Vitamins Explained

In humans, there are thirteen vitamins, divided into two groups, the four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) and the nine water-soluble vitamins (eight B vitamins and vitamin C).

Vitamin name	Chemical name	Solubility	Deficiency disease	Overdose	Estimated Average Minimum Daily Requirement (male, aged 19–30)
Vitamin A	Retinol	Fat	Night-blindness, Keratomalacia	7.5 mg	620 μg
Vitamin B1	Thiamine	Water	Beriberi	n/a	1000 μg
Vitamin B2	Riboflavin	Water	Ariboflavinosis	n/a	1100 μg
Vitamin B3	Niacin	Water	Pellagra	2500 mg	12000 μg
Vitamin B5	Pantothenic acid	Water	Paresthesia	n/a	10000 μg
Vitamin B6	Pyridoxine	Water	n/a	400 mg	1100 μg
Vitamin B7	Biotin	Water	n/a	n/a	30 µg
Vitamin B9	Folic Acid	Water	*see note 2	1 mg	320 μg
Vitamin B12	Cyanocobalamin	Water	Pernicious anemia	n/a	2 µg
Vitamin C	Ascorbic Acid	Water	Scurvy *note 3	n/a	75000 μg
Vitamin D1–D4	Lamisterol, Ergocalciferol, Calciferol, Dihydrotachysterol, 7-dehydrositosterol	Fat	Rickets	1.25 mg	2 µg (for all Vitamin D)
Vitamin E	Tocopherol	Fat	n/a	33,000 mg	12000 μg
Vitamin K	Naphthoquinone (not to be confused with Ketamine)	Fat	n/a	n/a	75 µg

Notes:
 1. " Dietary Reference Intakes", Health Canada. (retrieved May 4, 2006) 
 2. Folic acid (vitamin B9) deficiency in pregnant women is associated with birth defects, and has links to cancer as well.
 3. Vitamin C is sometimes considered a macronutrient rather than a vitamin.
Some of the vitamins are known by other names in older literature. These names are written after the vitamins in brackets. Vitamin B2 is also referred to as vitamin G. Vitamin B7, or biotin is also referred to as "vitamin H." Vitamin B9, or folic acid and other folates such as "vitamin M" (monkey antianemia factor, pteryl-tri-glutamic acid) are referred to as folicin. Vitamin B3 is also referred to as "vitamin PP", a name derived from the obsolete term "pellagra-preventing factor". Many other essential dietary substances were originally called vitamins and are now classified differently.

Other nutrients that are not classified as vitamins include carnitine (meat, fish, dairy), DMAE (fish, eggs, soy, brains), lipoic acid (liver), folinic acid (liver), bioptrin (fish, liver), PPQ (below) and coenzyme Q (meat, yogurt, soy).

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