Knowledge points for practicing pharmacists: The functions and food sources of various vitamins

Vitamin A

Function: related to vision, and can maintain the normal function of mucous membranes and regulate Skin condition. Helps human body growth and tissue repair, is important for eye care, resists bacteria and avoids infection, protects epithelial tissue health, and promotes bone and tooth development.

Deficiency symptoms: night blindness, dry eyeballs, dry skin itching.

Main food sources: carrots, green leafy vegetables, egg yolks and liver.

Vitamin B1

Function: Strengthen the nervous system, ensure normal heart activity, promote carbohydrate metabolism, maintain nervous system health, stabilize appetite, stimulate growth and maintain good muscle condition .

Deficiency symptoms: depression, gastrointestinal discomfort, numbness of hands and feet, beriberi.

Main food sources: Rich sources of vitamin B1, such as whole grains, beans, peanuts, lean meat, animal offal and yeast.

Vitamin B2

Function: Also called riboflavin, it participates in a wide range of metabolic processes in the body, maintains eye vision, prevents cataracts, and maintains the health of the oral and digestive tract mucosa. Promote the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, help form antibodies and red blood cells, and maintain cellular respiration.

Deficiency: In case of deficiency, symptoms such as irritation, angular stomatitis, seborrheic dermatitis, etc. may occur. In severe cases, it may also cause conjunctivitis, blepharitis, corneal vascular proliferation, photophobia and other symptoms.

Main food sources: egg yolk, river crab, eel, seaweed, green leafy vegetables, etc.

Vitamin B6

Function: Its main role is in the human body’s blood, muscles, nerves, skin, etc., regulating the central nervous system and maintaining skin health. Participates in the synthesis of antibodies, production of gastric acid in the digestive system, utilization of fat and protein, maintenance of sodium/potassium balance, etc.

Deficiency syndrome: Generally, when deficient, problems such as loss of appetite, low food utilization, weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea will occur. Severe deficiency can cause symptoms such as acne, anemia, arthritis, childhood cramps, depression, headaches, and hair loss.

Main food sources: Vitamin B6 is found in yeast, liver, cereals, meat, fish, eggs, beans and peanuts.

Vitamin B12

Function: This is a vitamin that is almost not found in plant foods and is the vitamin most likely to be lacking among vegetarians.

Deficiency: It is an indispensable and important element for the production of red blood cells. If it is severely lacking, it will lead to pernicious anemia.

Main food sources: It mainly exists in foods such as meat, dairy and animal offal. The human body's demand for vitamin B12 is very small, and you will not be deficient as long as you eat a normal diet.

Vitamin K

Function: Closely related to blood coagulation. It has the functions of preventing bleeding diseases in newborn babies, preventing internal bleeding and hemorrhoids, reducing heavy bleeding during menstruation, and promoting normal blood coagulation.

Deficiency: A lack of vitamin K can prolong clotting time and cause bleeding disorders.

Main food source: green vegetables.

Vitamin C

Function: The vitamin with the greatest demand in the human body has the effect of preventing scurvy, so it is also called ascorbic acid. Its main function is to protect, regulate and promote catalysis of the enzyme system. It is also a strong oxidant, which can prevent peroxidation in the body and has a protective effect on cardiovascular systems. In addition, it also assists in the absorption of iron and calcium and the utilization of folic acid in the body, and also plays an important role in preventing atherosclerosis and lowering cholesterol.

Main food sources: Mainly found in fresh vegetables, fruits and other foods.

Vitamin D

Function: It can promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the diet and the calcification of bones. When lacking, it is easy to suffer from osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets, etc.

Deficiency: Vitamin D deficiency can lead to rickets in children and rickets in adults. Symptoms include bone and joint pain, muscle atrophy, insomnia, nervousness, and dysentery and diarrhea.

Main food sources: Vitamin D mainly comes from cod liver oil, egg yolk, milk, etc. What needs to be pointed out in particular is that sufficient sunlight can promote the body's absorption of vitamin D and is the best "helper" to absorb vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Function: Also known as tocopherol. It is a very strong antioxidant that can inhibit fatty acid oxidation, reduce the formation of lipofuscin (commonly known as age spots), and protect cells from free radical damage, so it has the effect of delaying aging.

Deficiency syndrome: When vitamin E is deficient, male testicles atrophy and no sperm is produced, female embryos and placentas atrophy, causing miscarriage, hindering the pituitary gland from regulating the secretion of estrogen from the ovaries, and causing menopausal syndrome and premature ovarian failure.

Main food sources: vegetable oils and nut foods.