Vitamins

A vitamin is an organic compound required in tiny amounts for essential metabolic reactions in a living organism.

Vitamins are classified as either water-soluble, meaning that they dissolve easily in water, or fat-soluble, and are absorbed through the intestinal tract with the help of lipids. Each vitamin is typically used in multiple reactions and, therefore most have multiple functions.

In humans there are 13 vitamins: 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E and K) and 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C).

For the most part, vitamins are obtained with food, but a few are obtained by other means. For example, microorganisms in the intestine - commonly known as "gut flora" - produce vitamin K and biotin, while one form of vitamin D is synthesized in the skin with the help of natural ultraviolet in sunlight. Humans can produce some vitamins from precursors they consume. Examples include vitamin A, produced from beta carotene, and niacin, from the amino acid tryptophan.

Vitamins are essential for the normal growth and development of a multicellular organism.
Once growth and development are completed, vitamins remain essential nutrients for the healthy maintenance of the cells, tissues, and organs that make up a multicellular organism; they also enable a multicellular life form to efficiently use chemical energy provided by food it eats, and to help process the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required for respiration.

Deficiencies of vitamins are classified as either primary or secondary. A primary deficiency occurs when an organism does not get enough of the vitamin in its food. A secondary deficiency may be due to an underlying disorder that prevents or limits the absorption or use of the vitamin, due to a “lifestyle factor”, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, restrictive diets, or the use of medications that interfere with the absorption or use of the vitamin.
Because human bodies do not store most vitamins, humans must consume them regularly to avoid deficiency. Human bodily stores for different vitamins vary widely; vitamins A, D, and B12 are stored in significant amounts in the human body, mainly in the liver, and an adult human's diet may be deficient in vitamins A and B12 for many months before developing a deficiency condition. Vitamin B3 is not stored in the human body in significant amounts, so stores may only last a couple of weeks.

Well-known human vitamin deficiencies involve thiamine (beriberi), niacin (pellagra), vitamin C (scurvy) and vitamin D (rickets).

Yet, in large doses some vitamins have documented side effects, that tend to be more severe with larger dosage. The likelihood of consuming too much of any vitamin from food is remote, but overdosing from vitamin supplementation does occur. At high enough dosages some vitamins cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. When side effects emerge, recovery is often accomplished by reducing the dosage.

VITAMINS

Vitamin A	aka retinoids retinol, the animal form of vitamin A, is a yellow fat-soluble, antioxidant vitamin with importance in vision and bone growth. other retinoids, a class of chemical compounds that are related chemically to vitamin A, are used in medicine
Vitamin B	vitamins B group: B1 (thiamine ), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin) support and increase the rate of metabolism maintain healthy skin and muscle tone enhance immune and nervous system function promote cell growth and division — including that of the red blood cells that help prevent anemia. together, they also help combat the symptoms and causes of stress, depression, and cardiovascular disease. all B vitamins are water soluble, and are dispersed throughout the body. They must be replenished daily, since any excess is excreted in the urine
Vitamin C	aka ascorbic acid a highly effective antioxidant, acting to lessen oxidative stress a substrate for ascorbate peroxidase, an enzyme cofactor for the biosynthesis of many important biochemicals. it participates in collagen hydroxylation and is essential to the development and maintenance of scar tissue, blood vessels, and cartilage. synthesis of carnitine that is essential for the transport of fatty acids into mitochondria for ATP generation biosynthesis of norepinephrine from dopamine adds amide groups to peptide hormones, greatly increasing their stability. modulates tyrosine metabolism biological tissues that accumulate over 100 times the level in blood plasma of vitamin C are the adrenal glands, pituitary, thymus, corpus luteum, and retina. those with 10 to 50 times the concentration present in blood plasma include the brain, spleen, lung, testicle, lymph nodes, liver, thyroid, small intestinal mucosa, leukocytes, pancreas, kidney and salivary glands
Vitamin D	aka ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol vitamin D plays an important role in the maintenance of organ systems regulates the calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood by promoting their absorption from food in the intestines, and by promoting re-absorption of calcium in the kidneys. promotes bone formation and mineralization and is essential in the development of an intact and strong skeleton. inhibits parathyroid hormone secretion from the parathyroid gland. affects the immune system by promoting immunosuppression, phagocytosis, and anti-tumor activity
Vitamin E	aka tocopherol and tocotrienol vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin in eight forms that is an important antioxidant. natural vitamin E exists in eight different forms or isomers, four tocopherols and four tocotrienols; each form has its own biological activity, the measure of potency or functional use in the body
Vitamin K	aka naphthoquinone vitamin K2 (menaquinone, menatetrenone) is normally produced by bacteria in the intestines dietary deficiency is extremely rare unless the intestines are heavily damaged

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