Vitamin A refers to a group of retinoids important for vision and immune function. Deficiency can cause night blindness, a condition first documented in the 19th century.

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water‑soluble antioxidant required for collagen synthesis. Its discovery as an antiscorbutic agent earned Albert Szent‑Györgyi the 1937 Nobel Prize.

Vitamin D is a fat‑soluble secosteroid that regulates calcium absorption and bone health. Human skin synthesizes it from 7‑dehydrocholesterol upon exposure to UVB radiation.

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is essential for red blood cell formation and neurological function. It is produced exclusively by certain bacteria and archaea.

Vitamin deficiency occurs when intake or absorption of a vitamin is insufficient for physiological needs. Severe deficiencies can lead to diseases such as rickets, beriberi, or pellagra.

Linus Pauling was a chemist and two‑time Nobel laureate who advocated high‑dose vitamin C supplementation. His controversial work sparked the modern field of orthomolecular medicine.

Food fortification adds vitamins and minerals to processed foods to prevent nutrient deficiencies in populations. In the United States, fortifying flour with thiamine began in the 1930s.

Scurvy is a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency, characterized by bleeding gums and joint pain. It was a major problem for sailors until James Lind's 1747 experiment demonstrated a citrus cure.

General Science

Vitamin

Nutrients required by organisms in small amounts

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Overview

Vitamins are organic molecules that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. These essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through consumption. For example, vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it is not considered a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. Most vitamins are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules called vitamers. For example, there are eight vitamers of vitamin E: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols.

Source: Wikipedia — Vitamin (CC BY-SA)

Key concepts

How Vitamin connects to the ideas, people and events around it.

Vitamin A
includes
Vitamin A refers to a group of retinoids important for vision and immune function. Deficiency can cause night blindness, a condition first documented in the 19th century.
Vitamin C
includes
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a water‑soluble antioxidant required for collagen synthesis. Its discovery as an antiscorbutic agent earned Albert Szent‑Györgyi the 1937 Nobel Prize.
Vitamin D
includes
Vitamin D is a fat‑soluble secosteroid that regulates calcium absorption and bone health. Human skin synthesizes it from 7‑dehydrocholesterol upon exposure to UVB radiation.
Vitamin B12
includes
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is essential for red blood cell formation and neurological function. It is produced exclusively by certain bacteria and archaea.
Vitamin deficiency
can cause
Vitamin deficiency occurs when intake or absorption of a vitamin is insufficient for physiological needs. Severe deficiencies can lead to diseases such as rickets, beriberi, or pellagra.
Linus Pauling
promoted
Linus Pauling was a chemist and two‑time Nobel laureate who advocated high‑dose vitamin C supplementation. His controversial work sparked the modern field of orthomolecular medicine.
Food fortification
applied in
Food fortification adds vitamins and minerals to processed foods to prevent nutrient deficiencies in populations. In the United States, fortifying flour with thiamine began in the 1930s.
Scurvy
caused by
Scurvy is a disease caused by severe vitamin C deficiency, characterized by bleeding gums and joint pain. It was a major problem for sailors until James Lind's 1747 experiment demonstrated a citrus cure.

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Questions about Vitamin

What is Vitamin?

What are the key concepts related to Vitamin?

The main concepts connected to Vitamin include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Vitamin deficiency, Linus Pauling, Food fortification, Scurvy. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.

Which exams cover Vitamin?

Vitamin is part of General Science, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CAPF, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL and 18 more exams.