Fat Soluble Vitamins And Food

Fat-soluble vitamins are those that require the presence of dietary fat in order to be absorbed properly. The fat-soluble vitamins, which include vitamins A, D, E and K, travel through your lymphatic system before becoming absorbed into your bloodstream. Your body stores can store excess amounts of fat-soluble vitamins from the food you eat and use these vitamins when your dietary intake falls short.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is essential for healthy vision. The light-sensitive proteins in your eyes, called rhodopsin and iodopsin, rely on vitamin A to transfer light images to vision. Vitamin A also plays important roles in cell division and differentiation, which is the physiological process that determines what a cell becomes in your body. Vitamin A also plays a role in keeping your skin healthy and maintains the mucus membranes in your lungs, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys.

Adult women should consume 700 mcg of Vitamin A every day and adult men should consume 900 mcg of vitamin A daily. The best food sources of vitamin A include organ meats, such as liver, milk, cheese, cereals, eggs, carrots, spinach and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D stimulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in your gastrointestinal tract, which helps ensure that there is an adequate amount of these minerals in your blood to keep your bones strong. Adults require 5 to 15 mcg of vitamin D daily. Very few foods provide significant amounts of vitamin D. The best food sources include fortified milk, yogurt, enriched breakfast cereals, salmon and sardines.

Vitamin E

One of the most well-known functions of vitamin E is its role as an antioxidant. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals to protect your cell membranes. Vitamin E also reduces the risk of plaque accumulation in your arteries. Another important function of vitamin E is its role as an anticoagulant. Vitamin E helps ensures that your blood does not clot abnormally and block blood flow.

Both adult men and women require 15 mg of vitamin E daily. Vegetable oils are the richest sources of vitamin E. Foods that are naturally high in oils, such as nuts and seeds, are also good sources of vitamin E. Leafy green vegetables and fortified cereals also contain moderate amounts of vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K acts as a coagulation factor, which means that it helps to ensure your blood can clot normally. If vitamin K was not present in your blood, a small cut would lead to extreme bleeding. Vitamin K also plays a role in regulating calcium, which can help keep your bones strong.

Adult women need to consume 90 mcg of vitamin K every day, whereas adult men should consume 120 mcg daily. The best food sources of vitamin K include green vegetables, such as broccoli, spinach, salad greens, asparagus, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Vegetable oils and enriched margarines also contain a significant amount of vitamin K.