Vitamins

Vitamins are organic compounds that help with our growth and maintenance.

Unlike fats, proteins, and carbs, vitamins do not provide a source of calories or energy.

VitaminsVitamins fall into two categories

Fat Soluble Water Soluble

Vitamin A All “B” Vitamins

Vitamin D Vitamin C

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

Fat soluble vitamins are easier to overdose than water soluble vitamins. This is because fat soluble vitamins can be easily stored in your liver and fat tissue, while excess water soluble vitamins are excreted out of your body.

Vitamin AStored in the liver, vitamin A is needed to form the molecule

retinal in the body. Retinal is the molecule needed to capture light photons, which allows animals to see.

Vitamin A

Retinal

Vitamin AVitamin A is commonly found in

yellow, orange, and dark green vegetables.

Excessive vitamin A consumption can lead to carotenosis.

Some parts of animals, like polar bear livers, are unsafe to eat because of the high concentration of vitamin A stored there!

Vitamin DVitamin D helps bones absorb calcium and comes in

several forms, the most common being D3, also known as cholecalciferol.

Vitamin DNaturally, vitamin D is often found in fish oils and eggs.

The food industry also adds vitamin D to foods such as milk. Furthermore, your skin can synthesize vitamin D3from cholesterol.

7-dehydroxycholesterol

UVB Radiation

Vitamin D3

Vitamin DOverdoses of vitamin D can disrupt your body’s ability to

maintain calcium homeostasis, which can lead to kidney damage and kidney stones.

Vitamin EVitamin E defends your body against free radicals and

protects your cell membranes. In other words, vitamin E is an anti-oxidant.

Vitamin EIn terms of food sources,

vitamin E is found in many oils (such as sunflower and palm oils) as well as many leafy greens.

Chronic overdoses of vitamin E can lead to internal bleeding, or hemorrhaging.

Vitamin KVitamin K (one form shown below) helps form blood clotting

factors. Deficiencies of this vitamin affect your body’s ability to self-clot wounds.

Vitamin KIn foods, vitamin D can be found in leafy greens (notice a

trend with this?). In addition, bacteria in your gut, namely E-coli, also produce vitamin K for your body to absorb as they process the remaining chyme in your digestive tract.

Produces

The B VitaminsUsed to be thought that there was only a single vitamin B

molecule. Now “vitamin B” is considered to be the name of a family of water-soluble molecules with important use in cell metabolism.

Grains, nuts, and meats are common natural sources of B vitamins

Vitamin B Type Common NameB1 ThiaminB2 RiboflavinB3 NiacinB5 Panthothenic AcidB6 PyridoxineB7 BiotinB9 Folic AcidB12 Cobalamin

The B VitaminsIn general, the B vitamins assist in carbohydrate and fatty

acid metabolism (remember these?)

Glucose PyruvateGlycolysis

NADH

Converted to Acetyl-CoA

Enters the Krebs Cycle NADH and

FADH

Enters the Electron Transport Chain

Releases Carbon Dioxide

Creates ATP+

Triglycerides

Undergo Beta-Oxidation

Broken Down into Free Fatty Acids

B3

B2

B5

Vitamin CKnown as ascorbic acid,

vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Vitamin C also promotes connective tissue formation, steroid synthesis, and iron absorption.

The most common sources of vitamin C are in citrus fruits. Keep in mind that one citrus fruit likely contains more than 100% of your daily requirement for vitamin C.

Vitamin CThere is also a misconception

that excess amounts of vitamin C can prevent/treat colds. This is not supported by scientific data.

Remember, vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. Meaning if you take in excess of what you need, your body simply gets rid of the excess!