The culprits of most diseases are stress, poor nutrition and a polluted environment. Everyone is able to minimize the harm of these factors with the help of vitamins. So, knowledge about vitamins is especially necessary for a modern person.
How vitamins were discovered
The beneficial properties of vitamins were known in ancient Egypt. People noticed that eating certain herbs and fruits can significantly improve well-being and even accelerate recovery from illnesses.
For example, for those who had vision difficulties, healers of antiquity were advised to eat the liver. However, they had no idea that its beneficial properties in this case are due to the high content of vitamin A.
Herbalists and healers enjoyed great respect among all peoples. But, although humanity throughout its history has been guessing what important function some substances have for the body, a focused study of vitamins began only a hundred years ago. At the end of the XIX century. it was believed that the main role of food is to supply proteins, fats and carbohydrates to the body.
Actually, the discoverer of vitamins was the Russian doctor Nikolai Ivanovich Lunin. He conducted experiments on mice and noticed an interesting fact. The mice that received whole milk remained healthy, while those fed the artificially selected components of milk began to become ill and die over time. So vitamins were discovered.
The concept, classification of open substances, despite this, did not become the achievement of a particular scientist. And although they were discovered by a Russian doctor, the name “vitamins” was proposed by a chemist from Poland Kazimir Funk, and various researchers from a number of countries received the Nobel Prize for studying their effects on the body.
What part do vitamins take in metabolism?
When the body lacks certain substances, it is fraught with specific health problems. Especially acute consequences can be when a small proportion in the diet is food containing vitamins. The classification of vitamins therefore usually contains a listing of their natural sources.
If you find the consequences of a lack of certain elements, you should consult a nutritionist. But you can try to fill the deficit yourself. For this, modern people, especially residents of big cities, should pay close attention to their diet and the presence of food in it, which contains various vitamins.
The classification of vitamins depending on their participation in internal physiological processes divides these substances into three categories:
- antioxidants;
- prohormones;
- enzyme vitamins (those involved in the metabolism).
These subcategories will be discussed in more detail below.
Antioxidants
These are ascorbic acid, vitamins A, K, and E. Antioxidants can prevent serious illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.
In the body during the course of life, free radicals are formed - oxygen molecules that have very high activity. They lack one electron, and they seek to fill this place with the electrons of other molecules. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, protecting against cell damage. And if the body does not get enough of them, then free radicals continue to search for an electron to make up. When this happens, they become safe, but the cell whose electron has been taken away continues the process described.
Prohormones
These are substances from which hormones are subsequently formed. These include vitamin D and vitamin A in the form of retinoic acid. The decay product of vitamin D is actively involved in the processes associated with the metabolism of calcium in the body. And retinoic acid is needed to restore the epithelium.
Enzyme Vitamins
This category includes vitamin K, vitamin A, as well as B vitamins, nicotinic and folic acid. The exchange of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the body occurs with their active participation. For example, vitamin B1 in high quantities is necessary for increased physical exertion, as well as a high amount of carbohydrates in the diet. With its lack of carbohydrate decomposition products accumulate in the body.
How vitamins are measured
It is also necessary to distinguish between the concept of daily requirement for vitamins and daily intake. The first concept is the amount that is necessary for the healthy functioning of the body, and it does not always coincide with the second. The daily intake is often less than the need, because in the process of absorption, vitamins are only partially absorbed.
Pharmacological and physiological doses of each vitamin for humans have been established. Physiological represent the amount that a person needs for a full life. Pharmacological dosages can exceed them many times, because they are aimed at solving specific problems of the functioning of various organs and systems.
Gender, age, physical activity, and the conditions in which a person lives are all factors that determine what vitamins a person needs. The classification of vitamins in accordance with the needs is developed by nutritionists in each country. For full physical and psycho-emotional health, it is necessary to be guided by those recommendations that are proposed by specialists for a certain group of people.
When buying products, you need to take into account not only their energy value, but also pay attention to whether they contain vitamins. For adolescents, pregnant women and athletes, information is always widely available on what nutrients and vitamins are required for these categories.
The classification, characteristics and needs of each group are individual. For example, women who are planning a pregnancy, taking folic acid is especially important. On the other hand, when preparing to become a mother, it is necessary to maintain a balance in calcium intake and make up for vitamin D deficiency. The same applies to sportsmen, students, and hard workers who work in three shifts: a representative of any of these categories should think about proper nutrition or taking synthetic additives.
Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins: classification, functions by subgroup
As discussed, vitamins are divided into three important subcategories. It is the specific functions of each substance that explain the fact that certain diets cannot be followed by a person for a long time. After all, each element is necessary for certain processes in the body, without which vital activity can be impaired.
But in addition to dividing by the criterion of participation in physiological processes, there are two more categories into which vitamins are divided. The classification of vitamins as water soluble and fat soluble is equally important. Fat-soluble vitamins are deposited in fatty tissues, so their overdose is more dangerous than an overdose of water-soluble.
The latter are rapidly excreted from the body with fluid. The liver of animals and fish, eggs, butter, spinach, baked potatoes - this is not a complete list of products that contain fat-soluble vitamins. The classification of their sources will be fully given in the table below. Products containing water-soluble vitamins are a variety of fruits and vegetables, herbs, cereals, eggs, seeds and nuts.
Vitamin Classification: Nutrient Table
The list of products containing water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins is as follows:
| FROM | Cauliflower, citrus fruits, black and white currants, rosehips, mountain ash, sweet peppers, dill, parsley, kiwi, strawberries |
| PP | Beef, beef liver, lamb, rabbit meat, chicken, cod, beans, barley and pearl barley |
| IN 1 | Peas, pork and beef liver, beans, wholemeal bread, buckwheat, barley and oatmeal |
| IN 2 | Chicken, kefir, buckwheat, mackerel, cheese, cottage cheese, egg, cod, spinach, herring |
| AT 6 | Millet, beans, barley, pearl barley and buckwheat, potatoes, liver, peas, various meats |
| AT 12 | Cottage cheese, fish, beef liver, tomatoes, egg yolk, cheese |
| Vitamin A | Eggs, cod liver, red caviar, beef liver, butter |
| Beta carotene | Sweet pepper, carrots, chokeberry, spinach, apricots, lettuce, carrots |
| E | Sea buckthorn, olive, corn, sunflower oil, peas |
| TO | Sorrel, eggs, pumpkin, white cabbage, cauliflower, brought, tomatoes, carrots, eggs |
| D | Eggs, oily fish, cod liver. Also produced in the skin under the influence of sunlight. |
By the way, the chemical classification of vitamins corresponds not only to their ability to dissolve in water. It should also be noted that vitamins of different groups behave differently in the process of cooking. So, fat-soluble vitamins can be stored during heat treatment, while most water-soluble vitamins break down quickly.
Signs of vitamin deficiency
Not always an adult has enough time to pay attention to the composition of food consumed. Therefore, a lack of vitamins is a common occurrence. But most often among the population there is not a complete absence in the body of any of the vitamins (vitamin deficiency), but its other types. This is either hypovitaminosis (low content), or subnormal provision, which occurs when vitamins are consumed in an amount less than normal.
The lack of the described substances is expressed in different ways, but with hypovitaminosis and subnormal consumption, the symptoms are common:
- weakness;
- fatigue;
- irritability.
With subnormal consumption and hypovitaminosis, it is not always necessary to take synthetic vitamins, sometimes it is enough to adjust the diet. With vitamin deficiency, the symptoms are more severe. In this case, you must consult a doctor.
Are vegetables and fruits the only source of vitamins?
The information that most types of fruits and vegetables are a real storehouse of vitamins is a slightly one-sided look. Indeed, the classification of water-soluble vitamins and their sources shows that most of them can be replenished by consuming fruits and vegetables. But, for example, vitamin D is not found in plant foods at all. Therefore, vegetarianism, for which so many have recently advocated, is far from the most healthy way of eating.
The diet should contain as many different foods as possible, since almost every type of food contains a special composition necessary for the body. There are very few products that do not contain the substances described (for example, sugar). All other food products include certain vitamins.
The meaning, classification and content of useful elements in a certain type of food is publicly available. Therefore, with a lack of vitamins, it is worth determining which foods are insufficient in the diet. The timely introduction of diversity will help prevent vitamin deficiency and many diseases.
Should I take vitamins
An ancient man who lived in the jungle consumed a large amount of vitamins. Therefore, the evolution mechanism has ordered that they are not synthesized in our body (the exception is vitamin D). In addition, it is necessary to take into account the sedentary lifestyle of modern man. After all, if the peasant in the XVIII century. could satisfy its need for B vitamins by eating a mat of bread per day, then a modern city dweller is unlikely to consume so much flour.
In order for the diet to be complete, you need to remember the value of various foods and what the classification of vitamins is. Briefly, the solution to the problem is as follows: you must either have a varied diet, or take synthetic multivitamins purchased at a pharmacy.