What are water-soluble vitamins?
Water-soluble vitamins are A group of vitamins that dissolve in water, as opposed to fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Water-soluble vitamins mainly include vitamin B1(thiamine), vitamin B2(riboflavin), vitamin B6(pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxine), vitamin B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, choline and vitamin C.
The main features of these vitamins include:
- Soluble in water: These vitamins can be dissolved in water, easy for the body to absorb and use.
- No storage in the body: Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body for a long time, and excess vitamins are excreted through urine. Therefore, it is necessary to take these vitamins from food regularly.
- Different physiological functions: different water-soluble vitamins play different physiological functions in the human body, such as participating in energy metabolism, maintaining nervous system health, promoting red blood cell production and so on.
- Lack of symptoms: Long-term lack of a certain water-soluble vitamin may lead to corresponding lack of symptoms, such as keratitis, dermatitis, anemia, etc. Therefore, it is important to maintain a balanced diet to ensure adequate intake of water-soluble vitamins.
In order to maintain health, people should get enough water-soluble vitamins through a varied diet. Various grains, vegetables, fruits, meat and other foods contain different types and amounts of water-soluble vitamins.