Vitamin B1 (also known as thiamine) is a water soluble vitamin and is part of the B complex vitamins (a group of eight B vitamins that were initially thought to be the singular vitamin B). The discovery of vitamin B1 is heavily linked with a condition called beriberi. During the late nineteenth century a beriberi epidemic broke out in Asia. This prompted increased research into both the cause of beriberi and a cure. The Dutch physician Christiaan Eijkman was the first person to discover the link between vitamin B1 and beriberi when he realised that feeding chickens unpolished (brown) rice … [Read more...]
What Are B Vitamins?
The B vitamins (also known as the B complex vitamins) are a group of eight water soluble vitamins. They all play an important role in cell metabolism (the process which allows your body's cells to get energy and nutrients from the food you eat) and were initially thought to be a singular B vitamin. Today I am going to be discussing the B vitamin group in greater detail. The B vitamins were initially discovered by Elmer V. McCollum and his team of researchers who were performing nutritional studies on rats. Between 1912 and 1914 these studies had led to the discovery of vitamin A – the … [Read more...]
What Are Water Soluble Vitamins?
In my last few articles I discussed the four fat soluble vitamins. Today I am going to explain the remaining nine water soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins are given their name because they dissolve in water. They are found in a variety of foods. Unlike fat soluble vitamins which can be stored by the body, water soluble vitamins are only stored for brief periods and any excess is usually excreted in the urine (with the exception of vitamin B12 which is stored in the liver). Therefore, you need to replenish your supply of water soluble vitamins on a daily basis. When preparing … [Read more...]
Vitamin K Explained
Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that assists with blood clotting and bone strength. It was first noticed in 1929 by Danish scientist Henrik Dam who observed that after feeding chickens a diet lacking in cholesterol they would start bleeding. He concluded that a second compound, koagulationsvitamin aka vitamin K, had been extracted from the food with the cholesterol. As I mentioned above, vitamin K's most important function is that it helps the blood to clot. Without vitamin K even a minor cut would bleed continuously. It is therefore vital for the proper healing of wounds. On top of … [Read more...]
Vitamin E Explained
Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin which has a number of important functions in the body. It was discovered in 1922 by two University of California researchers, Herbert Evans and Catherine Bishop, when they were doing an experiment involving rats on a semi-purified diet. The rats grew well but when the females became pregnant their pups would die in the womb. However, when their diet was supplemented with lettuce and then wheat germ, the female rats would give birth to healthy pups, leading Evans and Bishop to conclude that their diet was missing a “Factor X”. This “Factor X” was later … [Read more...]
Vitamin D Explained
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and is often known as the sunshine vitamin because sunlight can prompt the body to produce it. Early signs of the benefits of vitamin D were discovered in the early nineteenth century when researchers suggested that sunbathing and cod liver oil could cure rickets (softening of the bones in children and young animals which is now known to be caused by vitamin D deficiency). Vitamin D was officially discovered in 1919 when Edward Mellanby raised a group of dogs on nothing but porridge and also kept them inside (unintentionally) meaning they had no exposure to … [Read more...]
Vitamin A Explained
In my last few articles I have been talking about vitamins. Today I am going to be discussing in greater detail the vitamin at the beginning of the alphabet – Vitamin A. Vitamin A was the first vitamin discovered hence it being given the the first letter of the alphabet. It was officially discovered between 1912 and 1914 by Elmer McCollum and M. Davis, although in 1913 Thomas Osborne and Lafayette Mendel found that butter contained a fat soluble nutrient that would soon become known as vitamin A. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and its most notable function is that it helps improve … [Read more...]
What Are Fat Soluble Vitamins?
In my last post I provided a basic introduction to vitamins. Today I am going to discuss the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K in greater detail. Fat soluble vitamins dissolve within the body's fat cells and are usually found in fats and fatty foods. Unlike water soluble vitamins, (which are quite easily removed from food during cooking and preparation) fat soluble vitamins normally stay in the food when it is cooked. If they are not needed immediately, the body will store fat soluble vitamins for later use in the liver and fatty tissues. Therefore, fat soluble vitamins do not need to be … [Read more...]
What Are Vitamins?
In a number of my previous articles I have mentioned vitamins in passing. However, I have never really expanded on this topic further and discussed exactly what vitamins are. So today I thought I would write about this exact topic and answer the question 'What are Vitamins?' Vitamins are essential nutrients that your body needs to help the cells function properly. They contain no calories and do not provide the body with energy but they are required for a number of important functions. Vitamins are distinguished from minerals because they are organic compounds (they come from plants and … [Read more...]