Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body's fatty tissue.
Water-soluble vitamins must be used by the body right away. Any left over water-soluble vitamins leave the body through the urine. Vitamin B12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that can be stored in the liver for many years.
Function
Each vitamin has specific functions. You can develop health problems (deficiency disease) if you do not get enough of a particular vitamin.
Vitamin A helps in the formation and maintenance of healthy teeth, bones, soft tissue, mucous membranes, and skin.
Vitamin B6 is also known as pyridoxine. The more protein a person eats, the more vitamin B6 is needed to help the body use the protein. Vitamin B6 helps form red blood cells and maintain brain function, among other things.
Vitamin B12, like the other B vitamins, is important for metabolism. It also helps form red blood cells and maintain the central nervous system.
Vitamin C (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for normal growth and development. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. The body cannot store them. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of such vitamins in your diet. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Vitamin K (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting. The body can store fat-soluble vitamins in fatty tissue. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Vitamin A (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Vitamin E (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Vitamin B12 (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. After the body uses these vitamins, leftover amounts leave the body through the urine. Typically, water-soluble vitamins can not be stored by the body. Vitamin B12 is special, because the body can store it for years in the liver. Because of this, a vitamin B12 deficience is very rare. Reviewer: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: Greg Juhn, M.T.P.W., David R. Eltz, Kelli A. Stacy. Previously reviewed by William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. (1/2/2007)Date: 05/03/2007
Folic acid (folate) (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Folic acid is a type of B vitamin. It is water-soluble, which means it cannot be stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of the vitamin in your diet. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Thiamine (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Thiamine is one of the B vitamins, a group of water-soluble vitamins that participate in many of the chemical reactions in the body. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Riboflavin (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Riboflavin is a type of B vitamin. It is water soluble, which means it is not stored in the body. You must replenish the vitamin every day. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Niacin (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Niacin is a type of B vitamin. It is water-soluble, which means it is not stored in the body. Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. Leftover amounts of the vitamin leave the body through the urine. That means you need a continuous supply of such vitamins in your diet. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Multiple vitamin overdose(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Multiple vitamin overdose occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally takes more than the normal or recommended amount of multi-vitamin supplements.
Reviewer: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 10/29/2007
Chromium in diet(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Chromium is an essential mineral that is not made by the body and must be obtained from the diet. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
Magnesium in diet(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Magnesium is an essential mineral for human nutrition. Reviewer: Caroline M. Apovian, M.D., FACN, Associate Professor of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine and Director, Nutrition & Weight Management Center, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMedHealthcare Network.Date: 05/01/2006
Potassium in diet(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Potassium is a mineral¿involved in electrical and cellular body functions. In the body, potassium is classified as an electrolyte. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. and Alice O'Connor, MS, RD, LDN, CNSD, Clinical Dietitian, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 03/02/2007
Balanced diet (3 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
A balanced diet refers to intake of appropriate types and adequate amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for the maintenance of body cells, tissues, and organs, and to support normal growth and development. Reviewer: Caroline M. Apovian, M.D., F.A.C.N., Associate Professor of Mediicne, Boston University School of Medicine and Director, Nutrition & Weight Management Center, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 03/08/2006
Zinc in diet(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Zinc is an important trace mineral. This element is second only to iron in its concentration in the body. Reviewer: William McGee, M.D., M.H.A., Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, and Chairman, Nutrition Committee, Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 01/02/2007
25-hydroxy vitamin D test (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
The 25-hydroxy vitamin D test is the most accurate measure of the amount of vitamin D in the body. In the kidney, 25-hydroxy vitamin D changes into an active form (called 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D. The active form helps control blood levels of calcium and phosphate. This article discusses the blood test used to measure the amount of 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Reviewer: Robert Hurd, MD, Professor of Endocrinology, Department of Biology, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, and physician in the Primary Care Clinic, Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 07/17/2007
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