Fat and Water soluble Vitamins
Nicole Bornmann
SCI/241
11/2/2014
Shannon Mc Gurk
Fat and Water soluble Vitamins Vitamins are classified many different ways; it all depends on how they travel through your system and the different roles that they play in keeping a body healthy. First vitamins are classified as essential nutrients and there are thirteen essential vitamins found in the foods that we eat every day. There are nine vitamins that are classified as water soluble that means they are found in abundance in watery foods such as fruits and vegetable and also watery components of grains, seeds, nuts, and animal products. These water soluble vitamins include vitamin A in the form of Bata carotene, B6, B12, riboflavin, niacin, and thiamin, biotin, and vitamin C. these vitamins are used right away by the body or they are excreted in the urine. There are four essential vitamins that are classified as fat soluble, and they are found in fatty foods such as vegetable oils, poultry, seafood, grains, nut, dairy products seeds, and some fatty components of meat. These include vitamin A, D, E, and K so if these are not used right away by the body they can be stored in the fatty tissue of the body. So you need to be careful not to overdose on these. Antioxidants go a step further to protect cells from environmental damage that can lead to health problems such as cancer, heart disease and arthritis. “Although the natural antioxidant action of vitamins that come from food is thought to be protective, antioxidants in the form of supplements may not have the same effect,” according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative medicine. There are many good reasons to consider taking vitamin supplements, such as over-the-counter multivitamins. The body needs a minimum amount of vitamins and minerals each day to remain healthy and function properly. A balanced diet normally supplies sufficient vitamins. However, serious disorders can still develop if the diet does not meet your body's needs. Symptoms of a deficiency in vitamins and minerals usually appear when the lack is already in a relatively advanced level. For instance, people who do not have enough of the vitamins A, B1 and B2 suffer from recurring tiredness, mental or emotional disturbances, loss of appetite and chapped lips, among others. The common causes of these vitamin deficiencies include poor eating habits, alcoholism, emotional stress, the improper absorption of vitamins and minerals, the intake of medicines that interfere with the ingestion of vitamins and lack of exposure to sunlight.
"Too much vitamin A, D, or K can lead to increased levels that are unhealthy and can cause health consequences," too much vitamin A can lead to birth defects, and too high levels of vitamin E may increase the risk of hemorrhaging. Excess vitamin K can lessen or reverse the effect of blood thinner medicines and prevent normal blood clotting. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are the fat-soluble vitamins. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, these vitamins dissolve in fat and are stored in body tissues. Because they are stored in the body, over time they can accumulate to dangerous levels and can lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis, meaning excess amounts of a vitamin in the body, if more than the recommended amount is taken. Getting too many fat- or water-soluble nutrients, either from the food
