VITAMINS: A DEEP DIVE
So we have learned a bit of the background on vitamins and minerals - small examples of why they are important in our bodies and a few ramifications for overall health - and we can now deep dive specifically into one type of micronutrient: vitamins.
There are essential vitamins that we must have as humans for normal growth, development, and cell function and they can be broken down into two classes: water-soluble and fat-soluble. The differences between these two lie in how they are absorbed into our bodies and how/if they are stored. Water soluble vitamins are not stored, therefore we need a steady stream in our diets over our lifetime to ensure we maintain the levels needed for their various functions. Fat-soluble vitamins behave more like fats and can be stored in our adipose tissue, allowing our body to access them when needed over time.
THE WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Maybe the most spoken about of these vitamins is Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid. We discovered this vitamin through long-ago deficiencies that manifested as a condition called Scurvy, where lethargy, skin texture changes, tooth loss, low mood, and poor wound healing were noted. They discovered a long-ago remedy: consuming oranges and acidic fruits in the diet. Long before the scientific dots of why were connected between Scurvy patients and healing, it was noted that those acidic fruits offered a solution that prevented the onset of those symptoms. That solution was Vitamin C. We think a lot about vitamin C for its antioxidant properties and immune-fighting abilities. But its powers go far beyond that.
When we look at a patient with Scurvy, why would lethargy have been a symptom? Why would the teeth begin to fall out and wounds heal improperly? These are due to the other huge roles that vitamin C has in our bodies. Vitamin C’s main role in our bodies is to act as a reducing agent, reducing things like Iron (Fe3+) to Iron in its reduced form (Fe2+), which is where it can be put to use in complex systems like carnitine synthesis (which without, would lead to mega fatigue) and collagen synthesis (which without, would lead to weak collagen cross-linking of chains, aka loose areas at the bottom of the teeth, causing them to fall out). It’s integral in neurotransmitter synthesis as well, so without proper Vitamin C, those scurvy patients nor you and I have our best shot at being as chemically balanced and happy in the brain.
Along with Vitamin C, our other water-soluble vitamins include the B Vitamins. There are many, most notably Niacin (B3), Folate (B9), Riboflavin (B2), and Pyridoxine (B6). The unmentioned B vitamins are of equal importance, but to save this blog from turning into a six-page long lecture, I’m highlighting those first few as the star examples. Most of the B vitamins enter our bodies or are converted into what’s called a cofactor form, where they can then be used to facilitate enzymes doing their specific jobs. We metabolize them to prepare them for their ideal use in the grand scheme of things like protein metabolism, carbohydrates, and fats!
THE FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
We most readily think of Vitamin D when discussing fat-soluble vitamins and the importance of proper intake of vitamin D cannot be understated. We often think of sunlight with Vitamin D, as it’s actually a micronutrient that we can create within our own cells from sunlight, we tend to just not be creative enough to meet our daily needs so we need dietary vitamin D as well. The main function of Vitamin D in our bodies is to help maintain calcium homeostasis in our blood. Without vitamin D, serious complications can occur over time, extending as far as compromised bone density. Vitamin D is also now recognized as an important player in proper immune function and in autoimmune diseases, as Vitamin D receptors are present and able to signal and express on immune cells.
Along with vitamin D in the world of fat-soluble vitamins, we have Vitamins A, K, and E. When thinking of vitamin A, think of the ability to maintain night vision, proper cell differentiation (which allows for the development of proper regular vision), and healthy genetic expression through vitamin A’s behavior like a genetic transcription factor (aka regulating, stimulating or inhibiting whatever the specific gene is coding for). Vitamin K is a crucial factor in the process of blood clotting, and Vitamin E is a great antioxidant fat-soluble vitamin, able to terminate a domino effect of free radical attacks within our cell membranes.
The whole point here: we often think of vitamins as these pretty, colorful things found in our food or something that we should supplement for reasons unknown. My goal is to help educate on just some of the “whys” behind their necessity and these are just a few digestible examples, while each vitamin has many functions and roles.
HOW CAN WE INCREASE VITAMIN INTAKE?
The answer isn’t any different than what you might expect. Color and diversity. If we are working on eating a rainbow of color in carbohydrates across a week’s span, including varying sources of protein, and varying sources of fat (i.e. switching up cooking oils occasionally), we can feel confident that we are meeting our bodies’ basic micronutrient needs. The most widespread deficiencies or insufficiencies among our vitamins are in vitamins D, A, E, and C.
To ensure that we are getting levels of those specific vitamins back to where our bodies would like them to be we can:
Enjoy milk products or yogurts fortified with vitamin D, seafood like salmon, tuna, or swordfish, and orange juice that has been fortified with vitamin D.
Think of colorful veggies like squashes, carrots, and even leafy greens or liver for Vitamin A
Add nuts or avocados into our daily choices or use cooking oils like avocado or grapeseed oil to boost Vitamin E intake
Focus on citrus fruits, strawberries, or crunchy veggies like broccoli or sprouts, as well as white potatoes which have great quantities of vitamin C
Our bodies are incredible. They are fine-tuned machines that truly have it all figured out and with a little bit of mindfulness in our own personal nutrition, we can be sure we are giving them all the micronutrient ammo they need to continue doing that rockstar, behind-the-scenes work.
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