Thursday, July 20, 2006

Fat soluble vitamins

Fat soluble vitamins

Vitamins are chemicals which are required in very small quantities to keep you healthy. If a particular vitamin is missing from your diet you will suffer from a deficiency disease. Vitamins, on the basis of their solubility, can be classified into two categories: fat soluble vitamins and water soluble vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins are those that are stored in the fat tissues of the body and in the liver. They get stored in the body until the body needs them. Vitamins A, D, E, K fall under this category of vitamins. There absorption process is the same as fats and incase, the absorption of fats gets affected their absorption also becomes poor.

Vitamin A:
Vitamin A, also known as retinol, is abundantly found in green leafy vegetables, carrots, red, yellow and orange fruits, milk, sweet potatoes, animal foods and whole eggs. It helps in the development and maintenance of the eyes, hair, skin, mucous membranes, immune functions and reproduction. Vitamin A helps in preventing infections. Vitamin A is named so because it was the first fat-soluble vitamin to be discovered. The deficiency of the vitamin causes night blindness.

Vitamin D:
Vitamin D helps in formation of healthy bones by promoting the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the in taken foods. It is a well established fact that calcium and phosphorus are important components of bones. Vitamin D is unique amongst all vitamins for it can be synthesized in a baby's skin on exposure to sunlight. Its deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in...



More Fat soluble vitamins

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