The culprits of most diseases are stress, poor nutrition and polluted environment. Everyone can minimize the harm of these factors with the help of vitamins. This means that knowledge about vitamins is especially necessary for modern man.
How vitamins were discovered
The beneficial properties of vitamins were known in ancient Egypt. People have noticed that eating certain herbs and fruits can significantly improve well-being and even speed up recovery from diseases.
For example, those who had difficulty with vision were advised by ancient healers to eat liver. However, they had no idea that its beneficial properties in this case are due to the high content of vitamin A.
Herbalists and healers enjoyed great respect among all peoples. But, although humanity throughout its history has guessed what an important function certain substances have for the body, the purposeful study of vitamins began only a hundred years ago. Even at the end of the XIX century. it was believed thatthe main role of food is to supply proteins, fats and carbohydrates to the body.
Actually, the discoverer of vitamins was a Russian doctor Lunin Nikolai Ivanovich. He conducted experiments on mice and noticed an interesting fact. Mice that were fed whole milk remained he althy, while those fed artificially isolated milk components began to get sick and eventually die. This is how vitamins were discovered.
The concept, the classification of open substances, despite this, did not become the achievement of a particular scientist. And although they were discovered by a Russian doctor, the name "vitamins" was proposed by the Polish chemist Kazimir Funk, and various researchers from a number of countries received the Nobel Prize for studying their effect on the body.
What role do vitamins take in metabolism
When the body receives less of certain substances, it is fraught with specific he alth problems. Especially acute consequences can be when a small proportion in the diet is food containing vitamins. The classification of vitamins therefore usually contains a listing of their natural sources.
If you find the consequences of a lack of certain elements, you should contact a nutritionist. But you can try to fill the deficit yourself. To do this, modern people, especially residents of large cities, should pay close attention to their diet and the presence of food in it that contains various vitamins.
Classification of vitamins depending on participation ininternal physiological processes divides these substances into three categories:
- antioxidants;
- prohormones;
- enzyme vitamins (those involved in metabolism).
These subcategories will be discussed in more detail below.
Antioxidants
This is ascorbic acid, vitamins A, K and E. Antioxidants can prevent serious diseases such as cancer or heart disease.
In the process of life, free radicals are formed in the body - oxygen molecules that have a very high activity. They are missing one electron, and they tend to fill this place with electrons from other molecules. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, protecting cells from damage. And if the body does not receive enough of them, then free radicals continue to look for an electron to replenish. When this happens, they become safe, but the cell that lost the electron continues the described process.
Prohormones
These are substances from which hormones are subsequently formed. These include vitamin D and vitamin A in the form of retinoic acid. The breakdown product of vitamin D takes an active part in the processes associated with calcium metabolism in the body. And retinoic acid is necessary for the restoration of the epithelium.
Enzyme vitamins
This category includes vitamin K, vitamin A, as well as B vitamins, nicotinic and folic acid. The exchange of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the body occurs with their active participation. For example, vitamin B1 in elevatedquantities are necessary with increased physical exertion, as well as with a high amount of carbohydrates in the diet. With its deficiency, carbohydrate breakdown products accumulate in the body.
How vitamin requirements are measured
It is also necessary to distinguish between the concept of daily requirement for vitamins and daily intake. The first concept is the amount that is necessary for the he althy functioning of the body, and it does not always coincide with the second. Daily intake is often less than the requirement, since vitamins are only partially absorbed during absorption.
Established pharmacological and physiological doses of each vitamin for humans. Physiological represent the amount that a person needs for a full life. Pharmacological dosages can exceed them many times over, because they are aimed at solving specific problems in the functioning of certain organs and systems.
Gender, age, physical activity, conditions in which a person lives - all these are factors that determine what vitamins a person needs. The classification of vitamins according to needs is developed by the nutritionists of each country. For full-fledged physical and psycho-emotional he alth, it is necessary to be guided by the recommendations that are proposed by experts for a certain group of people.
When buying products, you need to consider not only their energy value, but also pay attention to whether they containvitamins. For teens, pregnant women, and athletes, information about the nutritional and vitamin requirements of these categories is always widely available.
Classification, characteristics and needs of each group are individual. For example, for women who are planning a pregnancy, taking folic acid is especially important. On the other hand, preparing to become a mother, it is necessary to maintain a balance in calcium intake and make up for vitamin D deficiency. The same applies to athletes, students, hard workers who work in three shifts: a representative of any of these categories should think in time about good nutrition or taking synthetic additives.
Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins: classification, functions by subgroups
As discussed, vitamins fall into three important subcategories. It is the specific functions of each substance that explains the fact that certain diets cannot be followed by a person for a long time. After all, each element is necessary for certain processes in the body, without which vital activity can be disrupted.
But besides the division according to the criterion of participation in physiological processes, there are two more categories into which vitamins are divided. The classification of vitamins into water-soluble and fat-soluble is no less important. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in fatty tissues, so an overdose of them is more dangerous than an overdose of water-soluble ones.
The latter are quickly excreted from the body with liquid. Animal and fish liver, eggs, butter, spinach, baked potatoes -far from a complete list of foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins. The classification of their sources will be fully given in the table below. Foods containing water-soluble vitamins include a variety of fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, cereals, eggs, seeds, and nuts.
Classification of vitamins: table of nutrients in food
The list of foods containing water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins looks like this:
| С | Cauliflower, citrus fruits, black and white currants, rosehips, rowanberries, bell peppers, dill, parsley, kiwi, strawberries |
| PP | Beef, beef liver, lamb, rabbit, chicken, cod, beans, barley and pearl barley |
| B1 | Peas, pork and beef liver, beans, wholemeal bread, buckwheat, barley and oatmeal |
| B2 | Chicken, kefir, buckwheat, mackerel, cheese, cottage cheese, egg, cod, spinach, herring |
| B6 | Millet, beans, barley, pearl barley and buckwheat, potatoes, liver, peas, various meats |
| B12 | Cottage cheese, fish, beef liver, tomatoes, egg yolk, cheese |
| Vitamin A | Eggs, cod liver, red caviar, beef liver, butter |
| Beta-carotene | Sweet peppers, carrots, chokeberries, spinach, apricots, lettuce, carrots |
| E | Sea buckthorn, olive, corn, sunflowerbutter, peas |
| K | Sorrel, eggs, pumpkin, white cabbage, cauliflower, svela, tomatoes, carrots, eggs |
| D | Eggs, oily fish, cod liver. Also produced in the skin when exposed to sunlight |
By the way, the chemical classification of vitamins corresponds not only to their ability to dissolve in water. You should also pay attention to the fact that vitamins of different groups behave differently in the process of cooking. For example, fat-soluble vitamins can be preserved when cooked, while most water-soluble vitamins break down quickly.
Signs of beriberi
Not always an adult has enough time to pay attention to the composition of food consumed. Therefore, the lack of vitamins is a common occurrence. But most often among the population there is not a complete absence in the body of any of the vitamins (avitaminosis), but its other types. This is either hypovitaminosis (low content), or subnormal supply, which occurs when vitamins are consumed in an amount less than normal.
The lack of the described substances is expressed in different ways, but with hypovitaminosis and subnormal consumption, the signs are common:
- weakness;
- fatigue;
- irritability.
With subnormal intake and hypovitaminosis, it is not always necessary to take synthetic vitamins, sometimes it is enough to adjust the diet. Atberiberi, the symptoms are more severe. In this case, you must consult a doctor.
Vegetables and fruits - the only source of vitamins?
The information that most types of fruits and vegetables are a real storehouse of vitamins is a slightly one-sided view. Indeed, the classification of water-soluble vitamins and their sources shows that most of them can be replenished by consuming fruits and vegetables. But, for example, vitamin D is not found in plant products at all. Therefore, vegetarianism, advocated by so many lately, is far from being the he althiest way to eat.
The diet should contain as many different products as possible, since almost every type of food contains a special composition necessary for the body. There are very few products that do not contain the described substances at all (for example, sugar). All other foods include certain vitamins.
The meaning, classification and content of useful elements in a certain type of food is publicly available. Therefore, with a lack of vitamins, it is worth determining which foods are not enough in the diet. Timely introduction of diversity will help prevent beriberi and many diseases.
Should I take vitamins
The ancient man who lived in the jungle consumed a large amount of vitamins. Therefore, the mechanism of evolution ordered that in ourthey are not synthesized by the body (the exception is vitamin D). In addition, it is necessary to take into account the sedentary lifestyle of a modern person. After all, if a peasant in the XVIII century. could satisfy his need for B vitamins by eating a carpet of bread a day, then a modern city dweller is unlikely to consume such an amount of flour.
In order for the diet to be complete, you need to remember the value of various foods and what is the classification of vitamins. Briefly, the solution to the problem looks like this: you need to either have a varied diet, or take synthetic multivitamins bought at the pharmacy.
