Totalefit

Food Types / Energy Systems
Vitamins / Minerals / Proteins / Carbohydrates / Fats / Fuel Utilisation / Anaerobic/Aerobic

Vitamin A

Vitamin A, also called retinol, a fat-soluble vitamin that is readily destroyed upon exposure to heat, light, or air. The vitamin has a direct role in vision and is a component of a pigment present in the retina of the eye. It is essential for the proper functioning of most body organs and also affects the functioning of the immune system.
Vitamin A deficiency results in various disorders that most commonly involve the eye and the epithelial tissues, the skin and the mucous membranes lining the internal body surfaces. An early symptom of vitamin A deficiency is the development of night blindness, and continued deficiency eventually results in loss of sight. If deficiency is prolonged, the skin may become dry and rough. Vitamin A deficiency may also result in defective bone and teeth formation.
Excessive intake of vitamin A causes a toxic condition. The symptoms may include nausea, coarsening and loss of hair, drying and scaling of the skin, bone pain, fatigue, and drowsiness. There may also be blurred vision and headache in adults, and growth failure, enlargement of the liver, and nervous irritability in children.

Vitamin B complex

Vitamin B complex consists of several vitamins that are grouped together because of the loose similarities in their properties, distribution in natural sources, and physiological functions. All the B vitamins are soluble in water. Most of the B vitamins have been recognised as cofactors in various enzymes systems, and they all appear to be essential in facilitating the metabolic processes of all forms of animal life. The complex includes B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), niacin (nicotinic acid), B6 (Pyridoxine), B12 (cyanocobalamin), Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, and Biotin.

Vitamin B1, or thiamine

Helps the body convert carbohydrates into energy and helps in the metabolism of proteins and fats and the removal of Carbon Dioxide. Vitamin B1 deficiency affects the functioning of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and peripheral nervous systems. Beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (often seen in alcoholics) are the primary diseases related to thiamine deficiency.

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, is required to complete several reactions in the(Citric Acid) energy cycle. Reddening of the lips with cracks at the corners of the mouth, inflammation of the tongue, and a greasy, scaly inflammation of the skin are common symptoms of deficiency.

Niacin

Niacin, or nicotinic acid, helps the metabolism of carbohydrates. Prolonged deprivation leads to pellagra, a disease characterised by skin lesions, gastrointestinal disturbance, and nervous symptoms.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is a coenzyme for several enzyme systems involved in the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. No human disease has been found to be caused by a deficiency of this vitamin. Chronic use of large doses of vitamin B6 can create dependency and cause complications in the peripheral nervous system.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12, or cyanocobalamin, is a complex crystalline compound that functions in all cells, but especially in those of the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, and the bone marrow. It is known to aid in the development of red blood cells in higher animals. Deficiency most commonly results in pernicious anaemia.

Folic acid

Folic acid is necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids and the formation of red blood cells. Folic-acid deficiency most commonly causes folic-acid-deficiency anaemia. Symptoms include gastrointestinal problems, such as sore tongue, cracks at the corners of the mouth, diarrhoea, and ulceration of the stomach and intestines. Large doses of folic acid can cause convulsions and other nervous system problems.

Pantothenic acid

Pantothenic acid promotes a large number of metabolic reactions of glucose production from lipids, amino acids and steroid hormone synthesis. Deficiency can result in fatigue, sleep disturbances and lack of co-ordination.

Biotin

Biotin plays a role in metabolic processes that lead to the formation of fats and the utilisation of carbon dioxide. Biotin deficiency results in anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and inflammation of the tongue, pallor, depression, and dermatitis.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is water-soluble and easily destroyed. It is essential in wound healing and in the formation of collagen, a protein important in the formation of healthy skin, tendons, bones, and cartilage supportive tissues. Deficiency results in defective collagen formation and is marked by joint pains, irritability, growth retardation, anaemia, shortness of breath, and increased susceptibility to infection. Scurvy is the classic disease related to deficiency. Symptoms peculiar to infantile scurvy include swelling of the lower extremities, pain upon flexing them, and bone lesions. Excessive ascorbic-acid intake can cause kidney stones, gastrointestinal disturbances, and red-blood-cell destruction.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble compound essential for calcium metabolism and therefore important for normal mineralisation of bone, teeth and cartilage. The skin forms vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, but in some circumstances sunlight may lack sufficient amounts of ultraviolet rays to bring about adequate production of the vitamin.
Deficiencies cause many biochemical and physiological imbalances. If uncorrected, faulty mineralisation of bones and teeth causes rickets in growing children and osteomalacia (progressive loss of calcium and phosphorus from the bones) in adults. Common early symptoms of rickets include restlessness, profuse sweating, lack of muscle tone in the limbs and abdomen, and delay in learning to sit, crawl, and walk. Rickets may produce such conditions as bowlegs and knock-knees. Deficiency may also cause osteoporosis, a bone condition characterised by an increased tendency of the bones to fracture.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is a fat-soluble compound. The metabolic roles of this vitamin are poorly understood. Its primary role appears to be as an inhibitor of oxidation processes in body tissues and the prevention of catabolism of certain fatty acids. Deficiency is rare but may impair neuromuscular function. Although serious toxicity has not been attributed to large doses of vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) is fat-soluble and essential for the synthesis of certain proteins necessary for the clotting of blood. Deficiency, though relatively uncommon, can result in impaired clotting of the blood and internal bleeding.