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Vitamins And Minerals

Vitamins and minerals are both essential nutrients which are required in a daily diet. Altogether, there are 13 essential vitamins and many minerals which are required for the body to function properly and to maintain the optimal health. Both vitamins and minerals combine to perform hundreds of roles in the body.

Let us learn in detail about these vitamins and minerals below.

Also Read: Difference between Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamins

Vitamins are organic compounds, found in natural foods which are required for normal growth and maintenance of the body. Both humans and animals require vitamins for their growth.

The word vitamin is a combination of Latin words “vita” and “amine” which means life and nitrogen respectively. Casimir Funk discovered a substance that helps in the growth and maintenance of the body and named it in 1884.

Vitamins act as a catalyst in the generation of energy by utilizing carbohydrates and fats properly. Humans cannot live without vitamins and the human body cannot produce it on its own (except vitamin D and Vitamin B3). So it should be taken in required quantities through other sources such as the food we take, vitamin capsules etc. Vitamins can be found in major foods like meat, leafy vegetables, fruits etc.

Vitamin deficiency may cause some diseases and overdose also causes diseases.

Types of Vitamins

Vitamins are of two types:

• Fat-soluble – which are dissolved in fat
• Water-soluble – which are dissolved in water

Here is a table that illustrates the type of vitamins, sources, and diseases due to vitamin deficiency.

Name	Solubility	Food Sources	Deficiency Diseases
Vitamin A	Fat	Green leafy vegetables, ripe yellow fruits, guava, milk, liver, nuts, tomatoes, oranges, carrots, broccoli, watermelon etc.	Hyperkeratosis, night blindness, and keratomalacia
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)	Water	Fresh fruits, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, corn, cashew nuts, wheat, milk, black beans, dates etc.	Beriberi
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	Water	Banana, dates, mushrooms, grapes, mangoes, peas, pumpkin, popcorn etc.	Slow growth, sore eyes
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	Water	Meat, fish, eggs, milk products, cereals, mushroom, guava etc.	Pellagra
Vitamin C	Water	Fresh fruits, black currant, broccoli, goat milk and chestnuts.	Scurvy
Vitamin D	Fat	Fish, egg, liver, beef, cod, chicken breast etc.	Rickets and Osteomalacia
Vitamin E	Fat	Potatoes, pumpkin, guava, mango, milk, nuts, seeds etc.	Heart problems, Haemolysis and sterility
Vitamin K	Fat	Tomatoes, broccoli, chestnuts, cashew nuts, beef, lamb, mangoes, grapes etc.	Haemorrhage

Minerals

Minerals are also organic compounds found in nature, which helps in the growth of the human body. Minerals are essential for the human body to work properly. Deficiency of minerals leads to several disorders.

List of Minerals, their sources and functions

MINERALS	SOURCES	FUNCTIONS
Calcium	Blackberries, dates, milk, egg, pomegranate, almonds, wheat, soybeans etc.	Important for healthy bones, teeth and immune system
Sodium	Passion fruit, onions, fresh fruits, sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, eggs, milk etc.	Helps in the regulation of blood pressure and blood volume. It also helps in the proper functioning of nerves and muscles
Iodine	Sea foods, iodised salt, milk and foods that are grown in iodine-rich places	Promotes healthy hair, nails, skin and teeth. Also controls body weight and growth
Phosphorous	Passion fruit, pomegranate, dates, beef, tuna, oats etc.	Phosphorous along with calcium is necessary for the formation of bones, teeth etc.

Scientific Name Of Vitamins

Different animals, plants and other living species have both, common names and scientific names. Similarly, all the vitamins have their respective scientific names. This nomenclature is mainly based on their compositions, physical and chemical properties and their biochemical functions.

What are Vitamins?

Vitamins are the organic compounds which help in performing biological functions of a living organism. It is a vital nutrient that should be included in our daily diet in the required quantity.

Vitamins are referred to as organic compounds, they are required in very small amounts, hence, they are mentioned as micronutrients. They perform vital functions and an essential role in our body functions such as metabolism, immunity and digestion.

Vitamine is a Greek word – “vita”- life and “amine”

Also Read: Types, Sources and Significance of Vitamin

Scientific Name of Vitamins and their Sources

This chart gives complete information about the different types of Vitamins, sources of vitamins and Scientific names of vitamins.

CommonName	Scientific      Name	Food Sources
Vitamin A                (Fat-soluble)	Retinol	Green leafy vegetables, nuts, tomatoes, oranges, ripe yellow fruits, guava, milk, liver, carrots, broccoli and watermelon.
Vitamin B1      (Water-soluble)	Thiamine	Fresh fruits, corn, cashew nuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, wheat, milk, dates, black beans, etc.
Vitamin B2               (Water-soluble)	Riboflavin	Bananas, grapes, mangoes, peas, pumpkin, dates, yoghurt, milk, mushrooms, popcorn, beef liver, etc.
Vitamin B3             (Water-soluble)	Niacin	Meat, eggs, fish, milk products, guava, mushroom, peanuts, cereals, green peas, etc.
Vitamin B5            (Water-soluble)	Pantothenic Acid	Meat, kidney, egg yolk, broccoli, peanuts, fish, chicken, milk, yoghurt, legumes, mushrooms, avocado, etc.
Vitamin B6          (Water-soluble)	Pyridoxine	Pork, chicken, fish, bread, wholegrain cereals, eggs, vegetables, soya beans, etc.
Vitamin B7           (Water-soluble)	Biotin	Walnuts, peanuts, cereals, milk, egg yolks, salmon, pork, mushroom, cauliflower, avocados, bananas, raspberries, etc.
Vitamin B9 (Water-soluble)	Folic Acid	Citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beets, etc.
Vitamin B12         (Water-soluble)	Cobalamin	Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, etc.
Vitamin C (Water-soluble)	Ascorbic acid	Fresh citrus fruits such as orange and grapefruit, broccoli, goat milk, black currant and chestnuts.
Vitamin D (Fat-soluble)	Calciferol	Fish, beef, cod liver oil, egg yolk, liver, chicken breast and cereals.
Vitamin E (Fat-soluble)	Tocopherol	Potatoes, pumpkin, guava, mango, milk, nuts and seeds.
Vitamin K (Fat-soluble)	Phytonadione	Tomatoes, broccoli, mangoes, grapes, chestnuts, cashew nuts, beef and lamb.

Classification Of Vitamins

During the beginning of the 20th century, it was clearly understood that the diet containing purified carbohydrates, proteins, fat, and minerals was not sufficient to maintain the proper growth and development of an individual. An English biochemist “Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins” in the year 1929 was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of vitamins.

Based on their physical and biological activity, these organic compounds are classified into:

Fat-soluble vitamins:

• Vitamin A.
• Vitamin D.
• Vitamin E.
• Vitamin K.

Water-soluble vitamins:

• Biotin.
• Niacin.
• Pyridine.
• Thiamine.
• Vitamin C.
• Folic acid.
• Riboflavin.
• Vitamin B12.
• Pantothenic acid.