Fat Soluble Vitamins – What You Need To Know Right Now
Moving on from water soluble vitamins, we come to a group of vitamins that are generally misunderstood by newcomers to the world of vitamins: fat soluble vitamins. Their name suggests that they might be bad, given the common health myth that all fat is bad for you — if that were the case, olive oil wouldn’t be nearly as popular or have the long list of benefits for the body that it does. As water soluble vitamins dissolve in water, fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fat. And unlike their water soluble cousins, fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fats instead of water.
There are some other differences as well. Since these fat soluble vitamins dissolve in fat, the body actually stores them a lot longer than water soluble types. They are not flushed out of the body by excretion the way water soluble vitamins are, and it’s easier to run into vitamin toxicity if too many fat soluble vitamins are in the body at once.
There are some benefits to this class of vitamins, in spite of the downsides. For one, because they stay in the body longer, fat soluble vitamins can be stored for later use and come into action when they’re needed, without the person having to ingest these vitamins frequently in order to get the benefits. Light supplementation of fat soluble vitamins is a good thing, but heavy doses of these vitamins under the idea that higher levels will be a good thing is misguided and will eventually do more harm than good.
The main fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. All of them are essential in order for your body to function at its best, but thankfully they do not need to be ingested in large doses.
Let’s go into these powerful vitamins in greater detail.
Affectionately referred to as the “vision vitamin”, Vitamin A promotes optimal eye health and longevity, and also aids the body in maintaining normal growth functions. This vitamin can be found in a number of food sources, such as milk, eggs, butter, carrots, and leafy spinach.
Vitamin D is famous for being able to be obtained directly from sitting out in the sun — just don’t forget the sunscreen! What actually happens when you’re out in the sun is that the sunlight triggers a response in your body’s cells to start producing Vitamin D. Like milk, it really does a body good! Speaking of milk, it’s a great source of Vitamin D, much like fatty fish and fish oils. What Vitamin D actually does for the body is make other vitamins and nutrients, such as calcium and phosphorous easier for the body to absorb.
Vitamin E helps build strong hair, skin, and nails, and can be found most often in fatty oils, as well as nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Vitamin E is often thought of as Nature’s best repair crew, repairing the body’s cells around the clock and protecting the body from long-term damage.
Last but not least, Vitamin K’s main role in the body is to help the blood clot quickly and effectively. While this doesn’t seem important at first, it gets much more serious when injury occurs. If the blood does not clot quickly, rapid blood loss is a serious risk that has to be treated right away. This highly essential vitamin can be found in deep green leafy vegetables, eggs, and even milk.
Are fat soluble vitamins bad? Far from it — they are essential for a healthy lifestyle and a body that functions to its highest abilities. Taking a cautious approach and slowly adding more fat soluble vitamins is a smart idea for newcomers to vitamins, but don’t be afraid of them either.
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Tags: Calcium, Health, Leaf vegetable, Nutrient, Nutrition, Olive oil, Shopping, Vitamin
Healthy | Oes Tsetnoc | 
November 27, 2009 11:05 am
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