2.2.1

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

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Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Micronutrients are substances that the body needs in small doses, such as vitamins. Vitamins are organic compounds that help us to stay healthy.

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Sources of vitamins

  • Plants.
  • Animals.
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Sources of fat-soluble vitamins

  • Fatty foods - e.g. beef liver, butter, fatty fish, cheese.
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Storing fat-soluble vitamins

  • The body stores fat-soluble vitamins it doesn't use up in fat tissue.
  • For this reason, the body doesn't have to take in the same quantities of fat-soluble vitamins every day.
  • This also means we're in danger of storing an excess of these vitamins.
  • This shouldn't be a problem for someone eating a balanced diet. But someone taking multivitamin supplements can risk building up an excess.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins - A and D

We get fat-soluble vitamins from fatty foods, like fatty fish and beef liver.

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Vitamin A

  • The body needs vitamin A for growth, keeping the immune system healthy, and for good skin and eyesight.
  • Vitamin A is an antioxidant.
  • We get vitamin A from retinol. Meat, full-fat milk and fatty fish all contain retinol. We can also make retinol from carotene. Carrots and other orange/yellow fruits and vegetables contain carotene.
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Excess and too little vitamin A

  • Excess vitamin A over a period of time weakens bones.
  • Pregnant women are advised to stay clear of foods containing lots of vitamin A (like liver).
  • Too little vitamin A can weaken the immune system, cause blindness at night and inflamed skin and stunt growth.
  • The daily dose recommended by the NHS is:
    • 0.7mg for men.
    • 0.6mg for women.
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Vitamin D

  • We get vitamin D from fish liver oils and fatty fish like tuna and salmon.
  • We can also get vitamin D from being in sunlight.
  • Vitamin D aids mineral absorption, including calcium absorption. Our bodies need calcium to develop healthy teeth and bones.
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Excess and too little vitamin D

  • If we take in too much vitamin D, our bodies may absorb too much calcium. Excess calcium can cause damage to our kidneys.
  • Bone diseases, such as osteomalacia (soft bones), osteoporosis (brittle bones) and rickets, can arise from the body getting too little vitamin D.
  • According to the NHS, the average person should have a daily dose of 0.01mg.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins - E and K

We get fat-soluble vitamins from fatty foods, like fatty fish and beef liver.

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Vitamin E

  • We get vitamin E from:
    • Vegetable oils (e.g. sunflower, corn, and soybean oils).
    • Nuts (e.g. peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts).
    • Seeds (e.g. sunflower seeds).
    • Green leafy vegetables (e.g. swiss chard).
  • Vitamin E helps to boost the immune system.
  • We also need vitamin E for healthy skin and eyes.
  • Vitamin E is an antioxidant, which means it can protect our bodies from free radicals.
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Excess and too little vitamin E

  • Excess vitamin E can cause someone to feel nauseous, disrupt blood clotting and lead to blurred vision.
  • Weak muscles and eyesight problems are both symptoms of having too little vitamin E.
  • NHS guidelines for daily doses:
    • Men: 4mg.
    • Women: 3mg.
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Vitamin K

  • We get vitamin K from leafy greens, liver, green tea, cheese.
  • Like vitamin E, vitamin K supports the immune system. Vitamin K helps us to maintain healthy bones.
  • Vitamin K also helps blood clotting and helps us to heal wounds.
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Excess and too little vitamin K

  • We can't have too much vitamin K.
  • Although adults are very unlikely to have too little vitamin K, newborn babies can suffer from uncontrolled bleeding if they have too little vitamin K.
  • NHS guidelines for daily dose:
    • 0.001mg per kg of body weight.

Jump to other topics

1Food Preparation Skills

2Food, Nutrition & Health

3Food Science

4Food Safety

5Food Choice

6Food Provenance

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