Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body and need not be consumed daily.
| Vitamin | Its Functions | Good Dietary Sources | Signs of Deficiency | Signs of Overdose |
| Vitamin A | Helps maintain skin, hair, nails, gums, bones, teeth; helps ward off infection, promotes eye function | Dairy products, green and deep yellow or orange vegetables, deep yellow or orange fruit | Night blindness, reduced growth in children | Headache, blurred vision fatigue, diarrhea, joint pain |
| Vitamin D | Helps build and maintain teeth and bones; helps the body absorb calcium | liver, tuna, cod-liver oil, fortified milk | Rickets in children, bone diseases in adults | Calcium deposits, fragile bones, hypertension, high cholesterol, diarrhea |
| Vitamin E | Helps form red blood cells, muscles, and other tissues; preserves fatty acids | Poultry, seafood, seeds, nuts, vegetable oils, wheat germ, fortified cereal, eggs | Rare in humans | Blurred vision, headaches |
| Vitamin K | Aids blood clotting | Made by intestinal bacteria. Spinach, oats, wheat bran | Excessive bleeding, liver damage | jaundice in infants |
Water-soluble vitamins are stored in smaller amounts than fat-soluble vitamins and need to be consumed more frequently
| Vitamin | Its Functions | Good Dietary Sources | Signs of Deficiency | Signs of Overdose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thiamin, vitamin B1 | Enhances energy, promotes normal appetite and digestion | Pork, fortified cereals and grains, seafood | Anxiety, hysteria, nausea Extreme cases: beriberi | |
| Riboflavin | Metabolism of foods, release of energy to cells | Organ meat, beef, lamb, the dark meat of poultry, dairy products, fortified cereals, dark green leafy vegetables | Sores around nose and mouth, visual problems | |
| Pantothenic acid, vitamin B5 | Needed to convert food to energy, aids digestion | Found in nearly all foods | Weakness, irritability | |
| Niacin, nicotinic acid | Helps release energy from foods, aids nerve function, digestion | Poultry, seafood, seeds, nuts, potatoes, fortified grains and cereals | Extreme cases: pellagra, a skin disease | Skin flushing |
| Pyridoxine, vitamin B6 | Aids protein metabolism and absorption, and carbohydrate metabolism | Meat, fish, poultry, grains, cereals, potatoes, bananas, prunes | Depression, confusion, and convulsions in infants | Extreme cases: sensory nerve destruction |
| Cobalamin, vitamin B 12 | Builds genetic material needed by cells; helps form red blood cells | All animal products | Deficiency rare except in strict vegetarians, the elderly, and those with malabsorption disorders | |
| Biotin | Metabolism of glucose, essential for many bodily processes | Made by intestinal bacteria, meats, Poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds | Rare except in infants: scaling skin, fatigue, pain | |
| Folic acid, folate, folacin | Manufacture of red blood cells and genetic material | Poultry, liver, dark green leafy vegetables, legume, fortified whole-grain bread and cereals, | Anemia, diarrhea, bleeding gums, weight loss, stomach upsets | |
| Vitamin C, ascorbic acid | Helps bind cells together, strengthens blood vessel walls help resist infection, speed healing of wounds | Citrus fruits, strawberries, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower | Bleeding gums, loose teeth, easy bruising. Extreme cases: scurvy |
