Vitamins, Source, Chemical Names, and Deficiency disease

Vitamins, their Sources, Chemical Names, and Deficiency diseases a vital topics in general science sections of almost all competitive exams. In the chart below, we have provided the scientific names of vitamins, sources, solubility, and their deficiency disease.

What are Vitamins?

• A Vitamin is an organic compound that is needed in small amounts for the proper functioning of all the biological activities of a living organism.

• Adequate amounts of essential nutrients (Like vitamins) cannot be synthesized in the organism and therefore must be obtained through food.

• Due to the small amount needed, vitamins are often considered micronutrients. They play an important role in our body functions like metabolism, immunity, and digestion.

•  The term “vitamin” was derived from “vitamine Here ‘vita’ means ‘life’.

• The word  ‘Vitamine’ was coined in 1912 by the Polish biochemist Casimir Funk.

• An English biochemist “Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins” in 1929 was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of vitamins.

Classification Of Vitamins

• Based on physical and biological activity, Vitamins are classified as water-soluble or fat-soluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins:

In humans, 4 fat-soluble vitamins are:

1.  Vitamin A
2. Vitamin D
3. Vitamin E
4. Vitamin K

Water-soluble vitamins

In humans, 10 Water-soluble vitamins are:

1. Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
2. Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
3. Vitamin Pyridine.
4. Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
5. Vitamin C
6. Vitamin B9 (Folic acid)
7. Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
8. Vitamin B12 (Cyacobalamin)
9. Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)
10. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)

◘ How to Remember water-soluble vitamins?
• remember that all vitamins except vitamins B, and C are fat soluble. (A, D, E, K)
• Where C = Vitamin C and
• B = All B group vitamins (Vitamin B1, B3, B5……)

Chemical or Scientific Name of Vitamins and their Sources

The table below gives complete information about the different types of vitamins, the source of the vitamins, and the scientific names of the vitamins.

Common Name	Solubility	Chemical Name	Food Sources	Deficiency disease
Vitamin A	Fat-soluble	Retinol	Carrot, Broccoli,Milk, Spinach, tomatoes, Egg yolk, Fish, Butter	Night blindness, hyperkeratosis, and keratomalacia
Vitamin C	Water-soluble	Ascorbic acid	Green Chilli, Lettuce, Beans, Fresh citrus fruits such as orange and Amla	Scurvy, Bleeding Gums
Vitamin D	Fat-soluble	Calciferol	Cod liver oil, Fish, beef, egg yolk, liver, chicken breast and cereals.	Rickets and osteomalacia
Vitamin E	Fat-soluble	Tocopherol	Vegetable oils like Cotton seed oil, Sunflower oil, Lettuce, Egg, Milk	Sterility in males and abortions in females, mild hemolytic anemia in newborn infants
Vitamin K	Fat-soluble	Phylloquinone	Pork liver oil, Leafy vegetables, Cabbage, Broccoli, Beef and lamb.	Bleeding diathesis
Vitamin B1	Water-soluble	Thiamine	Cashew Nuts, Corn, Wheat flour, Cabbage, Milk, Meat	Beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Vitamin B2	Water-soluble	Riboflavin	Sprouted gram and wheat , Beef liver, Milk, Mushrooms, Bananas.	Ariboflavinosis, glossitis, angular stomatitis
Vitamin B3	Water-soluble	Niacin	Molasses, Green Peas, Sweet Potatoes, Liver, Egg yolk, Mushrooms, Milk Products	Pellagra
Vitamin B5	Water-soluble	Pantothenic Acid	Yoghurt, egg yolk, Meat, Broccoli, Kidney, Peanuts, Chicken, Milk, legumes, mushrooms, avocado	peripheral neuropathy
Vitamin B6	Water-soluble	Pyridoxine	Food crops, Sprouted Seed, Meat, mushrooms, Leafy vegetables	Anemia peripheral neuropathy
Vitamin B7	Water-soluble	Biotin	Cereals, Yeast, Cauliflower, Peas, egg yolk, Milk, Tomatoes	Dermatitis, enteritis
Vitamin B9	Water-soluble	Folic Acid	Citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, legumes, beets	Deficiency during pregnancy is associated with birth defects, such as neural tube defects
Vitamin B12	Water-soluble	Cyacobalamin	Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk	Megaloblastic anemia / Pernicious anaemia

Previous year questions on this topic

Q1. Which of the following is known as Vitamin B1? [SSC Section Officer (Audit) 2001]
Answer: Thiamin

Q2. Night blindness results from the deficiency of —[SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2003]
Answer: Vitamin-A

Q3. Which vitamin helps in blood coagulation? [SSC Section Officer (Audit) 2003]
Answer: Vitamin-K

Q4. Which of the following is a rich source of Vitamin B-12?[SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2004]
Answer: Milk

Q5. Xerophthalmia is a deficiency disease caused by a lack of?[SSC Tax Assistant (Income Tax & Central Excise) 2004]
Answer: Vitamin A

Q6. Bleeding of gums and loosening of teeth is caused by to deficiency of?
Answer: Vitamin C

Q7. Deficiency of vitamin D in children causes? [SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2006]
Answer: Rickets

Q8. Scurvy is a disease that is caused by a deficiency in which vitamin? [SSC CPO Sub-Inspector 2006]
Answer: Vitamin C

Q9. Deficiency of Vitamin B6 in man causes? [SSC Section Officer (Audit) 2008]
Answer: Anaemia

Q10. The metal, which is a constituent of vitamin B12 is__ [SSC Section Officer (Audit) 2008]
Answer: Cobalt

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Vitamins