I’m eating cereal right now and it says it’s a good source of 5 B vitamins. You always see Vit B6 or B12. What are all these vitamins and why is there only one A or C vitamin?
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Imagine vitamins are like a big box of colorful alphabet blocks. Each block is a little different and has its own special job. B vitamins are like the “B” blocks in the box. There are many of them because they are part of a big vitamin family that works together to help our body do important things, like turning the food we eat into energy.
Other vitamins, like A, C, or D, are more like individual blocks with their own jobs. They aren’t part of a big family like the B vitamins, so you won’t find as many of them.
Now, the B vitamins are all a little different, just like how your toys or friends might be different, even if they belong to the same group. Here’s a simple way to remember what each B vitamin does:
B1 (Thiamine) – Helps our body use the energy from food.
B2 (Riboflavin) – Keeps our skin, eyes, and nerves healthy.
B3 (Niacin) – Helps our body break down food and make energy.
B5 (Pantothenic acid) – Supports our body in making and using energy.
B6 (Pyridoxine) – Helps our brain send messages and keeps our immune system strong.
B7 (Biotin) – Helps our body break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
B9 (Folate) – Helps make new cells, especially important for growing kids.
B12 (Cobalamin) – Helps our body make new red blood cells and keeps our brain healthy.
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Basically, if you were to isolate vitamins in food, one of the first things you’d do is separate the molecules by solubility.
A, D, E, and K vitamins are not water soluble, which means they are found in fatty parts of food, and they stay in our cells for a long time.
B and C vitamins are water soluble, which means their mostly found in watery parts of foods (mostly fruits, vegetables and grains), and they easily leave our bodies dissolved in water. They need to be replenished daily.
Once you have separated vitamins by solubility, vitamin C has some unique chemical properties and a biological role that has been well understood for a long time. Removing it leaves the B vitamins: a whole bunch of compounds with different structures and functions, but similarly chemical and physical properties.
Basically, if you were to isolate vitamins in food, one of the first things you’d do is separate the molecules by solubility.
A, D, E, and K vitamins are not water soluble, which means they are found in fatty parts of food, and they stay in our cells for a long time.
B and C vitamins are water soluble, which means their mostly found in watery parts of foods (mostly fruits, vegetables and grains), and they easily leave our bodies dissolved in water. They need to be replenished daily.
Once you have separated vitamins by solubility, vitamin C has some unique chemical properties and a biological role that has been well understood for a long time. Removing it leaves the B vitamins: a whole bunch of compounds with different structures and functions, but similarly chemical and physical properties.
Basically, if you were to isolate vitamins in food, one of the first things you’d do is separate the molecules by solubility.
A, D, E, and K vitamins are not water soluble, which means they are found in fatty parts of food, and they stay in our cells for a long time.
B and C vitamins are water soluble, which means their mostly found in watery parts of foods (mostly fruits, vegetables and grains), and they easily leave our bodies dissolved in water. They need to be replenished daily.
Once you have separated vitamins by solubility, vitamin C has some unique chemical properties and a biological role that has been well understood for a long time. Removing it leaves the B vitamins: a whole bunch of compounds with different structures and functions, but similarly chemical and physical properties.
Imagine this: you have 10 glass marbles. The only categorical differences between them are size, shape, color, and design. You have already identified that they are in fact marbles because they are made of glass and you have identified and verified the structural sequences of glass material. All that’s left to do is sort them into the categories they fit into – type (glass vs. non-glass), color (red, blue, green, etc.), shape (spherical, drop, etc.), design (transparent or cats eye, etc.).
The same goes for vitamins. Scientists first identify the genotype (“code”) that classifies a substance as a vitamin; then they determine the type and subtypes of those substances, using other parts of the code. For example, let’s say a scientist has three substances to study. Upon first look, studying only the “base material” or the genotype, all three substances classify as vitamins because the code that engineered them is identical to the base code in almost all other vitamins. Upon further examination, two of the vitamins appear to function very similarly to one another and the third appears to function similarly to the other two but not nearly as similarly. This is where they’d identify the family of vitamins each one belongs to. Maybe the two that are very similar are both B vitamins, and the third is an A vitamin. Upon even further study, the scientist identifies a third set of data to tell the two similar B vitamins apart – they behave differently. Now the scientist has identified that not only does he/she have two B vitamins, but one of each, vitamin B6 and B12.
The names of these vitamins help scientists identify how these vitamins are similar (vitamin vs vitamin, vitamin vs mineral, vs other substances) how far down they remain similar, and where exactly they depart from similarity so they better understand more about what the substance is, how it behaves/reacts, and what benefits/consequences we have of taking these specific substances, AND how much we should take (as deficiencies and toxicity can occur if we take the wrong dose).
I hope this helps!
Not a doctor.
Edited for a few typos/clarifications.
Imagine this: you have 10 glass marbles. The only categorical differences between them are size, shape, color, and design. You have already identified that they are in fact marbles because they are made of glass and you have identified and verified the structural sequences of glass material. All that’s left to do is sort them into the categories they fit into – type (glass vs. non-glass), color (red, blue, green, etc.), shape (spherical, drop, etc.), design (transparent or cats eye, etc.).
The same goes for vitamins. Scientists first identify the genotype (“code”) that classifies a substance as a vitamin; then they determine the type and subtypes of those substances, using other parts of the code. For example, let’s say a scientist has three substances to study. Upon first look, studying only the “base material” or the genotype, all three substances classify as vitamins because the code that engineered them is identical to the base code in almost all other vitamins. Upon further examination, two of the vitamins appear to function very similarly to one another and the third appears to function similarly to the other two but not nearly as similarly. This is where they’d identify the family of vitamins each one belongs to. Maybe the two that are very similar are both B vitamins, and the third is an A vitamin. Upon even further study, the scientist identifies a third set of data to tell the two similar B vitamins apart – they behave differently. Now the scientist has identified that not only does he/she have two B vitamins, but one of each, vitamin B6 and B12.
The names of these vitamins help scientists identify how these vitamins are similar (vitamin vs vitamin, vitamin vs mineral, vs other substances) how far down they remain similar, and where exactly they depart from similarity so they better understand more about what the substance is, how it behaves/reacts, and what benefits/consequences we have of taking these specific substances, AND how much we should take (as deficiencies and toxicity can occur if we take the wrong dose).
I hope this helps!
Not a doctor.
Edited for a few typos/clarifications.
Imagine this: you have 10 glass marbles. The only categorical differences between them are size, shape, color, and design. You have already identified that they are in fact marbles because they are made of glass and you have identified and verified the structural sequences of glass material. All that’s left to do is sort them into the categories they fit into – type (glass vs. non-glass), color (red, blue, green, etc.), shape (spherical, drop, etc.), design (transparent or cats eye, etc.).
The same goes for vitamins. Scientists first identify the genotype (“code”) that classifies a substance as a vitamin; then they determine the type and subtypes of those substances, using other parts of the code. For example, let’s say a scientist has three substances to study. Upon first look, studying only the “base material” or the genotype, all three substances classify as vitamins because the code that engineered them is identical to the base code in almost all other vitamins. Upon further examination, two of the vitamins appear to function very similarly to one another and the third appears to function similarly to the other two but not nearly as similarly. This is where they’d identify the family of vitamins each one belongs to. Maybe the two that are very similar are both B vitamins, and the third is an A vitamin. Upon even further study, the scientist identifies a third set of data to tell the two similar B vitamins apart – they behave differently. Now the scientist has identified that not only does he/she have two B vitamins, but one of each, vitamin B6 and B12.
The names of these vitamins help scientists identify how these vitamins are similar (vitamin vs vitamin, vitamin vs mineral, vs other substances) how far down they remain similar, and where exactly they depart from similarity so they better understand more about what the substance is, how it behaves/reacts, and what benefits/consequences we have of taking these specific substances, AND how much we should take (as deficiencies and toxicity can occur if we take the wrong dose).
I hope this helps!
Not a doctor.
Edited for a few typos/clarifications.
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