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• Vitamin A is required for night vision and maintenance of body linings and skin. Because of its antioxidant properties, it assists the immune system, and is good to protect against cancer formation and other diseases. It also helps the digestive and urinary tract as well as assisting your sense of taste. Many scientific studies suggested that it helps slow aging.
A deficiency of vitamin A may cause eye problems with dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva and night blindness. A warning of too little vitamin A in the body are dry itchy eyes that tire easily. If the vitamin A deficiency is severe, the cornea can ulcerate and leading to permanent blindness.
A vitamin A deficiency may also lead to dry skin and hair, especially if protein is also lacking.
• Vitamin D (calciferol) can rightly be called the sunshine vitamin, since the body can manufacture this nutrient from sunshine on your skin using cholesterol from your body to do so.
Vitamin D helps with increasing the absorption of calcium, promotes strong teeth and generally assists in bone growth and their integrity.
A lack of vitamin D can lead to softening of the bone and muscle twitching and convulsions. In children it causes rickets. In adults, the shortage causes osteomalacia - loss of minerals from the bones. In older people, when protein is also lost from the bone. osteoporosis may be a problem.
• Vitamin E has earned itself a reputation - from spicing up your sex life to banning wrinkles and old age.
A powerful antioxidant, Vitamin E is protects body cells from oxidation, and neutralizes unstable free radicals, which can cause damage. Its antioxidant capability is a great help in preventing degenerative diseases - such as heart disease, strokes, arthritis, senility, diabetes and cancer.
Shortage of Vitamin E is not common, and the symptoms not very clear cut, but they may include inflamed varicose veins, fatigue, premature aging, wounds healing slowly and sub-fertility.
• Vitamin K is used in the body to control blood clotting and is essential for synthesizing the liver protein that controls the clotting.
A deficiency of this vitamin may manifest itself in nosebleeds, internal hemorrhaging. In newborn babies, lack of vitamin K results in hemorrhagic disease, as well as postoperative bleeding and hematuria.
As you can see the above vitamins are very important for your body and any deficiency must by a adjusted. But there is a problem here. Vitamins A, D, E and K are classified as a fat-soluble vitamins and they are not excreted as readily as water soluble vitamins (such as the B vitamins and vitamin C). Once absorbed, Vitamins A, D, E and K remain stored in the liver and fatty tissues, therefore excess intake can cause toxic buildup
Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in men's health issues
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