Vitamins are organic compounds that are vital for the normal growth and essential functioning of living organisms. They are required in small amounts and the majority of people can obtain required amounts through their daily diets.

Vitamin supplements are not always recommended and are only required when our diet does not involve sufficient required amounts of essential nutrients or when our body cannot absorb them in the required amount.

Vitamins should not be used as dietary supplements but instead should be used to treat or prevent the lack of absorption of specific vitamins. Contrary to the popular belief that vitamins are harmless and can be used by anybody, it is now proven that certain vitamins such as Vitamin A and Vitamin D can actually cause more damage than good if our body is not deficient.

Vitamins can be divided into two main categories –

•          Fat-soluble vitamins – Vitamin A, D, E, and K

•          Water-soluble vitamins – Vitamin B and C

Vitamins are added to food products such as energy drinks, baby milk, shakes, flour, and many more. They are also known by different names and it is very important to know the alternative names of essential nutrients to monitor their consumption.

Let’s look at the different names for each vitamin: –

Vitamin A – Retinol

Vitamin D – Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)

Vitamin E – Alpha-tocopherol

Vitamin K – phylloquinone, me+naquinone, menadione

Vitamin B –

•          Vitamin B1 – Thiamine

•          Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin

•          Vitamin B3 – Niacin

•          Vitamin B5 – Pantothenic acid

•          Vitamin B6 – Pyridoxine

•          Vitamin B7 – Biotin

•          Vitamin B9 – Folic acid/Folate/Folacin

•          Vitamin B12 – Cobalamin / Cyanocobalamin

Vitamin C – Ascorbic acid

Our body can synthesize some of these vitamins to some proportion, such as Vitamin D from direct sunlight and Vitamin K from gut bacteria. However, by and large, we mainly get our vitamin supply from our diet. Normally, we don’t need vitamin supplements as our body needs them in very small amounts which we can easily obtain through a combination of food products.

The measurement units for vitamins are – milligrams, micrograms, or International Unit (IU).

Deficiency of vitamins is often experienced when our diet has insufficient vitamins or our body is unable to absorb them. This is normally reversible but if it has continued for prolonged periods and not rectified, it can cause permanent damage.

Now let’s look at the different resources of each vitamin and the potential problems caused by their deficiency:

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps our body’s natural defence mechanism (immune system) to function properly and also supports the vision. We can obtain vitamin A directly from our diet from food that is rich in retinol. Foods that contain high sources of retinol are products derived from animals such as:

•          Milk

•          Yogurt

•          Cheese

•          Fortified low fat spreads

•          Oily fish

•          Eggs

•          Butter & Ghee

•          Liver and liver products such as liver pâté or liver sausage.

CAUTION – there is evidence that overdose of vitamin A in pregnancy can lead to birth defects (teratogenic). Pregnant women are advised not to eat liver or liver products and vitamin A supplements.

Vitamin A can also be derived from plant-based products in the form of Beta-Carotene or Provitamin A or Carotenoids. These are converted into retinol in our body for uptake. We can obtain Carotenoids from:

•          Carrots

•          Sweet potato

•          Butternut squash

•          Spinach

•          Pumpkin

•          Red peppers

•          Grape leaves

•          Green and Red leaf lettuce

•          Fruits such as apricot, and mango.

The main symptoms of vitamin A deficiency are problems related to vision (especially nighttime vision), low immunity, and problems with skin such as dry/rough skin.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is needed for the regulation of calcium and phosphate in our bodies. Together they maintain the health of bones, teeth, and muscles.

Our body can synthesize vitamin D when our skin is exposed to UV rays from direct sunlight. Vitamin D can also be found in some food products and in dietary supplements. Some rich sources of vitamin D include:

•          Egg yolks

•          Oily fish – salmon, mackerel

•          Red meat

•          Liver

•          Fortified foods – some milk, fat spreads.

If vitamin D is not available in adequate amounts, our bones start to become thin and brittle, this can cause Rickets in children and Osteomalacia in adults.

The main symptoms of Rickets include:

•          Sore and painful bones, abnormal walking, and lethargy.

•          Increased risk of bone fractures

•          Bone deformities especially in pelvic, cranial, and spinal bones. In rare cases, it can also lead to abnormal spinal bending.

•          Muscle spasms, bow legs and knock knees.

•          Child’s average height and weight will be smaller than normal.

•          Dental complications such as the greater risk of dental cavities, feeble enamel (hard externally visible surface layer of teeth).

Osteoporosis and Vitamin D

Osteoporosis is another condition affecting bone health. Although, there are many factors, such as hyperthyroidism, genetic inheritance, low calcium, heavy alcohol intake, lack of adequate vitamin D in the body. Vitamin D helps in the uptake of calcium hence low vitamin D will lead to low absorption of calcium and will lead to a condition called hypocalcemia (low calcium in the blood).

As Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin hence our body’s ability to absorb fat also determines the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Certain conditions such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, chronic liver disease, may cause malabsorption of fat and consequently poor absorption of vitamin D from food. People taking the weight reduction drug Orlistat, which limits the absorption of fat from the gut, are also at increased risk of deficiency of vitamin D (and other fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K). They are advised to take vitamin supplements for the period of treatment to reduce the risk of developing fat-soluble vitamin deficiency.

Overdose of Vitamin D

Vitamin D in excess for prolonged periods of time can be toxic. Excess Vitamin D in the blood increases absorption of calcium into the blood and can lead to hypercalcemia which in turn can cause muscle weakness and kidney stones (excess calcium in the urine can crystalize and form stones). As calcium helps in nerve conduction, abnormal calcium levels can cause neuropsychiatric disorder which can affect the way our heart and brain work.