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Vitamins: Benefits, Deficiency Test And Diet To Avoid Long Term Damage

Vitamins Benefits Diets Deficiency

Vitamins are the organic compounds useful for our body. They are present in traces in different food content. Our body does not produce enough vitamins and hence, our body is prone to its deficiencies. There are different types of vitamins and each of them is important for the body. Deficiency of any vitamin will affect the daily functions of the body.

Classification of Vitamin

1) Fat Soluble Vitamin:

These types of vitamins are stored in the fatty tissues of the body and liver and are stayed for the longer time. These are:

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin D
  • Vitamin E
  • Vitamin K

2) Water Soluble Vitamin:

These types of vitamins are unable to store in the body and are excreted in the urine. These are:

  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin B

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is also called retinol, carotenoids.

Benefits of Vitamin A

  • It helps in growth and development of the body
  • It strengthens the immune system
  • It helps keep eyes healthy:
  • It strengthens the retina and maintains the good vision
  • it prevents night blindness
  • it prevents xerophthalmia – unable to produce tears
  • It helps in conceiving: Vitamin A deficiency could be a reason for trouble in getting pregnant. It may also lead to birth defects and miscarriages.
  • Diabetic people: topical vitamin A application can prevent wounds associated with diabetes as it improves the collagen production.
  • It may also help in treating acne problems.

Vitamin A in Adolescent and Young Adults:

  • According to a study vitamin A supplement can reduce the risk of hearing loss associated with the purulent ear infection.
  • Deficiency of vitamin A in children may increase the risk of illness and deaths due to severe infections from measles or the diseases that cause diarrhoea.
  • It can also cause growth retardation.
  • Children with deficiency of vitamin A are prone to the chest infection and throat infection.

Vitamin A in Pregnancy:

  • Pregnant females are more susceptible during pregnancy especially during the third trimester.
  • Vitamin A supplements maintain the retinol levels in mother helping to prevent night blindness.
  • Mothers with HIV can reduce the risk of infant mortality and morbidity and low birth weight by taking vitamin A supplements.

Vitamin A Test:

  1. Vitamin panel test
  2. Retinol test

Normal limits around – 0.3 – 1.2 mg/L

Food Items Rich in Vitamin A:

Vegetables rich in vitamin A

  1. Sweet potato
  2. Green leafy vegetables – kale, spinach, lettuce
  3. Carrot
  4. Broccoli
  5. Bell peppers specially red
  6. Bok choy
  7. Ladyfinger

Fruits rich in vitamin A

  1. Watermelon
  2. Mango
  3. Papaya
  4. Guava
  5. Plums

2. Vitamin D

Benefits of Vitamin D:

  1. Bone Pain – Vitamin D helps in maintaining bone health and prevents bone fractures. It helps to absorb calcium absorption in bones.
  2. Vitamin D helps to reduce fatigue and regular headache- vitamin deficiency can cause regular headache and fatigue.
  3. Vitamin D may help to improve wound healing especially in diabetic foot patients. Vitamin D deficiency may delay the healing procedure.
  4. Vitamin D deficiency leads to back pain.
  5. Vitamin D helps to reduce muscle pain.

Vitamin D Deficiency in Children:

  • It may lead to rickets. Rickets is a condition when there is bowing of the legs in children. This may lead to weak legs, unable to walk properly and unable to balance.
  • It may also lead to hypocalcemia meaning less calcium leading to seizures and tetany.
  • It helps to prevent autoimmune diseases in children.

Role of Vitamin D in Pregnancy:

  • It helps in healthy bone development in baby
  • Low vitamin D can be associated with increased risk of certain cancers, autoimmune diseases and neurological diseases.
  • Postpartum depression, gestational diabetes, recurrent pregnancy loss and preterm delivery have been documented in pregnant females with low vitamin D.
  • Vitamin D levels in mothers may help in fetal lung development and allergies. The low level may lead to asthma and bronchitis in offspring.

Role of Vitamin D During Lactation:

  • Mother is the main source of vitamin D for infant. It is important for mothers to have proper vitamin D rich diet or supplements.

Vitamin D Test:

  • 25 hydroxy vitamin D test is a blood test to detect the levels of vitamin D.

Normal limits- 25-50 ng/mL

Food Rich in Vitamin D:

  1. Mushrooms
  2. Soy milk
  3. Eggs
  4. Cheese
  5. Tofu
  6. Cod liver oil
  7. Orange juice
  8. Fishes
  9. Oats
  10. Yogurt
  11. Shrimps

3. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is also known as tocopherol or tocotrienols.

Benefits of Vitamin E:

  1. Ageing – vitamin E helps in antioxidant delaying ageing.
  2. Flawless face – vitamin E delay ageing, decreases wrinkles and increases glow in the skin as it prevents free radical to damaging cells in body and skin. It also helps in preventing skin damage.
  3. Cancer – vitamin E helps in inhibiting cell proliferation and enhancing the immune system.
  4. Boost immunity – vitamin E helps to boost immunity as it has antioxidant property.
  5. Eye problems – vitamin E helps to reduce cataracts
  6. Neurological problems – it helps in controlling various problems like Parkinson, Alzheimer.

Test for Vitamin E:

  • Vitamin E Tocopherol test. It is a blood test. The serum is required.

Normal ranges are – 5.4-40 ng/ml

Foods Rich in Vitamin E:

Vegetables rich in Vitamin E

  1. Green leafy vegetables like spinach
  2. Turnip
  3. Mustard greens
  4. Asparagus
  5. broccoli

Fruits rich in Vitamin E

  1. Kiwi
  2. Berries- blueberries, mulberries, cranberries
  3. Peach
  4. Guava
  5. Mango

Other food items rich in Vitamin E

  1. Sunflower seeds
  2. Oats
  3. Rice
  4. Nuts- almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds
  5. Vegetable oil

4. Vitamin K

Vitamin K is responsible for blood coagulation.

Benefits of Vitamin K:

  1. Osteoporosis – vitamin K helps in reducing the risk of fractures in postmenopausal women. It helps in reducing bone loss.
  2. Anticoagulant – it acts as an anticoagulant. It helps to stop bleeding.
  3. Maintain cardiovascular health – it helps in preventing arterial calcification thus helping in maintaining blood pressure.
  4. Memory – it helps to improve memory in adults.

Vitamin K Test:

  • Usually, the tests are not done widely. It is calculated through Prothrombin time. This is done to check the bleeding. If the time increases, it indicates deficiency.

Normal vitamin K range – 0.2 – 3.2 ng/ml. Reduced blood clotting is below 0.5 ng/ ml

Food Rich in Vitamin K:

Vegetables rich in vitamin K

  1. Kale
  2. Spinach
  3. Broccoli
  4. Parsley
  5. Cabbage
  6. Tomato
  7. Lettuce
  8. Ladyfinger

Fruits rich in vitamin K

  1. Avocado
  2. Kiwi
  3. Berries – blackberries, blueberries
  4. Pomegranate
  5. Grapes

Dairy products and nuts

  1. Cheese
  2. Egg yolk
  3. Butter
  4. Nuts –Cashews, hazelnuts

Other products

  1. Meat
  2. Bacon
  3. Beef Liver
  4. Chicken liver

5. Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is also called thiamine.

Benefits of Thiamine:

  1. Digestive problems – It is helpful in digestive problems like diarrhoea and poor appetite.
  2. Boosts immunity
  3. It is helpful in eye problems like glaucoma and cataracts.
  4. It helps in controlling beriberi. It is a condition in which person suffers from difficulty in walking, tingling, loss of sensation, paralysis of lower legs, deterioration of brain functions, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, increased heart rate and swelling of lower limbs.

Vitamin B1 Deficiency in Infants:

Infant beriberi – usually seen in 2-6 months of age. Usually, a child suffers from diarrhoea, vomiting, shortness of breath, even die. Other features like swelling, pale skin, rapid heart rate and convulsions.

Importance of Vitamin B1 During Pregnancy:

  1. It helps in baby’s brain development.
  2. It also helps with healthy heart functions.

Test for Vitamin B1:

  • Thiamine test. It is a blood test

Normal range – 74-222 nmol/L

Food Source Rich in Vitamin B1:

Vegetables rich in vitamin B1

  1. Kale
  2. Tomatoes
  3. Onions
  4. Spinach
  5. Cabbage
  6. Eggplant
  7. mushrooms

Fruits rich in vitamin B1

  1. orange
  2. raspberries
  3. pineapple
  4. lychee
  5. blackberries

Food rich in vitamin B 1

  1. Nuts
  2. Beens
  3. Eggs
  4. Yellowfin tuna fish
  5. Beef

6. Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin

Benefits of Vitamin B2:

  1. It helps to prevent migraines
  2. It helps in corneal ectasis. This is a condition of corneal thinning.
  3. It is essential for the baby’s muscle and nerve development in the pregnant female.
  4. It helps in the development of baby’s brain.

Test for Vitamin B2:

  • Riboflavin test. It is a blood test.

Normal range – 1-19 µg/L

Food for Vitamin B2:

Vegetables rich in vitamin B2

  1. Mushrooms
  2. Spinach
  3. Bok choy
  4. Bell peppers
  5. Broccoli

Fruits rich in vitamin B2

  1. Banana
  2. Apple
  3. Berries
  4. Pears

Food containing vitamin B2

  1. Eggs
  2. Yogurt
  3. Almonds
  4. Milk
  5. Peas
  6. Lentils
  7. Fortified cereals

7. Vitamin B3 or Niacin

Deficiency of vitamin b3 causes pellagra. Pellagra affects the nervous system, digestive system and skin.

Benefits of Vitamin B3:

  1. Maintain digestion – it helps in normal functioning of the digestive tract. This helps in healthy appetite.
  2. Prevent pellagra
  3. It helps in the healthy skin – it helps skin from UV rays of the sun. It is used in anti ageing cream.
  4. Reduces inflammation – it helps in the various orthopaedic condition like arthritis. Niacin maintains arthritis associated inflammation.
  5. It helps in depression and anxiety.

Test for Vitamin B3:

  • Vitamin B3 test (niacin). The test includes nicotinamide, nicotinic acid.

Normal range – 050- 8.45 ug/ml

Diet Rich in Vitamin B3:

Vegetables rich in vitamin B3

  1. Potato
  2. Peas
  3. Corn
  4. Mushrooms
  5. Pumpkins

Fruits rich in vitamin B3

  1. Avocados
  2. Orange
  3. Peaches
  4. Grapefruit

Food rich in vitamin B3

  1. Chicken
  2. Fish
  3. Turkey
  4. Brown rice
  5. Peanuts

8. Vitamin B5

This is also called pantothenic acid.

Benefits of Vitamin B5:

  1. They help in allergies
  2. It helps in treating dandruff.
  3. It helps in premenstrual syndrome
  4. It helps in treating insomnia

Test for Vitamin B5:

  • Vitamin B5 test

Normal range – <275 ng/ml

Diet for Vitamin B5:

Vegetables rich in vitamin B5

  1. Mushrooms
  2. Sweet potato
  3. Kale
  4. Broccoli

Fruits rich in vitamin B5

  1. Avocados

Food rich in vitamin B5

  1. Yogurt
  2. Sunflower seeds
  3. Salmon

9. Vitamin B6

It is also known as pyridoxine.

Benefits of Vitamin B6:

  1. Used by the female for premenstrual syndrome.
  2. Helps in menopause time
  3. Pyridoxine hel