Question

Analyze the following information and answer the questions:

Vitamins	Resources	Deficiency symptoms
Thiamine	Cereals, oilseeds, vegetables, milk meat fish eggs	Vomiting, fits, loss of appetite. difficulty in breathing, paralysis
Retinol	Leafy vegetables, carrot tomato, pumpkin papaya, mango, meat, fish, egg, liver, milk, cod liver oil. Shark liver oil	Night blindness, Xerophthalmia. Cornea failure, scaly skin
Calciferol	Liver. Egg. cod liver oil Shark liver oil	Improper formation of bones, knock knees, swollen wrist, delayed dentition, weak bones
Tocoferol	Fruits, vegetables. sprouts, sunflower oil	Sterility in males, abortions in females
Phylloquinone	Green leafy vegetables, milk, meat eggs	Delay in blood clotting over bleeding
Ascorbic acid	Green leafy vegetables. Citrus fruits, sprouts. carrot	Delay in healing of wounds

(i) Which vitamin deficiency can cause diseases related to bones ?
(ii) Which vitamins do we get by eating fruits ?
(iii) Which vitamin deficiency can cause Paralysis ? To prevent it, what type of food should be taken?
(iv) To avoid vitamin deficiency diseases, what type of food should be consumed?

Answer 1

Hint: Vitamins are an organic molecules which are essential micronutrients to the body, and they involved in various metabolism of the body, where this are produced either little or it used be come from the diet, and they are again of two types such as water soluble and lipid soluble vitamins.

Complete answer:
(i) Vitamin D deficiency causes the bone-related diseases, Calciferol is the active form of the vitamin D, which is formed in the skin by UV light when exposed to sun, where human skin consists of cholecalciferol, which is activated and where in the liver it is converted to Calcifediol and in kidneys it is converted to calcitriol, vitamin D3 is the active form of vitamin, food sources for vitamin D are liver, beef, fish, eggs, cheese, etc. And the deficiency of vitamin D causes rickets in children, where bones become thin and brittle, and may cause bending of bones and easy fractures.

(ii) Tocopherol or Vitamin E, and ascorbic acid or Vitamin C are the vitamins which are obtained by eating fruits, where Tocopherol is used to eliminate the free radicals in the body, and it act as antioxidant, where as vitamin c is rich in citrus fruits where it helps in wound healing and immunity.

(iii) Thiamine deficiency results the formation of beriberi where there is tingling or loss of sensation in the hands and feet, and loss of tendon reflexes, and paralysis of lower muscles and loss of sensation, thiamine rich food are cereals, vegetables, fish, eggs, meat, oil seeds, etc. Are should be taken to prevent thiamine deficiency.

(iv) Only some part of the micronutrients are synthesized in the body, and most of the essential vitamins are taken through food only, where vitamin rich foods are green leafy vegetables, red meat, eggs, dry fruits, nuts, citrus fruits, etc.

Note: There are substances which are called as anti vitamins which prevent the absorption of vitamins in the body, for example avidin it is protein present in the raw eggs, where its consumption prevents the absorption of biotin in the intestine.