| Vitamin |
What it does |
Where it is found |
Deficiency symptoms |
| A |
Essential for good vision in dim night |
Liver; fish; eggs; milk; (The body can make its own vitamin A from vegetable like carrots) |
Night-blindness |
| B1 |
Helps to get energy from food; needed for
healthy heart and nerves |
Cereals; brown rice; liver; kidneys; milk;
eggs |
Loss of appetite; irritability; paralysis; |
| B2 |
Contributes to health skin; needed for
building body tissue, so affects growth rate |
Cereals; meat; milk; eggs; green vegetables |
Cracked lips; eyes become sensitive to
light; poor growth rate; sore |
| B6 |
Essential to the making of blood cells,
healthy blood vessels and nervous system |
Liver; kidneys; fish; yeast and yeast
products; whole-grain cereals; vegetables |
May cause pre-menstrual tension |
| B12 |
Essential to healthy blood cells and
nervous system |
Liver; kidneys; meat; eggs; cereals |
Anaemia |
| C |
Keeps bones, teeth and gums, blood vessels
healthy; may help to fight infections |
Fresh fruits (orange and lemons);
vegetable; vitamin C-enriched fruit juices |
Scurvy; slow healing of small cuts and
scratches; weak teeth; bleeding gums |
| D |
Regulates the absorption of calcium and
phosphorus for bone formation |
Fish liver oils; milk; butter; egg yolk;
fish (Vitamin D can be made in skin under ultra-violet
light) |
Rickets (soft bones and enlarged joints) |
| K |
Needed for clotting of blood |
Leafy vegetables; eggs; milk |
Prolong bleeding |
