Vitamins are organic substances, which if absent or deficient in the diet, lead to various characteristics and disturbances. Many act as coenzymes, small molecules which enable enzymes to function effectively.
Scurvy is a potentially fatal disease that makes the gums bleed, teeth fall out and legs swell up. It particularly affected seamen on long voyages in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. By the 1560s Admiral Hawkins had become aware of the value of "sower oranges and lemons" against scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Soon afterwards the East India Company started supplying its crews with lemon water and oranges to counteract the disease.
In the middle of the 1900s, a Dutch physician and pathologist, Christiaan Eijckmann observed that the incidence of beriberi (a disease prevalent in the East) increased with a diet consisting entirely of white rice, from which he deduced that whole rice contained a preventive factor. In 1911 the Polish chemist Casimir Funk (February 23, 1884 – November 19, 1967) who was working at the Lister Institute in London isolated this factor. He discovered that the anti-beriberi substance in unpolished rice was an amine (an organic compound containing nitrogen).
Funk proposed that the amine be named "vitamine" short for "vita amine" ("vita" being Latin for life) to indicate a group of compounds considered vital for life. This term soon came to be applied to the accessory factors in general even when it was later discovered that many vitamins do not contain amines at all. Because of its popular use, Funk's term continued to be applied, but the final letter e was dropped.
In 1913, Elmer McCollum and Marguerite Davis discovered the fat-soluble vitamin A and water-soluble B, renamed later vitamins A and B after long research on rats at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In 1921 scientists proved rickets was caused by lack of vitamin D. The discovery of the cause of rickets coincided with increased understanding of vitamins – particularly A and D.
An irrational belief developed about vitamins, that they could be used as a cure for anything. Before long manufacturers capitalized on this and soon a whole collection of vitamin pills and other concoctions were being sold to the general public.
During World War II, a lot of fruits high in vitamin C were becoming increasingly unavailable in the UK. In turn, the British government started encouraging the growth of blackcurrants by home gardeners, since they are incredibly high in vitamin C and were well suited to the British climate.
Children growing up during the Second World War were prone to catching rickets. Margarine was fortified with vitamin D during this period to try to prevent the disease.
The actress Jane Fonda was arrested in 1970 after allegedly kicking a policeman when she was found carrying a large amount of what appeared to be pills. All charges were dropped after the pills were identified as vitamins.
Properly kept, vitamins remain stable for four years.
The thirteen vitamins required by human metabolism are: vitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.
Carrots and liver are both rich in vitamin A.
One pound of polar bear liver contains enough vitamin A to fulfil a human's needs for 20 years.
A team of Arctic explorers once died from a vitamin A overdose after eating a polar bear’s liver.
B vitamins are a group of eight vitamins. They have an important job in the metabolism of cells. Vitamin B can be found in meat, milk, whole grains and fresh vegetables.
HISTORY
Scurvy is a potentially fatal disease that makes the gums bleed, teeth fall out and legs swell up. It particularly affected seamen on long voyages in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. By the 1560s Admiral Hawkins had become aware of the value of "sower oranges and lemons" against scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Soon afterwards the East India Company started supplying its crews with lemon water and oranges to counteract the disease.
In the middle of the 1900s, a Dutch physician and pathologist, Christiaan Eijckmann observed that the incidence of beriberi (a disease prevalent in the East) increased with a diet consisting entirely of white rice, from which he deduced that whole rice contained a preventive factor. In 1911 the Polish chemist Casimir Funk (February 23, 1884 – November 19, 1967) who was working at the Lister Institute in London isolated this factor. He discovered that the anti-beriberi substance in unpolished rice was an amine (an organic compound containing nitrogen).
Funk proposed that the amine be named "vitamine" short for "vita amine" ("vita" being Latin for life) to indicate a group of compounds considered vital for life. This term soon came to be applied to the accessory factors in general even when it was later discovered that many vitamins do not contain amines at all. Because of its popular use, Funk's term continued to be applied, but the final letter e was dropped.
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| Casimir Funk |
In 1913, Elmer McCollum and Marguerite Davis discovered the fat-soluble vitamin A and water-soluble B, renamed later vitamins A and B after long research on rats at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In 1921 scientists proved rickets was caused by lack of vitamin D. The discovery of the cause of rickets coincided with increased understanding of vitamins – particularly A and D.
An irrational belief developed about vitamins, that they could be used as a cure for anything. Before long manufacturers capitalized on this and soon a whole collection of vitamin pills and other concoctions were being sold to the general public.
During World War II, a lot of fruits high in vitamin C were becoming increasingly unavailable in the UK. In turn, the British government started encouraging the growth of blackcurrants by home gardeners, since they are incredibly high in vitamin C and were well suited to the British climate.
Children growing up during the Second World War were prone to catching rickets. Margarine was fortified with vitamin D during this period to try to prevent the disease.
The actress Jane Fonda was arrested in 1970 after allegedly kicking a policeman when she was found carrying a large amount of what appeared to be pills. All charges were dropped after the pills were identified as vitamins.
FUN VITAMIN FACTS
Properly kept, vitamins remain stable for four years.
The thirteen vitamins required by human metabolism are: vitamin A, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K.
Carrots and liver are both rich in vitamin A.
One pound of polar bear liver contains enough vitamin A to fulfil a human's needs for 20 years.
A team of Arctic explorers once died from a vitamin A overdose after eating a polar bear’s liver.
B vitamins are a group of eight vitamins. They have an important job in the metabolism of cells. Vitamin B can be found in meat, milk, whole grains and fresh vegetables.
Vitamin B12 is sensitive to acid and can be easily destroyed by the acid in the stomach. However, the body has developed a mechanism to protect Vitamin B12 from acid while it travels through the stomach. Saliva contains a substance called haptocorrin (also known as R protein), which binds to Vitamin B12 and protects it from the acid in the stomach. The Vitamin B12-haptocorrin complex then travels through the stomach and into the small intestine, where the Vitamin B12 is finally released and absorbed by the body. This process allows Vitamin B12 to be protected from acid and allows for its efficient absorption and utilization by the body.
Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits, berries and vegetables.
Most animal and plant species are able to generate Vitamin C on their own. Humans (and related species), Guinea Pigs and Capybaras are among the few that can't.
Most of the vitamin C in fruits is in the skin.
It takes about seven strawberries to equal the amount of vitamin C in one orange.
One-third pound stalk of broccoli contains more vitamin C than 204 apples.
Begonias are rich in vitamin C and have been used to prevent scurvy when citrus fruits were not available.
Vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but a hormone that starts synthesis with sunlight. It can greatly affect your sleep quality and many other bodily functions.
Dark-skinned people living in cold countries are six times more at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency.
The sun does not provide vitamin D. It synthesizes the vitamin D already in your body.
Redheads produce more Vitamin D than other hair colors, meaning they don't suffer as much from not being in the sun.
Mud packs owe their popularity to the vitamin E in mud which revitalises the skin.
There are eight forms of Vitamin E, E1 to E8. Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils and it is often added to lotions and creams for the skin.
Vitamin K isn't named according to the alphabet like most other vitamins because the initial discoveries were reported in a German journal, in which it was designated as Koagulationsvitamin.
Vitaminwater is basically sugar-water, to which about a penny's worth of synthetic vitamins have been added. A bottle of vitaminwater contains 33 grams of sugar, making it more akin to a soft drink than to a healthy beverage.
50 Cent made most of his money not from rapping, but from an investment in Vitamin Water - He made ten times more than he ever made rapping.
Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits, berries and vegetables.
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| Fruits and vegetables are a source of vitamins |
Most animal and plant species are able to generate Vitamin C on their own. Humans (and related species), Guinea Pigs and Capybaras are among the few that can't.
Most of the vitamin C in fruits is in the skin.
It takes about seven strawberries to equal the amount of vitamin C in one orange.
One-third pound stalk of broccoli contains more vitamin C than 204 apples.
Begonias are rich in vitamin C and have been used to prevent scurvy when citrus fruits were not available.
Vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but a hormone that starts synthesis with sunlight. It can greatly affect your sleep quality and many other bodily functions.
Dark-skinned people living in cold countries are six times more at risk of developing vitamin D deficiency.
The sun does not provide vitamin D. It synthesizes the vitamin D already in your body.
Redheads produce more Vitamin D than other hair colors, meaning they don't suffer as much from not being in the sun.
Mud packs owe their popularity to the vitamin E in mud which revitalises the skin.
There are eight forms of Vitamin E, E1 to E8. Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils and it is often added to lotions and creams for the skin.
Vitamin K isn't named according to the alphabet like most other vitamins because the initial discoveries were reported in a German journal, in which it was designated as Koagulationsvitamin.
Vitaminwater is basically sugar-water, to which about a penny's worth of synthetic vitamins have been added. A bottle of vitaminwater contains 33 grams of sugar, making it more akin to a soft drink than to a healthy beverage.
50 Cent made most of his money not from rapping, but from an investment in Vitamin Water - He made ten times more than he ever made rapping.
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