because fat is non-polar.

In M2 we have been set the question ‘What are vitamins – and who needs them’? Vitamins are essential substances that cannot be manufactured by the body. We need small amounts of vitamins for growth and development. Without vitamins the body cannot survive.

We live in a society in which we are in a state of constant fear of diseases. From when we are young we are taught repeatedly to wash our hands before every meal and to eat an apple daily. Moreover, we are catechized on a regular basis to bundle up so we do not catch a cold or pneumonia. Likewise, our doctors advise us to visit them annually to make sure we don’t have deficiency related disorders such as scurvy or anemia. What if there is a vitamin that could aid in preventing the aforementioned illnesses? Would it not be worth a try? Consider this an introduction to vitamin C! Details on this “wonder vitamin” are elaborated in the subsequent paragraphs!