Lernmaterialien für BIOCHEMISTRY an der Universiti Sains Malaysia

• individual unit
• not linked together

• must be consumed (presumed vitamin)
• may be synthesised by the body using precursors or provitamins

based on solubility

• fat tissues/ adipose tissue
• liver

1. easier to store than water- soluble vitamin
2. can stay in body as reserves for days or months
3. could be toxic if in excess amount
4. absorbed through intestinal tract with the aid  of lipids
5. our body cannot remove the vitamins until they have been used

1. vitamin A
2. Vitamin D
3. Vitamin E
4. Vitamin K

• help eyes adjust to light changes
• needed by the retina of the eyes in the form of a specific metabolite
• the light-absorbing molecule retinal

• bone growth
• teeth development
• reproduction
• cell division
• regulation of immune system

• impaired vision (night blindness)
• hardening of skin cells
• increase risks of infection

• birth defects
• permanent damage to liver and eyes
• reduced bone density
• nausea, jaundice, vomiting, blurry vision, headaches, hair loss, muscle and abdominal pain, drowsiness and altered mental status

• do not provide energy
• acts as coenzymes
• play important role in digestion and utilisation of fats, protein and carbohydrates