Vitamins...part 1

Constantin Pezatos
Feb 14, 2023
3 min read

Updated: Mar 1, 2023

What are vitamins?

Vitamins are organic compounds which, although they are not structural material for the body, are necessary for the growth and normal functioning of the body and, in particular, for normal metabolism, which is the cornerstone. The human body cannot synthesise all these compounds to a satisfactory degree or even at all, so it is forced to receive them from food.

Vitamins are necessary for the body because they contribute to many biochemical reactions, and we often see them, from their mode of action, even acting as coenzymes. For this reason, they are necessary for tiny quantities.

Vitamins are necessary for the assimilation of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and they are responsible for synthesising hormones and enzymes. They strengthen the body's defence system, regulate growth, and finally, their role in the proper functioning of the nervous system is essential.

Vitamin deficiency usually manifests itself with a pathological condition which is specific and characteristic for each of them.

The main functions of vitamins

They can also act as coenzymes.
They are biological antioxidants and contribute to reducing many oxidative reactions of metabolism.
They are also hormones, acting with their contribution to hormonal synthesis.
They strengthen the body's defence system and play an essential role in the functioning of the nervous system.
They act as catalysts and combine with proteins to create metabolically active enzymes so that hundreds of essential reactions occur in the body.

Factors affecting vitamin requirements

Age
Sex
Environmental factors
Individual factors, lifestyle

Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity and not their structure, into two categories which have to do with the way they are absorbed in:

Liposolvents (ADEK) are soluble in fats and their solvents. Deficiencies in these vitamins can occur in people with a low-fat diet or cases of poor absorption.

Water solvents have the property of being dissolved in water, and they are not stored for a long time in the human body, which is why they are not toxic. This, of course, makes their daily intake of food necessary.

Fat-soluble vitamins

From a chemical point of view, they contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and are absorbed from the intestines with the help of lipids. They are more likely to accumulate in the body because they are challenging to eliminate quickly and tend to be stored in the tissues and especially in the liver, unlike water-soluble ones. The short-term lack of them by the organism can be compensated by using these reserves.

These vitamins are not all available from food sources; some are created and synthesized by organisms. The units of measurement for all vitamins are milligrams (mg), micrograms (μg) and international units (U.I. international unit = international unit). Vitamins A and D are measured in I.U. based on a defined activity, and the activity of vitamins E and K are expressed in micrograms (mg).

Fat-soluble vitamins are usually found in plant tissues as provitamins, i.e. their precursor substance, which is converted into their active form within the body and performs highly specialized functions. They are necessary for the regulation of the metabolism of structural units of the body and the structural stability of cell membranes.

Vitamin overdose results in excessive concentration, with very unpleasant health effects. Excess levels of fat-soluble vitamins are more likely to occur than water-soluble vitamins, which is called hypervitaminosis.

We will see the sources of fat-soluble vitamins in more detail in their chapter below...part 2.

Water soluble vitamins

They contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and should be consumed more regularly because they are eliminated more quickly and are not easily stored. Urine output is a good indicator of water-soluble vitamin intake. Since the body does not store water-soluble vitamins, frequent information is essential. Water-soluble vitamins are also more easily destroyed during food storage, processing and preparation.

Various bacteria manufacture several water-soluble vitamins. We know that most vitamins have many different reactions, which means they have many different functions.

Vitamin C and the eight vitamins of the B complex, namely:

B1 – Thiamine

B2 – Riboflavin

B3 – Niacin

B5 – Pantothenic acid

B6 – Pyridoxine

B7 – Biotin

B9 – Folic acid

B12 – Cobalamin