Tag: functions and principal sources of vitamins and minerals

Nicotinamide or Niacin is also known as anti pellagra vitamin. It is a component of NADP, NADP+ and is important for energy transfer reactions. Yeast, pulses, green vegetables, cereals, milk, egg yolk, liver, milk, fish, meat are rich sources of niacin. Crypts of lieberkuhn occur throughout small intestine and produce intestinal juice or succus entericus. Steapsin is pancreatic lipase and acts on fats and converts fats into fatty acids, glycerol, mono and diglycerides.

Vitamins are important nutrient supplements required in small amounts. They usually serve as coenzymes in metabolic reactions. Vitamin B$ _{1}$ is also called as Thiamine and its coenzyme form is thiamine pyrophosphate. Vitamin B$ _{5}$ is pantothenate. It is an important component of coenzyme A. Vitamin B$ _{3}$ or Niacin is important for synthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide or NAD and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate or NADP. Vitamin A is also called retinol. It is essential for vision. Vitamin E is also called tocopherol. It is an important for fertility factor.

Vitamins are important nutritional supplements for body. They are required for normal body metabolism. Vitamins can be grouped into two categories- fat soluble (vitamins A, D, E and K) and water soluble vitamins (vitamin B complex and vitamin C). The fat soluble vitamins can be stored in body fat but water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in body.

Vitamins do not help to increase the amount of calories or energy required for the human body. Instead vitamins which are used in small quantities helps human beings to stay healthy. While the daily requirements of vitamins may differ from individual to individual, the necessary amounts can be met through intake of healthy food.

Vitamin A - carotene, the precursor of Vitamin A is found in most orange and green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach and other leafy green vegetables. It has been shown in research that -carotene protect the lungs against toxins that are linked to lung cancer. Another study found that ex-smokers who ate green and yellow vegetables high in beta carotene daily decreased their risk of stomach and lung cancer.
Vitamin ${B _{17}}$ - The anti-tumour agent Vitamin ${B _{17}}$ (commonly known as Amygdalin or Laetrile) therapy is one of the most popular and best known alternative cancer treatments. It is very simple to use and is very effective when used in high enough doses with product of high quality combined with an effective cancer diet and key supplements. Laetrile works by targeting and killing cancer cells and building the immune system to fend off future outbreaks of cancer. The greatest concentration is found in the seeds of the rosaceous fruits, such as the apricot pits and other bitter nuts.
Vitamin C - Vitamin C has shown great promise in the fight against cancer, both in prevention and disease-management. Some properties of the vitamin C may make it toxic to cancer cells. Vitamin C is an antioxidant,it also enhance the immune system by stimulating the activities of natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell) and anti-cancer agents. Vitamin C is also said to prevent tumors from spreading, help the body heal after cancer surgery, enhance the effects of certain anti-cancer drugs, and reduce the toxic effects of other drugs used in chemotherapy. It also boost the effectiveness of other cancer treatments. Vitamin C is found in many vegetables and fruits, especially oranges, grape fruits, and peppers.

Vitamins are important nutritional components. Vitamins are grouped into two categories fat soluble (vitamin A, D, E and K) and water soluble (vitamin B complex and C). Many component vitamins of vitamin B complex act as coenzymes during metabolic reactions example thiamine is the precursor of thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), niacin is the precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), riboflavin is the precursor of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) etc. 

Vitamins are important for healthy living. They are required for normal body metabolism as many enzymes required coenzymes for their activity. The coenzymes are derived from vitamins. The vitamins are divided into two categories- fat soluble (vitamin A, D, E and K) and water soluble (vitamin B complex and C).

Almost all food is processed in some way before it is eaten. Commercially, the main reasons to process food are to eliminate micro-organisms (which may cause disease) and to extend shelf life. Simply cooking or combining a food with other foodstuffs to create a recipe is also considered a form of food processing. Whatever the case, the nutrient value of any food is often altered by the processing. Some vitamins are more stable (less affected by processing) than others. Water-soluble vitamins (B-group and C) are more unstable than fat-soluble vitamins (K, A, D and E) during food processing and storage. The most unstable vitamins include: folate, thiamine and vitamin C. More stable vitamins include: niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin K, vitamin D etc. So, maximum amount of vitamins are lost during food processing compared to carbohydrates, fats and proteins. 

Vitamins does not generate energy inside the body but are still essential.

Vitamins are essential compounds that must be acquired through the diet because the body can't synthesize them. One of the reasons vitamins are needed is because they play an indirect role in catalysis, in which enzymes speed up chemical reactions. However, most vitamins can't help enzymes on their own. In order to participate in catalytic reactions, most vitamins have to change into coenzymes that are small "co-pilot" molecules that pair up with enzymes. These coenzymes are extremely useful because they stay the same after catalysis, so they're recycled and reused multiple times.