Everybody knows that vitamins are essential for a healthy living. But do you know a lot about them? How many vitamins there are? How do they help you fight diseases and stay healthy? What is the recommended dietary allowance per day for different vitamins? How do you meet these requirements? And what are the deficiency symptoms of different vitamins?
There is a lot to know about vitamins. There are 13 vitamins essential for your health. But in this article, to keep it short, we will discuss only some of the most important essential vitamins. We will look at their functions, sources, and how their deficiency can affect your health.
What are Vitamins
Vitamins are organic molecules needed in small amounts for normal cell functions, growth, and development in your body. Vitamins help develop normal bones, skin tone, blood cells, immunity, and cell metabolism, to name a few. But the thing is, your body can synthesize only a few vitamins by itself. The rest you need to get from food.
You should meet your daily vitamin requirements by eating a healthy diet that includes fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, milk, and other dairy products.
Sometimes you may not get enough vitamins from your diet. and may become deficient in certain ones. Moreover, there are many health conditions where you require an increased amount of vitamin intake, e.g., pregnancy, menopause, and chronic diseases.
Any vitamin deficiency can result in serious health consequences. That is why it is often recommend for you to get regularly tested for your vitamin levels. It helps to recognize any vitamin deficiency and meet its requirement by adding certain foods and supplements to your diet.
1. Vitamin B9
Vitamin B9, also known as Folate, is an essential vitamin for human development, growth, and normal functionality. Its primary role is to promote DNA synthesis in cells and their division and repair. Most importantly, it stimulates the maturation of red blood cells. It also involves the synthesis of S-adenosylmethionine (an essential molecule for cellular metabolism). Another very important function of folate is its role in the normal development of an embryo in the mother’s womb.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
According to the NIH, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin B9 is 400 micrograms. The need is higher in pregnant and breastfeeding women being 600 and 500 mcg per day, respectively.
Food Sources
Vitamin B9 (Folate) is mainly present in plant foods and some other fortified food products. The following are examples of some excellent sources of folate:
● Beans and lentils,
● Asparagus,
● Spinach,broccoli, and Brussels sprouts
● Kale
● Wheat germ,
● Papaya,
● Orange and Lemon
● Eggs, and
● Beef liver
2. Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12, also called Cobalamin, is necessary for your neurons, red blood cells, and DNA synthesis. It is required for metabolism in every cell of the body. Vitamin B12 is important for neuron cell metabolism to synthesize certain chemicals for your brain functions. It is needed for the formation of new red blood cells. It also promotes a healthy pregnancy and It is crucial for the development of a fetus brain.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of Vitamin B12, for most adults, is 2.4 micrograms. RDA is higher for pregnant and breastfeeding women, being 2.6 mcg and 2.8 mcg, respectively.
Food Sources
It is more commonly found in animal foods like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy products. It is not typically found in plant foods.
Following are some excellent sources of Vitamin B12:
● meat
● beef
● hams
● lambs
● eggs
● milk and other
● dairy products
● Fish, especially
● tuna and haddock.
Deficiency Symptoms
Vitamin B12 deficiency ensues, over a long period, when you do not get enough of it from your diet. Your body can store a four-year stock for vitamin B12. Vegans are more prone to vitamin B12 deficiency as they do not consume animal products. They are advised to meet their vitamin B12 requirements by using supplements.
Vitamin B12 deficiency, when ensued, can lead to severe and irreversible brain damage, e.g.,
● numbness and tingling in hands,
● difficulty to maintain posture,
● depression, and
● memory loss.
● Babies born to vitamin B12 deficient mothers also have many brain and nervous system defects (neural tube defects).
Other Symptoms Include:
● diarrhea or constipation,
● weight loss,
● loss of appetite,
● pale skin, shortness of breath, fatigue due to anemia (decreased red blood cell production)
● menstrual disturbance.
If you notice any of these symptoms, immediately consult your doctor and get tested for vitamin B12 levels. You can easily meet this deficiency by using vitamin B12 supplements.
3. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is also known as Sunshine Vitamin because your skin can synthesizes sufficient amounts of vitamin D upon sunlight exposure. Its primary role is to help maintain calcium levels in the body. It increases calcium absorption from your gut and calcium incorporation in bones (strengthens your bones) and teeth. It also boosts your immunity and prevents lungs and heart diseases. Vitamin D protects you from diabetes by helping regulate insulin levels. It is also essential for a healthy pregnancy.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
According to the National Institutes of Health, individuals between 1 to 70 years old need 600 IU, and individuals aged more than 70 years need 800 IU of vitamin D per day.
Food Sources
Adequate sunlight exposure is the best source of vitamin D. If your sunlight exposure is minimum, you can also find plenty of vitamin D in the following foods:
● Egg yolk
● Cow milk
● Soymilk
● Fatty Fish, e.g., tuna, salmon, and mackerel
● Cheese
● Beef liver
● Cod liver oil
● Vitamin D fortified foods, like orange juice, cereals, soymilk, and other dairy products.
Deficiency Symptoms
The characteristic symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are:
● Bone pain and fractures
● Back pain
● Fatigue
● Hair loss
● Delayed wound healing
● More infections due to weak immunity
Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in elders. It may also be associated with higher risk factors to other health problems like:
● autoimmune diseases
● high blood pressure and other heart diseases
● brain damage
● Complicated pregnancy, and
● Certain Cancers, e.g., colon, breast, and prostate cancer.
To avoid these severe consequences of vitamin D deficiency, you should regularly get yourself tested for vitamin D levels. It will help manage the issue before any ailment ensues.
Get yourself tested at GastroLife
You may have realized the fact that vitamin B9, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin D, are essential for your health. A deficiency of any of these essential nutrients can have severe impacts on your health.
At Gastrolife, we strive to keep you healthy and well. We provide high-quality testing services to check your vitamin B9, B12, and D levels. It is super easy to place an order for our home self-collection testing kits. Once you receive the kit, just collect your blood sample in the morning when you have not eaten anything. Send it back, the same day, to the laboratory for analysis.
