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The name was coined by the Polish biochemist Kazimierz Funk in 1912. Vita in Latin is life and the -amin suffix is short for amine; at the time it was thought that all vitamins were amines. Though this is now known to be incorrect, the name has stuck.
Vitamins were first recognised by the diseases that occur from a lack of certain foods; for example, the British Royal Navy's observation that limes were effective in preventing scurvy led to the discovery of vitamin C.
Vitamins can be divided in two groups by their solubility in water:
Water-soluble vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins
Introduction
Fat-soluble vitamins may be stored in the body and can cause toxicity when taken in excess. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body. Unlike food, water, and—for aerobic organisms—air, an organism can survive for some time without vitamins, although prolonged vitamin deficit results in a disease state.
| Deficient vitamin | Disease |
|---|---|
| A | night blindness |
| B1 | beriberi |
| B2 | ariboflavinosis |
| B12 | pernicious anaemia |
| B3 | pellagra |
| C | scurvy |
| D | rickets |
Other vitamin deficiencies are simply called after the name of the vitamin, such as vitamin K deficiency disease.
Vitamin D is synthesized by the human body, but not always in sufficient quantities. The level of synthesis depends on exposure to sunlight, so in winter and in polar areas there is a greater need to take it, whereas in summer and in equatorial areas it is less necessary. It is generally considered a vitamin, but one that isn't required in some areas and seasons.
Neither vitamin A nor vitamin K is a single chemical substance,
but all derivatives fulfill the same functions in organisms (or are converted into the active form by the organism), so taking just one of the derivatives is sufficient for good health. The derivatives differ in chemical structure and level of activity.
Some vitamin names have become obsolete:
On the other hand, vitamins D and E are still usually called by their symbolic names,
and A and K don't even have proper chemical names (since they are mixtures of chemicals).
The names ascorbic acid and vitamin C are used with similar frequency.
Vitamin F was the designation originally given to essential fatty acids that the body cannot manufacture. They were "de-vitaminized" because they are fatty acids. Fatty acids are a major component of fats.
Although there was not originally a Vitamin S, the suggestion has been half-seriously made that salicylic acid may qualify for the criteria needed to be defined as a vitamin, and that in this case the designation "Vitamin S" could be used to describe it.
Vitamin B-11 was also called Vitamin S for a while in the 1970s.
Different organisms need different trace organic substances. The list of vitamins in this article refers to humans. Most mammals need, with few exceptions, the same vitamins (except that most species don't need ascorbic acid). The further we go from mammals, the more diverse organisms' requirements become. For example, some bacteria need adenine.
See pharmacology.
Is vitamin D a real vitamin?
Vitamins A and K
Names
The usage of names in the format "vitamin letter" and "vitamin letter number" is diminishing.
This is especially true for vitamins H, M, B1, B2, B3, and B5, which are usually called by their proper chemical names.Whatever Happened to Vitamin F?
What is Vitamin S?
Non-human vitamins
External links