You know them, you love them, and you know you can't live without them. Here you'll learn about the different tasks and functions of the various vitamins.
Table of contents
1. What are vitamins?
Vitamins and minerals together belong to the so-called micronutrients. Micronutrients are essential nutrients that play an important role in your body's structural, messenger, and metabolic processes.
Unlike macronutrients (fats, proteins, or carbohydrates), nutrients don't provide our body with energy . Nevertheless, vitamins and minerals are vital . Because your body can only produce and store them in small amounts , they are considered essential: You must consume vitamins through food to meet your daily needs.
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2. What types of vitamins are there?
Most vitamins are primarily produced by plants . They enter your body when you consume them. However, your body can also produce some vitamins itself from corresponding provitamins .
Provitamins are precursors of vitamins . For example, beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, and provitamin D is a precursor to vitamin D. Both enter the body through external influences and are only then converted into fully functional vitamins. While beta-carotene enters your body through the consumption of carrots, tomatoes, and other foods, provitamin D is activated whenever UV rays come into contact with the skin.
Depending on their solubility, vitamins are divided into two main groups: fat-soluble (lipidophilic) vitamins and water-soluble (hydrophilic) vitamins . Solubility ultimately provides information about, among other things, how a vitamin is absorbed, transported, stored, and excreted.
Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver or fatty tissue . This is not true for water-soluble vitamins: they pass through the bloodstream into the urine and are repeatedly flushed out. Accordingly, the daily requirement for water-soluble vitamins is often higher.
Fat-soluble vitamins:
Water-soluble vitamins:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin B1 or thiamine
- Vitamin B2 or riboflavin
- Vitamin B3 or niacin/nicotinic acid
- Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid
- Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine/pyridoxal/pyridoxamine
- Vitamin B7/ Vitamin H or Biotin
- Vitamin B9/ Vitamin M or folic acid/ folate
- Vitamin B12 or cobalamin
The B vitamins play a special role . Although they all belong to the hydrophilic vitamins, they essentially form a very heterogeneous group with many different properties and functions . What most of them have in common, however, is that, unlike other vitamins, they are found primarily in animal products such as milk, meat, or eggs.
3. Tips for a vitamin-rich diet
Lots of fruit, lots of vegetables, and plenty of variety—that's what the optimal vitamin-rich diet looks like! After all, not all fruits and vegetables have the same concentration of all 13 essential vitamins . That's why it's all about finding the right mix: Try to eat a varied, creative, and diverse diet, and you'll get the best of everything!
Did you know that many fruits and vegetables lose almost all of their vitamin content due to long storage times and transport? Green leafy vegetables, for example, are rich in natural vitamin C, but lose a large portion of it within just a few days of harvest.
Ideally, you should always buy fresh produce and consume it all immediately. Especially during the colder months, you should try to buy seasonal produce as much as possible. Many fruits and vegetables are shipped from faraway countries. Therefore, you can almost be sure that their vitamin content will already have significantly decreased by the time they arrive.
Healthy regional fruits and vegetables for the second half of the year include pears , apples , pumpkins , carrots , and cauliflower . Together, they provide you with antioxidants , vitamins C and B, and many other important nutrients.
A little caution is also advised when preparing vitamin-rich foods: Depending on the time and temperature, cooking, frying, and baking can also lead to significant nutrient loss . So, if in doubt, feel free to opt for raw foods every now and then!
4. What happens if you have a vitamin deficiency?
Because vitamins are so essential to our bodies, a persistent deficiency can impair various functions of your body.
A mild to moderate deficiency (so-called hypovitaminosis) can lead to unpleasant side effects, such as fatigue , difficulty concentrating , and lack of motivation . But how do these symptoms arise?
The answer is actually quite simple: The organic processes for which the vitamin is required can no longer be carried out, or only insufficiently. The result is a slowing or weakening of the affected metabolic processes .
But you don't need to worry too much about a vitamin deficiency for now: According to current data, the supply situation in Germany can be considered good. Accordingly, a full-blown vitamin deficiency is very rare in this country. It is almost always the result of general malnutrition and not a separate phenomenon.
However, the 2008 National Food Consumption Study found that an adequate daily intake of vitamins D and E often cannot be guaranteed [1]. Vitamin D deficiency is usually caused by seasonal factors: Due to the shorter and colder days in winter, we are not exposed to valuable UV rays often enough.
5. When do vitamin supplements make sense?
You should therefore use vitamin supplements especially if your family doctor has confirmed a specific deficiency .
Vitamin supplements can help vegans manage their daily nutrient needs. Vitamin B12 , in particular, is present in much higher concentrations and bioavailability in meat, eggs, and milk than in plant sources [3].
Pregnant women also represent a special group with regard to B vitamins. In addition to the trace element iron, the natural need for folic acid and vitamin B9 often increases during pregnancy.
For many women, it's difficult to get the extra prenatal vitamins they need through their diet. For expectant mothers, vitamin B9 supplementation is often even essential. However, the attending gynecologist will usually initiate the discussion about vitamins during pregnancy anyway.
An extra dose of vitamins can also help your body stay balanced during stressful times . Especially during the winter, an extra dose of vitamin C can greatly support the normal function of your immune system. This is especially important if you exercise a lot [4].
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6. Conclusion
Vitamins are essential nutrients that are vital for the smooth functioning of your metabolism. Fortunately, with a little skill and self-discipline, it's quite easy to incorporate most of these essential vitamins into your daily diet.
Just make sure you regularly eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, and ideally eat your groceries immediately after shopping. Vitamin supplements aren't always necessary, but they can provide reliable support when you need to survive stressful times, support your immune system, or excel in sports.
If you tend to develop a vitamin D deficiency in the winter, supplementing with a vitamin supplement can be beneficial. This will quickly replenish your vitamin D stores.
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7. Sources
[1] Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food (2008), National Consumption Study II, Results Report Part 2, https://www.bmel.de/DE/Ernaehrung/GesundeErnaehrung/_Texte/NationaleVerzehrsstudie_Zusammenfassung.html.
[2] Roy, S.; Sherman, A.; Monari-Sparks, MJ; Schweiker, O.; Hunter, K. (2014), Correction of Low Vitamin D improves Fatigue: Effect of Low Vitamin D in Fatigue Study (EViDiF Study), North American Journal of Medical Sciences, Volume 8, Issue 8, p. 396 - 402, http://www.najms.org/article.asp?issn=1947-2714;year=2014;volume=6;issue=8;spage=396;epage=402;aulast=Roy.
[3] Rizzo, G.; Lagana AS; [...] Vitale, SG (2016), Vitamin B12 Among Vegetarians: Status, Assessment and Supplementation, Nutrients, Volume 8, Issue 12, p. 767, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/8/12/767.
[4] Carr, A.C; Maggini, S. (2017), Vitamin C and Immune Function, Nutrients, Volume 9, Issue 11, Special Issue: Vitamin C in Health and Disease, p. 1211, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29099763.
