VITAMIN: SOURCES AND CHARACTERISTICS
| Vitamin | Functions | Deficiency | Chemical Properties | Sources |
| A Retinol | For normal growth in children. To maintain the skin and mucous membranes, particularly of the respiratory tract and conjunctiva. Aids night vision | Roughened and dry skin More liable to infection where mucous membrane are in poor condition. Inability to see in dim light. Xerophthalmia leading to blindness | Can be synthesized in the body from carotene present in colored fruits and vegetables. May be stored in the liver. | Fish liver oils, liver, butter, milk, cheese and egg yolk, green and yellow vegetables, dried apricots and sweet potatoes. |
| D Calciferol | Necessary for the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphate in the body. | Rickets. Octeomalacia. Defective deposition of enamel leading to dental caries. | Can be formed by the action of ultra-violet light on the ergosterol in the skin. | Fish liver oils, fat fish, egg yolk, butter, margarine, cheese and milk. |
| E Tocopherol | Related to reproduction in rats but no conclusive evidence that it plays any part in fertility in human begins. | …. | …. | Wheat germ, lettuce, green leaves and milk. |
| K | Essential for the proper clotting of blood. | Deficiency only temporary due to jaundice or sterilization of the gut by chemotherapy | Not absorbed from the gut if bile missing. Can be synthesized in the bowels. | Green plants, cabbage and green peas |
| B Complex | ||||
| B1 Thiamine | | Check in growth of children. Neuritis. Beriberi | Easily destroyed by high temperatures and baking soda | Brewers’ yeast, bacon, liver whole meal and vegetables, yeast, dairy produce, eggs and liver |
| B2 Riboflavin | To obtain a steady and continuous release of energy from carbohydrate | Checks growth. Cracks and soreness at corner of mouth and of the tongue. Opacity of the comea. Skin becomes rough and red. Diarrhoea and digestive upsets. Mental symptoms, Pellagra. | Little lost during normal cooking; also destroyed by long exposure to sunlight | Milk, cereals ,vegetables, yeast , meat extracts, meat, offal, whole –meal bread |
| B6 Pyridoxine | Concerned with protein metabolism | Unlikely | May be usefully given during radiotherapy treatment | As above. Present in most foods |
| Folic acid | Aids in formation of blood corpuscles | Some cases of macrocytic anaemia | | Liver and green vegetables |
| B12 Cyanocobalamin, cytamen | Necessary for development of red blood corpuscles | Pernicious anaemia | Cannot be absorbed unless the intrinsic factor is present in the stomach | Liver and other sources, as above. Prepared from streptomycin cultures |
| Biotin, choline, mositol pantothenic acid and para-amino benzoic acid are also members of the vitamin B complex. | ||||
| C Ascorbic Acid | Necessary for the proper formation of collagen in connective tissue and for formation of intercellular cement. Also for the formation of bones and teeth. | Checks growth in children. Delays wound healing. Soreness of the mouth and gums. Capillary bleeding. Scurvy | Lost by long storage of fruits and vegetables, or by cooking in the presence of air, by plant enzymes released by grating and chopping | Citrus fruits, black currents, tomatoes, green leaf vegetables and potatoes( specially new potatoes, decreasing with age) |