A Comprehensive Dive into Types, Functions, and Sources of Vitamins

You must have heard of Vitamins or maybe you have used some vitamin supplements and you wonder what they truly are. Welcome back to my post, and today we will be discussing Vitamins, why we need them, and how they work from a biochemical point of view.

Before we continue, let's quickly explain what vitamins are. They are small organic molecules, needed by our body in other to carry out regular cellular processes. They are also co-enzymes/co-factors which are used in enzymatic processes. Going back to when they were discovered, they were regarded as vital amines, but this isn't completely true because lots of vitamins aren't even amines. For instance, Vitamin A (Retinol) doesn't have Nitrogen in its structure. So we can refer to them as micro nutrients that are needed by our body to survive.

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Most essential nutrients cannot be synthesized fully by our body in sufficient quantity so they are to be acquired through external factors such as diets. Going back to history, you would expect that the first vitamin to be discovered would be Vitamin A, but to shock you, the first vitamin to be discovered was Thiamine (Vitamin B1) which is a complex of several B vitamin. After this, more vitamins have been discovered and the meaning of vitamin continue to change as more vitamin were found.

Before you begin to think that all vitamin are created equally, you should change that thought because all vitamin aren't. There are two groups of vitamin, and they are soluble vitamin and non-soluble vitamin. The B vitamins make up the water soluble vitamins. They include vitamin B1 (Thiamine), vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), vitamin B3 (nicotinamide), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxin), B7 (Biotin), B9 (Folic Acid), and B12 (cyanocobalamin) but it isn't exclusive to vitamin B as vitamin C is also a water soluble vitamin.

Water soluble vitamin can easily lead to deficiency since they can be easily eliminated from the body through urine. Water soluble vitamins aren't stored in the body except for vitamin B12 which is stored in the liver.

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Just as we have water soluble vitamins, we also have fat soluble vitamin and they include vitamin K (phytomenadione), vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol), vitamin D (Calcitriol), Vitamin A (Retinol) and they can be stored in the body, and with this they are less likely to cause a deficiency but are more likely to cause toxicity due to hypervitaminosis (excess of vitamin in the body) as it takes longer time for the body to eliminate.

We refer to some vitamins are referred to as vitamers where some can be readily absorbed, while others are not absorbed readily as the same vitamin appear in different forms. So let's start with Vitamin A.

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Vitamin A known as Retinol is the (alcohol form) but can exist as Retinal (aldehyde form), and Retinoic acid (carboxylic acid form). Our body is able to convert the different forms of Vitamin A including Retinol and Retinal but no Retinoic acid. Since vitamin A is fat soluble, there is a possibility of toxicity. The sources of vitamin A includes Egg yolks, liver, meat, cheese, and butter and the body is able to absorb vitamin A as vitamin A Esters which is cleaved by an enzyme called carboxyl esterase to form free retinol. It is used by the eyes in the protein Rhodopsin and deficiency of vitamin A which is less possible would lead to night blindness.

Vitamins play indispensable roles in our bodies, contributing to various cellular processes. Understanding the differences between water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, as well as the unique characteristics of each, is crucial for maintaining optimal health. In our journey through the diverse realm of vitamins, we've explored the intricacies of Vitamin A and its importance in preventing night blindness. Stay tuned for more insights into the world of micronutrients