Types of water-soluble vitamins include:
1. Vitamin B complex
It is a group of 8 vitamins – B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12.
What are the functions of Vitamin B complex?
All the vitamins of the B complex are necessary for us individually. For example, vitamin B1 helps convert carbohydrates into energy, vitamin B3 helps lower cholesterol and so on. Together all the vitamins in this group are required for the proper functioning of our cells.
What are the sources of vitamin B complex?
Food items such as cereals, nuts, legumes and whole grains and animal sources such as meat, eggs, fish, liver, milk and milk products are a good source of the various B complex vitamins.
Vitamin B complex deficiency
There are many issues related to the deficiency of the B complex vitamins. Let us look at a few of them.
Vitamin B1 deficiency causes severe issues like Beriberi. There are two types of beriberi: wet beriberi and dry beriberi. Wet beriberi affects the heart and the circulatory system, while dry beriberi affects the muscles negatively.
Vitamin B3 deficiency causes Pellagra. Pellagra is basically a combination of 4D’s
– diarrhoea that is watery stools, dermatitis which is red itchy skin, dementia that is the loss of memory which eventually leads to death.
Vitamin B9 deficiency causes Anaemia, that is a decrease in the red blood cells in the blood. Red blood cells help transport oxygen to various parts of the body.
2. Vitamin C
What are the functions of Vitamin C?
Vitamin C helps in protecting cells and keeping them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, helping with wound healing etc.
What are the sources of Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is found in all types of citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, berries and also in vegetables like tomatoes, green chillies and other various fruits and vegetables. Since this vitamin is easily destroyed while cooking, foods containing vitamin C should be ideally consumed raw.
Vitamin C deficiency
Vitamin C deficiency in the diet leads to Scurvy that is related to bleeding of
gums.