Vitamin are chemically unrelated organic substances that are grouped together because each is essential in the diet in minute amounts and is required for specific metabolic reactions within the cells.
Solubility characteristics divide the vitamins into major classes: the water-soluble vitamin and the fat or lipid soluble vitamins. This property determines the pattern of transport, body absorb, excretion and storage within the human body.
The B vitamins and vitamin C are soluble in water. Water soluble vitamins must be constantly replenished in the body because they are eliminated from the body in the urine.
Water soluble vitamins are dissolved in the watery compartments of foods. Once absorbed, these nutrients travel into the bloodstream and then move independently in and around the cells of the body.
These vitamins are transported in the blood plasma. Because they are water soluble, they are easily eliminated by the kidneys and are not stored in the body in any appreciable amount.
The function of the water soluble vitamins are diverse and often unique. Nonetheless, most of the water soluble vitamins or compounds made from them serve as co-enzymes in energy metabolism pathways.
Water soluble Vitamins
