The 13 essential vitamins (and their characteristics)

Human beings require a continuous caloric intake over time, because the simple fact of existing (basal metabolic rate or BMR) consumes about 1,350 kilocalories or more per day, depending on the person. Only our brain consumes 20% of the glucose and oxygen generated in the body, or what is the same, about 350 kilocalories every 24 hours.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), carbohydrates should account for 50 to 75% of caloric intake (especially in the form of starches, without abusing simple sugars), proteins from 10 to 15% and fats from 15 to 30%. These three main groups (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) are known as the "Macronutrients" in the human diet, since the vast majority of our biological functionality it depends on them.

Beyond the “cellular carbon” (which is usually the glucose produced from sugars and complex carbohydrates), there are other nutrients that should be consumed in less quantity than the rest, but that are also essential for the physical and emotional well-being of beings humans.

These are the vitamins and minerals, necessary in amounts equal to or less than 100 milligrams a day. If you want to know all about the 13 essential vitamins, read on.

• We recommend you read: "What is Vitamin E and what foods contain it?"

What are the essential vitamins?

Vitamins are key organic compounds for the maintenance of individual health. These compounds are very heterogeneous and different from one another, but they all have a specific function: to promote proper physiological functioning.

On the other hand, it should be noted that the designative "essential" refers to the fact that these biological elements cannot be synthesized by the human organism itself: what a being Alive produced as part of a metabolic pathway is necessary for another that does not, at least in the case of heterotrophic organisms (those that feed on living matter). Next, we will tell you the peculiarities of these vitamin complexes.

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A can be found in preformed form in animal products, such as meat, fish, dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheeses and derivatives) or in the form of beta-carotene, present in vegetable matter such as sweet potatoes, carrots, apricot, cassava and a very extensive.

This vitamin is essential for the formation and maintenance of teeth and other bone tissues, soft structures, mucous membranes and the skin. In addition to helping persistence and correct function, it also promotes good vision. This organic compound is essential for the nutrition of the cornea, so without it, the eyes cannot produce enough moisture to keep them properly lubricated.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is not only essential for humans, as other primate mammals, guinea pigs and bats cannot synthesize it on their own either. On the other hand, it should be noted that the rest of the vertebrates with which we share the Mammalia class do synthesize this vitamin as a product of their metabolism, specifically in the liver.

This micronutrient is found, above all, in citrus-type fruits, kiwis, broccoli and other vegetables, such as tomatoes or certain tubers. Vitamin C is essential for the formation of almost all the structures of our osteoarticular system, as it is necessary for the synthesis of the famous collagen. It also helps the absorption of iron, tissue repair against injuries and stands out for its important antioxidant activity.

3. Vitamin D

This vitamin is represented by 2 fat-soluble compounds: vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol). Its main function is associated with the maintenance of the bone system, since it promotes the total reabsorption and the partial reabsorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestinal system of humans.

Unlike vitamin C and many others, this is synthesized in small amounts in our body, specifically in the skin with solar action, from 7-dehydrocholesterol. In any case, we must also consume it with the diet, due to its importance in maintaining bones. Some foods rich in vitamin D are cod liver oil, bonito and other fish, beef liver, chicken liver, and dairy products.

4. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is comprised of 8 fat-soluble compounds, also called lipophilic. In the human body, its essential function is to act as an antioxidantIn other words, it has the purpose of neutralizing free radicals resulting from the conversion of organic matter into energy at the cellular level. This work is vital to avoid long-term cell failure, as radicals can damage DNA, which encourages deleterious mutations to appear.

Vegetable oils, nuts, vegetables and some cereals (with the vitamin in additive form) are some of the foods richest in vitamin E on the market. An adult person without pathologies requires an intake of 15 milligrams of vitamin E per day.

5. Vitamin K

Vitamin K is very important for bone and tissue development in general, but above all, its importance lies in its work as a coagulant. People with vitamin K deficiency tend to bruise easily, heavy bleeding, and other events related to hematologic irregularities. Green leafy vegetables are the natural foods that report the most vitamin K.

6. Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

We are going to go a little faster from now on, as there are 8 different vitamins within the B complex and we cannot expand on each of them. The main function of thiamine is the conversion and metabolism of fatty acids, so is considered essential for obtaining energy at the cellular level. A high-carbohydrate diet requires more vitamin B1 than a high-fat diet. It is found, above all, in yeasts, whole grains and legumes.

7. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Among other joint functions with the rest of the B vitamins, riboflavin helps the production of red blood cells and is involved in the metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids. It is found, above all, in dairy products and eggs.

8. Niacin (vitamin B3)

Niacin acts on cell metabolism, as it is part of the coenzyme NAD and NADP, essential for obtaining energy and DNA repair. Green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, carrots, bananas, garlic, and many other non-animal foods are rich in vitamin B3.

9. Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5)

This vitamin, like the rest of the B complex, is essential for growth, since it promotes the correct metabolism of food. Avocado, broccoli, eggs, legumes and animal entrails contain adequate proportions of pantothenic acid.

10. Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)

Vitamin B6 is required by the body to produce amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids, to synthesize antibodies, and to maintain normal neurological function. Due to its functionality, it is often sold in the form of dietary supplements, although fish meats and other specific animal and plant products are also rich in pyridoxine.

11. Biotin (Vitamin B7)

It is usually grouped in the same group as pantothenic acid, since the functions of both types of vitamin B and the foods from which they are obtained are very similar.

12. Folic acid (Vitamin B9)

Vitamin B9 is necessary for protein maturation structural and hemoglobin and, therefore, for the synthesis of red blood cells, the cell bodies that are responsible for transporting oxygen throughout our body.

13. Cobalamin (vitamin B12)

Cobalamin helps make red blood cells, DNA, RNA, energy, and tissues, as well as keeping nerve cells healthy. It is one of the most important vitamins on the entire list, since its deficiency translates into anemia and neurological disorders. B12 is found to a greater or lesser extent in almost all foods of animal origin.

Resume

As we said at the beginning, vitamins are micronutrients that we must integrate into our diet in small doses (less than 100 mg a day) to be healthy. From antioxidant properties to the reabsorption of calcium, through the maintenance of vision and repairing DNA, all these vitamins play some essential role on a small scale in our body.

If you have any questions about the correct intake of all these biological compounds, we encourage you to go to a nutritionist. The lack of some of these vitamins in the short term is not lethal, but it can report a series of irreversible symptoms if it is not detected in time: when it comes to health, prevention is always better than cure.