vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins, beta carotene, contents, nutrition, food composition

Vitamins

Vitamins are substances which have no energy value but are vital. Except for two, (vitamins K and D), we are not able to make them ourselves and their intake in diet is essential for our body to function in a balanced way. Unlike the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates or sugars, lipids or fats) they act at very low doses.

Two groups of vitamins can be distinguished

· fat-soluble vitamins can be stored by the body. These are mostly provided in foods of animal origin and vegetable oils and are vitamins A, D, E and K.
>Foods with high level of vitamin A (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin D (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin E (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin K (pdf - only in French)

· water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body (except for vitamin B12). They must therefore be provided daily in our diet. These vitamins are obtained from almost all groups of foods (meat, fish, eggs, dairy produce, cereals, fruits and vegetables). They are vitamin C and the B group vitamins B (B1, B2, B3 or PP, B5, B6, B8, B9 and B12).
>Foods with high level of vitamin B1 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B2 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B3 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B5 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B6 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B8 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B9 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin B12 (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of vitamin C (pdf - only in French)
>Foods with high level of b-carotene (pdf - only in French)

Each vitamin has a very specific role

Overall, they are involved in many biological functions: construction (growth, development of the skeleton, etc.), functioning and maintenance (conversion and use of macronutrients, vision, blood coagulation, muscle, nerve and immune systems, manufacture of DNA, anti-oxidants etc.). An adequate intake of vitamins is increasingly being shown to have a role in preventing many diseases (diseases related to ageing, cardiovascular diseases, cancers) although overconsumption of vitamins can have harmful long term effects.

Regardless of how foods are stored, preserved and prepared, vitamin loss, mostly the water soluble vitamins, are inevitable. Vitamins are highly sensitive to oxygen, light, water and heat.