Naturopathic-Medicine.net - About Vitamins

About Vitamins

Vitamin	Benefits	Recommended Daily Allowance	Food Sources	Deficiency Symptoms
Vitamin A	Critical to the development of bones and teeth. Helps maintain good eyesight. Enhances the immune system. Prevents red blood cell damage.	Adults 600 mcg Children 600 mcg Infants 350 mcg Lactating Women 950 mcg	Cod liver oil, Dark green leafy vegetables, Yellow-orange vegetables and fruits, Sunflower seeds, Liver, Milk, Butter, Parsley	Chronic sinus problems, night blindness, retarded growth, skin disorders, and increased infection risk

Vitamin B 1	Needed by your body to process fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Acivates and promotes a calm nervous system.	Men 1.3 mg Women 1.0 mg Children 1.1 mg Infants 50 mcg	Yogurt, Wheat germ, Sunflower seeds, liver, pork, whole & enriched grains, dried beans, brown rice, fish, garlic	Beri-beri, nervousness, muscle weakness, heart weakness

Vitamin B 2	Processes amino acids and fats. Helps cells in the tissue exchange of oxygen. Creates resistance to disease. Also activates vitamin B-6 and folic acid.	Men 1.5 mg Women 1.2 mg Children 1.3 mg Infants 60 mcg	Organ meats, Eggs, Dairy products, Raw green leafy vegetables (like spinach), whole & enriched grains, Chicken, Yogurt	Eye disorders and skin cracking, especially at corners of mouth, hair loss

Vitamin B 3	Necessary for healthy blood circulation. Used by your body to release energy from carbohydrates . Retards the accumulation of cholesterol and fats.	Men 17 mg Women 13 mg Children 15 mg Infants 650 mcg	Liver, Meat, poultry, fish, nuts, whole & enriched grains, dried beans, brown rice, soybeans	Diarrhea, Dermatitis, and mental disturbance. Soreness o fthe tongue or mouth. Memory loss.

Vitamin B 5	Converts nutrients into energy. Key for proper adrenal gland functioning. Also essential for processing fats.	Men 10 mg Women 10 mg Children 5.5 mg	Lean meats, whole grains, legumes, broccoli, cabbage, corn potatoes, peas, molasses	Tingling hands and feet, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, insomnia, reduced resistance to infection, kidney problems, thinning hair, mental stress

Vitamin B 6	The principle vitamin for processing amino acids. Also helps convert nutrients into energy. Influences hair color, growth and texture	Men 2.0 mg Women 2.0 mg Children 1.7 mg Infants 0.1-0.4 mg	Brown rice, molasses, Fish, wheat germ and bran, seeds, beets, poultry, lean meats, cabbage, whole grains	Dermatitis, retarded growth, motion sickness, tremors, fainting easily and nausea

Vitamin B 12	Maintains healthy nervous system and assists with blood cell formation.	Men 2 mcg Women 2 mcg Children 1 mcg Infants 0.5 mcg Lactating Women 2.6 mcg	Liver, wheat germ, salmon, lean meat, fish and poultry, eggs, dairy products	Pernicious anemia and nervous system disorders. Loss of appetite, pain in the facial muscles, nerve problems, loss of concentration, low energy

Vitamin B 9 - Folic Acid	Assists the normal development of cells, especially during pregnancy. Also protects your body from amino acids linked to heart disease and stroke.	Men 100 mcg Women 100 mcg Children 80 mcg Infants 25 mcg Pregnant Women 400 mcg Lactating Women 150 mcg	Eggs, Poultry, Green leafy vegetables (like spinach), liver, dried beans, avocados, wheat germ	Macrocytic anemia (enlarged red blood cells), fatigue, intestinal parasites

Vitamin C	Helps the formation of scar tissue, Fights bacterial infection, Reduces the impact of some allergy producing substances, Helps prevent the common cold (Controversial), Regulates cholesterol in the bloodstream. As an antioxidant, fights cancer, cataracts, and heart disease.	Men 40 mg Women 40 mg Children 40 mg Infants 25 mg Lactating Women 80 mg	Citrus fruits, melon, berries, vegetables; like Broccoli, Cabbage, Tomatoes, Parsley, Green peppers	Scurvey-defective bone formation and poor wound healing. Easily catching colds, easily bruised, bleeding gums, sterility.

Vitamin D	Critical for bone development and strength. Mantains a stable nervous system. Promotes eye health. Maintains a normal and strong heartbeat, Helps in blood clotting. Regulates calcium and phosphorus.	Adults 0.01 mg Children 0.01 mg	Fish-liver oils, Fortified milk, Egg yolks, Tuna fish, Sardines, Sunflower seeds	Rickets-poorly developed, weak bones; Nervous tension, defective teeth, infections

Vitamin E	Strong antioxident. Rebuilds unhealthy and injured tissue. Prevents lung damage from many pollutants, Vital to the immune system, adrenal, pituitary and reproductive glands.	Men 15 mg Women 12 mg Children 8.3 mg Infants 4-5 mg	Vegetable oils, Wheat germ, Eggs, Whole grains, Avocados, Rice, Leafy vegetables, Lamb, Fish	Heart stress. Mental Inefficiency. Lacky of physical stamina. Muscular disorders and sterility

Vitamin K	Essential to blood clotting.	Adults 70-140 mcg Children 35-75 mcg	Green leafy vegetables, Vegetable oils, Fish	Excessive bleeding due to retarded blood clotting.

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