Vitamin

From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

Vitamins are now available in numerous commercial supplements, already portioned into the necessary daily dosages.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are required in the body for human life. These compounds are usually attained through one's diet and are only needed in small, but regular, quantities. The roots of the word "vitamin" are the words "vital" and "amine", because vitamins were once believed to be made up of amines. Amines are a family of organic compounds containing nitrogen and derived from ammonia. [1] Real vitamins are those organic compounds which the body experiences negative symptoms without. [2]

Discovery

In 1905, Dr. William Fletcher was the first to discover that the lack of certain nutrients in food caused disease, like Beriberi, the disease he happened to be researching at the time. He found that those who ate the husks of unpolished rice did not contract it compared to those who ate polished rice. In 1906, biochemist Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins came to the same conclusion that foods held particular factors that were necessary for maintaining health. In 1912, Polish scientist Cashmir Funk isolated thiamine from the same rice husks that Fletcher had studied. Funk found amines in the thiamine and first gave these sorts of nutrients the name "vitamins". Hopkins and Funk created the Hypothesis of Deficiency Disease, which explained that illness resulted from a deficiency of vitamins. Vitamin A was discovered in 1912-1914; Vitamin C in 1912, though its effects were first noticed by Scottish surgeon James Lind who found that citruses prevented scurvy; Vitamin B in 1915-1916; Vitamin D in 1922; Vitamin E in 1922; Folic Acid in 1933; Vitamin B₆ in 1934; Niacin in 1937. [3]

Importance

The molecular structure of Vitamin B₁₂, the most extensive and complex of known vitamins.

• Vitamin A-- Improves vision adaption to darkness, regulates gene expression, strengthens immunity, aids growth and embryonic development, and improves red blood cell production. Deficiency results in poor night vision, susceptibility to infections, and possible birth defects.[4]
  
• Vitamin B₆-- Improves nervous system function, red blood cell formation and function, hormone function, and nucleic acid synthesis. Deficiency can result in seizures, abnormal EEG patterns, neurologic symptoms (such as irritability, depression, and confusion), inflammation of the tongue, and sores and ulcers of the mouth. [5]
  
• Vitamin B₁₂-- Required for the function of the enzyme Methionine Synthase, and the enzyme that catalyzes the biochemical reaction which aids in the production of energy from fats and proteins. Deficiency results in the impairment of these enzymes. [6]
  
• Vitamin C-- Required for the synthesis of collagen, helps in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine (critical to brain function and affects mood), required for the synthesis of carnitine, which transports fat to mitochondria, involved in the metabolism of cholesterol, and is a highly effective antioxidant. Deficiency results in scurvy, the symptoms of which include bleeding and bruising easily, hair and tooth loss, joint pain and swelling. [7]
  
• Vitamin D-- Necessary for maintaining normal calcium metabolism, immunity, insulin secretion, and blood pressure regulation. Deficiency results in increased risk for osteoporosis and other bone health problems, rickets, and muscle weakness and pain. [8]
  
• Vitamin E-- Main function is as an antioxidant, protecting the body from free radicals. Deficiency results in increased risk for cardiovascular disease, cataracts, and cancers thought to result from damage to DNA caused by free radicals. [9]
  
• Vitamin K-- Essential for proteins involved in blood clotting, bone mineralization, and cell growth. Deficiency results in impaired blood clotting, usually involving easy bruising or bleeding. [10]
  
• Biotin-- Essential for enzymes involved in the synthesis of fatty acids and the formation of glucose from sources other than carbohydrates, and aids in regulation DNA replication and transcription. [11]
  
• Folic Acid-- Important for the metabolism of nucleic acids and amino acids. Deficiency results in megaloblastic anemia, which causes a decreased oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath. [12]
  
• Niacin-- Required by 200 enzymes for energy producing oxidation-reduction reactions, and appears to aid in DNA repair and stress responses. Deficiency results in a condition called pellagra, the symptoms of which are a dark, scaly skin rash, a bright red tongue, vomiting, diarrhea, apathy, depression, disorientation, and memory loss. [13]
  
• Pantothenic Acid-- Necessary for chemical reactions that generate energy from food (fat, carbohydrates, and proteins), the synthesis of essential fats, cholesterol, and steroid hormones, and metabolism of a number of drugs and toxins by the liver. Some symptoms of deficiency are headache, fatigue, insomnia, intestinal disturbances, and numbness and tingling of their hands and feet. [14]
  
• Riboflavin-- Necessary for energy producing redox reactions, and acts as an antioxidant. Symptoms of deficiency are sore throat, redness and swelling of the lining of the mouth and throat, cracks or sores on the outsides of the lips and at the corners of the mouth, inflammation and redness of the tongue, a moist, scaly skin inflammation, the formation of blood vessels in the clear covering of the eye, and decreased red blood cell count. [15]
  
• Thiamin-- A required coenzyme for a few important enzymes involved in the production of energy from food and the synthesis of nucleic acids, DNA, and RNA. Deficiency can result in Dry Beriberi, which involves peripheral neuropathy, "burning feet syndrome", and weakness in arms and legs, or Wet Beriberi, which involves rapid heart rate, enlargement of the heart, and difficulty breathing. [16]
  

Sources

Fresh fruits and vegetables each offer their own wide range of required vitamins.

• Vitamin A is found in: cod liver oil, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot, cantaloupe, spinach, kale, collard, and butternut squash. The body requires from 300 mcg/day in children to 900 mcg/day in adult men and 700 mcg/day in adult women.
  
• Vitamin B₆ is found in: fortified cereal, banana, wild salmon, turkey without skin, chicken (light meat), potato, and spinach. The body requires from 0.1 mg/day in children to 1.7 mg/day in adult men and 1.5 mg/day in adult women.
  
• Vitamin B₁₂ is found in: clams, mussels, crab, salmon, rockfish, beef, egg, milk, and Brie cheese. The body requires from 0.4 mg/day in children to 2.4 mg/day in adults.
  
• Vitamin C is found in: oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, tomato, sweet red pepper, broccoli, and potato. The body requires from 15 mg/day in children to 90 mcg/day in adult men and 75 mcg/day in adult women. Smokers should take about 35% more Vitamin C than the average adult.
  
• Vitamin D is found in: salmon, sardines, mackerel, fortified milk, fortified soy milk, and egg yolk. The body requires from 5 mcg/day in children to 10 mcg/day in adults men, 15 mcg/day for the elderly.
  
• Vitamin E is found in: olive oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and avacado. The body requires from 4 mg/day in children to 15 mg/day in adults.
  
• Vitamin K is found in: soybean oil, canola oil, broccoli, kale, spinach, leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, watercress, and parsley. The body requires from 30 mcg/day in children to 120 mcg/day in adult men and 90 mcg/day in adult women.
  
• Biotin is found in: yeast, egg, cheddar cheese, liver, pork, salmon, and avocado. The body requires from 5 mcg/day in children to 30 mcg/day in adults.
  
• Folic Acid is found in: orange juice, spinach, asparagus, lentils, garbanzo beans, lima beans, bread, pasta, and rice. The body requires from 65 mcg/day in children to 400 mcg/day in adults.
  
• Niacin is found in: chicken (light meat), turkey (dark meat), beef, salmon, tuna, bread, cereal, pasta, peanuts, lentils, and lima beans. The body requires from 2 mg/day in children to 16 mg/day in adult men and 14 mg/day in adult women.
  
• Pantothenic Acid is found in: chicken, egg, milk, yogurt, broccoli, lentils, split peas, avocado, sweet potato, raw mushrooms, and lobster. The body requires from 1.7 mg/day in children to 5 mg/day in adults.
  
• Riboflavin is found in: fortified cereal, milk, cheddar cheese, eggs, almonds, salmon, chicken (dark meat), beef, broccoli, asparagus, and spinach. The body requires from 0.3 mg/day in children to 1.3 mg/day in adult men and 1.1 mg/day in adult women.
  
• Thiamin is found in: lentils, peas, long grain brown rice, long grain white rice, whole wheat bread, fortified breakfast cereal, pork, Brazil nuts, pecans, orange, cantaloupe, and milk. The body requires from 0.2 mg/day in children to 1.2 mg/day in adult men and 1.1 mg/day in adult women.
  

The amount of daily vitamins needed increases significantly in females who are pregnant or nursing. [17]

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References

• Micronutrient Information Center Linus Pauling Institute: Micronutrient Research for Optimum Health, Oregon State University, lpi.oregonstate.edu
• Amine Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britanica.com
• The History of Vitamins About.com: Inventors, inventors.about.com

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