What are vitamins?
-
Vitamins and minerals are the micronutrients to carry out various everyday functions. Vitamins and minerals must be obtained from the food we eat.
-
Vitamins are organic substances generally classified as fat-soluble or water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, which dissolve in fat and tend to accumulate in the body.
-
Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C, B vitamins, and choline (a vitamin B-complex). Water-soluble vitamins are dissolved in water before the body can absorb them and, therefore, cannot be stored. Thus, any water-soluble vitamins unused by the body are primarily lost through urine.
-
The following table summarizes water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins.
References:
-
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/, updated December 22, 2022
-
Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B(6), Folate, Vitamin B(12), Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 1998.
-
Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements (2006), ISBN 978-0-309-10091-5 | DOI 10.17226/11537
References:
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/, updated on November 30, 2022
Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1998.
Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements (2006) ISBN 978-0-309-10091-5 | DOI 10.17226/11537
Bailey LB, Caudill MA. Folate. In: Erdman JW, Macdonald IA, Zeisel SH, eds. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 10th ed. Washington, DC: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012:321-42.
Carmel R. Folic acid. In: Shils M, Shike M, Ross A, Caballero B, Cousins RJ, eds. Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease. 11th ed. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005:470-81.