Vitamins & Minerals
Vitamins are essential trace nutrients that the body cannot manufacture itself in sufficient quantities to meet demand and therefore must absorb the required nutrients from food sources. Vitamins differ from minerals because they are compounds or molecules, whereas minerals are elements.
The following table lists the proper chemical names for common vitamins and co-enzymes, however some of the old names are of substances no longer considered to be vitamins but have been included anyway to make the list complete. The list also includes diseases commonly associated with a deficiency of a vitamin in the diet, and also lists good sources of vitamins in food.
Vitamins
| Vitamin | Technical Name | Deficiency Disease | Good Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Retinol, Beta-carotene | night blindness, rough skin, impaired bone growth | milk, butter, cheese, egg, liver, fish, vegetables |
| B1 | Thiamine, Aneurine (first vitamin discovered in 1912) | Beriberi, Korsakov's syndrome | seeds, grain, yeast |
| B2, G | Riboflavin, Lactoflavin | Ariboflavinosis, skin disorders | liver, milk, cheese, eggs, green leafy veg, pulses, yeast |
| B3 | Nicotinamide, Niacin | Pellagra | |
| B4 | Adenine (no longer a vitamin) | ||
| B5 | Pantotheric acid | ||
| B6 | Pyridoxine, Pyridoxal | dermatitis, neurological disorders | liver, meats, fruit, cereals, leafy veg |
| B7, H, I | Biotin | dermatitis | liver, kidney, yeast extract |
| B8, B9, M | Folic acid, Folate | anaemia | liver, green leafy vegetables, peanuts |
| B10, R | p-aminobenzoic acid, PABA | ||
| B11, S | L-carnitine (no longer a vitamin) | ||
| B12 | Cobalamine, Dibencozide | Pernicious anaemia, neurological disturbance | liver, kidney, milk |
| B13 | Orotic acid (no longer a vitamin) | ||
| B15 | Pangamic acid, Dimethylglycine | ||
| B17 | Amygdalin | ||
| C | Ascorbic acid, hygnose | Scurvy | blackcurrants, citrus fruits, other fruit, green vegetables |
| D | Cholecalciferol, Calciferol | Ricketts, osteomalacia | egg yolk, liver, fatty fish |
| E | Tocopherol | impaired fat absorption | vegetable oils |
| F | Essential fatty acids, Linoleic acid (no longer a vitamin) | ||
| K | Menadione, Prothromin factor, Naphthoquinone | haemorrhagic problems | leafy veg |
| P | Bioflavonoids, Citrus factor | ||
| U | Allantoine (no longer a vitamin) |
Click on the following for a list of minerals