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A, C, E, D, B, K.
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No, this isn't some random,
out of order alphabet.
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These are vitamins,
and just like letters build words,
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they're the building blocks
that keep the body running.
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Vitamins are organic compounds we need
to ingest in small amounts
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to keep functioning.
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They're the body's builders, defenders
and maintenance workers,
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helping it to build muscle and bone,
make use of nutrients,
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capture and use energy
and heal wounds.
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If you need convincing about
vitamin value,
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just consider the plight of
olden day sailors,
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who had no access to vitamin-rich
fresh produce.
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They got scurvy.
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But vitamin C,
abundant in fruits and vegetables,
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was the simple antidote to this disease.
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While bacteria, fungi and plants
produce their own vitamins,
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our bodies can't, so we have to get
them from other sources.
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So how does the body get
vitamins from out there into here?
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That's dependent on the form
these compounds take.
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Vitamins come in two types:
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lipid-soluble and
water-soluble,
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and the difference between them
determines how the body
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transports and stores vitamins,
and gets rid of the excess.
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The water-solubles are vitamin C
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and B Complex vitamins that are made up of
eight different types
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that each do something unique.
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These are dissolved in the watery parts
of fruits, vegetables and grains,
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meaning their passage through the body
is relatively straightforward.
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Once inside the system,
these foods are digested
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and the vitamins within them are
taken up directly by the bloodstream.
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Because blood plasma is water-based,
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water-soluble vitamins C and B have their
transport cut out for them
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and can move around freely
within the body.
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For lipid-soluble vitamins,
dissolved in fat
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and found in foods like diary,
butter and oils,
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this trip into the blood is a little
more adventurous.
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These vitamins make it through
the stomach and the intestine,
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where an acidic substance
called bile flows in from the liver,
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breaking up the fat and preparing it for
absorption through the intestinal wall.
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Because fat-soluble vitamins can't make
use of the blood's watery nature,
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they need something else
to move them around,
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and that comes from proteins that attach
to the vitamins and act like couriers,
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transporting fat-solubles into the blood
and around the body.
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So, this difference between water-
or fat-soluble vitamins
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determines how they get into the blood,
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but also how they're stored
or rejected from the body.
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The system's ability to circulate
water-soluble vitamins
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in the bloodstream so easily
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means that most of them can be passed
out equally easily via the kidneys.
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Because of that,
most water-soluble vitamins
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need to be replenished on a daily basis
through the food we eat.
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But fat-soluble vitamins have
staying power
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because they can be packed into the liver
and in fat cells.
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The body treats these parts like a pantry,
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storing the vitamins there and rationing
them out when needed,
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meaning we shouldn't overload
on this type of vitamin
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because the body is generally
well stocked.
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Once we figured the logistics
of transport and storage,
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the vitamins are left to do the work
they came here to do in the first place.
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Some, like many of the B Complex vitamins,
make up coenzymes,
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whose job it is to help enzymes
release the energy from food.
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Other B vitamins then help the body
to use that energy.
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From vitamin C, you get the ability to
fight infection and make collagen,
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a kind of tissue that forms
bones and teeth and heals wounds.
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Vitamin A helps make white blood cells,
key in the body's defense,
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helps shape bones and improves vision
by keeping the cells of the eye in check.
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Vitamin D gathers calcium and phosphorus
so we can make bones,
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and vitamin E works as an antioxidant,
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getting rid of elements in the body
that can damage cells.
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Finally, from Vitamin K, we score
the ability to clot blood,
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since it helps make the proteins
that do this job.
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Without this vitamin variety,
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humans face deficiencies that
cause a range of problems,
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like fatigue, nerve damage,
heart disorders,
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or diseases like rickets and scurvy.
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On the other hand, too much of any
vitamin can cause toxicity in the body,
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so there goes the myth that loading
yourself with supplements is a great idea.
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In reality, it's all about getting the
balance right,
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and hitting that vitamin jackpot.