explain the types of vitamin.
Vitamins are classified into two groups depending upon their solubility in water and fat.
1. Water-soluble vitamins: Vitamin C, B-group vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12)
2. Fat-soluble vitamins: Vitamins A, D, E and K
Some vitamins with their sources and the diseases caused by their deficiency are given in the following table.
Name of vitamins | Sources | Deficiency diseases |
Vitamin A | Fish liver oil, carrots, butter and milk | Xerophthalmia, night blindness |
Vitamin B1 | Yeast, milk, green vegetables and cereals | Beri beri |
Vitamin B2 | Milk, egg-white, liver, kidney | Cheilosis, digestive disorders and burning sensation of the skin |
Vitamin B6 | Yeast, milk, egg yolk, cereals and grams | Convulsions |
Vitamin B12 | Meat, fish, egg and curd | Pernicious anaemia |
Vitamin C | Citrus fruits, amla and green leafy vegetables | Scurvy |
Vitamin D | Exposure to sunlight, fish and egg yolk | Rickets and osteomalacia |
Vitamin E | Vegetable oils like wheat germ oil, sunflower oil | Increased fragility of RBCs and muscular weakness |
Vitamin K | Green leafy vegetables | Delay of blood clotting |