Vitamins are essential nutrients substances that your body requires for health. Taken in small quantities, these are are useful for normal growth, metabolism, developing and physical well-being. Here small amounts refers to micro nutrients. Most vitamins function as co enzymes or co factors and also excessive intake also harmful. As we already know there are two types of vitamins. They are water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins.
Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K. Each of them has a roles in sustaining good health. As they are soluble in fat and are absorbed with the help of bile acids. Once these vitamins are absorbed, the body stores them in body fat. When you need them, your body takes them out of storage. Eating fats or oils that are not digested can cause shortages of fat-soluble vitamins. These fats are slowly removed from the body and hence results in toxicity because these fat soluble vitamins are present in liver and fatty tissues.
Vitamins A, D, E, K can be found in the vitamin a fortified milk and dairy products, butter, whole milk, cheese, egg yolk, leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, apricots, cantaloupe, liver, products, fortified margarine, fish oils. Synthesized by sunlight action on skin, vegetable oil, margarine, butter, shortening, green and leafy vegetables, wheat germ, whole grain products, nuts, egg yolk, liver, dark green leafy vegetables, also made by bacteria in the intestine which prevents your bones hardening of bones and teeth, increases the absorption of calcium, protects vitamins a and c and fatty acids, prevents damage to cell membranes, antioxidant helps blood to clot.
Lack of vitamins A, D, E, K can cause diseases like mild night blindness, diarrhea, intestinal infections, impaired vision, severe inflammation of eyes, keratinization of skin and eyes, blindness in children, rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults, almost impossible to produce without starvation, possible anemia in low birth-weight in infants and excessive bleeding etc.
