Role of Fat Soluble Vitamins And Their Health Benefits

Vitamin A is very important for eyesight. Vitamin A is not a single compound. Rather, it is a group of fat-soluble compounds known as retinoids. The most common dietary form of vitamin A is retinol.

Vitamin A supports many important aspects of body functioning, including:

• Maintaining eyesight-. Vitamin A is essential for maintaining light-sensing cells in the eyes and producing tear fluid.

• Maintaining immunity – Vitamin A deficiency impairs the immune system, increasing the chances of infection.

• Helpful for body growth – Vitamin A is essential for cell growth in the body. Due to this deficiency, the development of children can slow down or stop.

• Helpful in hair growth – It is also important for hair growth. Due to its deficiency, hair starts falling.

• Improves fertility – Vitamin A maintains fertility and is important for fetal development.

Dietary Sources of Vitamin A

Vitamin A is found only in animal-source foods. As -

• liver

• fish liver oil

• butter

Treat infection in the uterus, abnormal discharge, burning sensation in the urinary tract with pushyanug churna by myUpchar.

Vitamin A Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency is rare in developed countries. However, vegetarians may be at risk because vitamin A is only found in animal-source foods. Although provitamin A is abundant in many fruits and vegetables, it cannot always be converted into retinol, the active form of vitamin A.

A common symptom of deficiency is night blindness. Excessive deficiency can lead to xerophthalmia, a condition characterized by dry eyes due to reduced production of tear fluid. Severe vitamin A deficiency can lead to complete blindness. In fact, it is one of the most common causes of blindness in the world. Its deficiency results in a skin condition known as hyperkeratosis or goose flesh.

Vitamin A Toxicity

Taking excessive amounts of vitamin A can lead to an adverse condition called hypervitaminosis A. This is rare but can have serious health effects. The main cause is excessive doses of vitamin A obtained from supplements, liver or fish liver oil. The main symptoms and consequences of poisoning include:

• Tiredness

• Headache

• irritability

• stomach pain

• joint pain

• loss of appetite

• vomit

• blurred vision

• skin problems

• swelling of the mouth and eyes

The ideal dosage of this is 3,000 mcg per day for adults. Consuming it in large amounts can cause acute hypervitaminosis A in adults. Children are at increased risk of developing liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis and require extra care. Pregnant women should also be especially careful, as high doses of vitamin A can harm the fetus. Vitamin A supplements may help you.

Read more - (Why Are Vitamins Important For The Body For Vital Nutrients)

Nicknamed the sunshine vitamin, vitamin D we get from sunlight. It is known for its beneficial effects on bone health. Vitamin D deficiency makes bones highly susceptible to fractures.

Vitamin D Also known as calciferol, vitamin D comes in two main dietary forms:

• Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). This form is found in mushrooms and some plants.

• Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). This form is found in animal-source foods like eggs and fish oil, and occurs when your skin is exposed to sunlight.

Role and Function of Vitamin D

Bone Maintenance Vitamin D regulates circulating levels of calcium and phosphorus, the most important minerals for bone development and maintenance. It promotes the absorption of these minerals from your diet. It also regulates and strengthens the function of the immune system. Once absorbed into the bloodstream, the liver and kidneys convert calciferol and calcitriol, the biologically active form of vitamin D.

Sources of Vitamin D

As long as you regularly expose large areas of your skin to sunlight, your body can produce the vitamin D it needs. People generally need to rely on their diet to get enough vitamin D. Some foods contain vitamin D naturally. The best dietary sources are fatty fish and fish oil.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Severe vitamin D deficiency is rare, but mild forms of deficiency can occur. Risk factors for deficiency are:

• dark skin color

• older age

• obesity

• less exposure to sunlight

• Diseases that impair fat absorption

Vitamin D deficiency leads to soft bones, weak muscles and increased risk of bone fractures. This condition is called osteomalacia in adults and rickets in children. Vitamin D deficiency is also associated with poor immune function, increased susceptibility to infection, and autoimmune diseases.

Other symptoms of deficiency or insufficiency may include fatigue, depression, hair loss, and poor wound healing.

Vitamin D Toxicity

Vitamin D toxicity is very rare. Spending too much time in the sun doesn't cause vitamin D toxicity, but taking too many supplements can harm you. The main result of toxicity is hypercalcemia, a condition in which there is an excessive amount of calcium in the blood. Symptoms include headache, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue, kidney and heart damage, high blood pressure and fetal abnormalities.

Benefits of Vitamin D Supplements

For people who spend little time in the sun and rarely eat fatty fish or liver, supplements can be very beneficial. Taking supplements regularly has been shown to prolong people's lives, especially those who are hospitalized or older adults living in care facilities. Supplements may also reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections.

Read more - (Vitamin A Deficiency symptoms, causes, treatment)

As a powerful antioxidant, vitamin E protects cells from premature aging and free radical damage. Vitamin E is a family of eight structurally similar antioxidants divided into two groups:

• Tocopherols: alpha-tocopherol, beta-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol and delta-tocopherol

• Tocotrienols: alpha-tocotrienol, beta-tocotrienol, gamma-tocotrienol, and delta-tocotrienol

Alpha-tocopherol is the most common form of vitamin E. It makes up about 90% of the vitamin E in the blood. The main role of vitamin E is to act as an antioxidant, preventing oxidative stress and protecting fatty acids in cell membranes from free radicals. These antioxidant properties are enhanced by other nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin B3 and selenium. In high amounts, vitamin E also works as a blood thinner, reducing the blood's ability to clot.

Dietary Sources of Vitamin E

The richest dietary sources of vitamin E include vegetable oils, seeds and nuts. Other rich sources include avocado, peanut butter, margarine, fatty fish and fish liver oil. In adults, the RDA of vitamin E is 15 mg. For children and teens, the RDA ranges from 6 mg to 15 mg, depending on the age group.

Vitamin E Deficiency

Vitamin E deficiency is uncommon and is never diagnosed in healthy people. This often occurs when diseases that prevent the absorption of fat or vitamin E from food, such as cystic fibrosis and liver disease, occur.

Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency include:

• muscle weakness

• difficulty walking

• shocks

• vision problems

• weakened immune function

• Numbness

• Severe, long-term deficiency can lead to anemia, heart disease, serious neurological problems, blindness, dementia,

Vitamin E Toxicity

It is difficult to obtain large amounts of vitamin E when obtained from natural dietary sources. Cases of toxicity occur from consuming too much of the supplement. Nevertheless, compared to vitamins A and D, taking large amounts of vitamin E has less harmful effects, but still requires medical intervention. Excessive consumption of it can cause thinning of blood. Thus, people who take blood-thinning medications should avoid taking vitamin E supplements.

Taking vitamin E supplements increases the risk of prostate cancer and may even lead to death. Its main function is to act as an antioxidant and protect your body's cells from free-radical damage.

Read more - (Benefits of Vitamin C Supplements)

Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting. Without this essential vitamin, there is a higher risk of excessive bleeding, which can lead to death.

Vitamin K is a family of compounds. The main dietary forms are vitamin K1, found in plant foods, and vitamin K2, found in animal-derived foods and fermented soy products.

Role and Function of Vitamin K

Vitamin K plays an essential role in blood clotting. In fact, the “K” stands for “coagulation,” which is the Danish word for coagulation, which means to clot. But vitamin K has other functions, too, including improving bone health and reducing the risk of heart disease. Unlike phylloquinone, menaquinone is found only in small amounts in some high-fat, animal-source foods, such as egg yolks, butter, and liver. It is also found in some soy foods, such as natto.

Vitamin K Deficiency

Unlike vitamins A and D, vitamin K is not stored in the body. For this reason, consuming a diet deficient in vitamin K can leave you deficient in as little as a week. People who do not digest and absorb fat efficiently are at the highest risk of developing vitamin K deficiency. This includes people who have celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and cystic fibrosis.

Vitamin K Toxicity

Unlike other fat-soluble vitamins, natural forms of vitamin K have no known symptoms of toxicity.

Benefits of Vitamin K Supplement

Several controlled studies have examined the effects of vitamin K supplements in humans. These studies show that vitamin K supplements – vitamin K1 and vitamin K2 – can reduce bone loss and reduce the risk of bone fractures. Additionally, taking vitamin K2 supplements of 45–90 mg per day has been shown to have a slight benefit in liver cancer. Higher intake of Vitamin K2 may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Vitamin K1 is found primarily in leafy green vegetables, while vitamin K2 comes from animal-source foods, such as liver, butter, and egg yolks.

Read more - (Vitamin C benefits for skin)

The human diet contains four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. They are essential for health and play many important roles in the body. With the exception of vitamin D, most of them are easy to get from a diet that includes a variety of foods, especially if you eat lots of nuts, seeds, vegetables, fish and eggs. These vitamins are abundant in fatty foods, and you can increase their absorption by adding fat or oil to low-fat foods.

While you generally don't need to supplement vitamins A, E and K, taking vitamin D supplements is widely recommended.

For best health, make sure you get enough of all fat-soluble vitamins. If you have questions about your vitamin intake or are considering supplementation, talk to a healthcare professional.