Top 10 Vitamin Food Sources - Deficiencies, Overdose, and Side Effects

It is a true fact that consumption of vitamins that exceeds from what is required can cause overdose and side effects and it is also true that deficiency of vitamins from what is required causes diseases and medical ailments, so below is a list of top 10 essential vitamins with their sources and deficiencies, overdose, and side effects. Knowledge of all these will help you determine which foods sources provide which types of vitamins and deficiency, and overdose of which vitamins cause what type of medical diseases. This simple but complete guide of top 10 vitamins will help you in building a healthy and balanced diet, which will be full of nutrition.

Food Sources of Vitamin A

Meat, eggs, cheese, milk, cream, kidney, liver, and cod liver oil, all these, except for skimmed milk are high in saturated fat and cholesterol and are sources of vitamin A.

Deficiencies, Overdose, And Side Effects of Vitamin A

Vitamin A deficiency can cause vision problems and increase susceptibility to infectious diseases. Vitamin A overdose can cause birth defects. Acute vitamin A poisoning can occur when an adult takes several hundred thousand units of vitamin A supplements per day.

Food Sources of Vitamin B12

Beef, poultry, eggs, seafood, and milk and derivatives contain vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs when the body is unable to absorb it from the intestinal tract, which may be caused due to pernicious anemia (decreased red blood cells). Lower levels of Vitamin B12 can cause anemia, numbness or tingling in the arms and legs and weakness and loss of balance.

Food Sources of Vitamin B6

Nuts, beans, legumes, meat, eggs, fish, enriched breads and cereals, and whole grains are some sources of vitamin B6.

Deficiencies, Side Effects, And Overdose of Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 overdose can cause neurological disorders, weakness, and numbness. Vitamin B6 deficiency can cause ulcers of the mouth and tongue, irritability, confusion, anxiety, and depression.

Food Sources of Vitamin B1

Cereals, breads, pasta, lean meats (especially pork), fish, whole grains (especially wheat germ) dry beans, soybean, and peas contain vitamin B1.

Vitamin B1 Deficiency

Deficiency of Vitamin B1 can cause fatigue, weakness, nerve damage, and psychosis. Excessive consumption of alcohol impairs absorption of this vitamin, which can lead to the development of a disease called beriberi (may affect cardiovascular or nervous system).

Food Sources of Vitamin B3

Poultry, dairy, fish, nuts, lean meat, and eggs contain vitamin B3. Cereals also supply some of this vitamin.

Deficiencies, Side Effects, And Overdose of Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 deficiency causes pellagra and the symptoms of pellagra include inflammation of the skin, mental deterioration, and digestive problems. Vitamin B6 Overdose can cause peptic ulcer disease, liver damage, and skin rash. Even normal doses can be associated with reddening of the skin.

Food Sources of Biotin

Fish, eggs, dairy products including milk, curd, butter, legumes, whole grains, broccoli yeast, some vegetables in the cabbage family, sweet potatoes, and lean meat contain biotin.

Overdose of Biotin

Biotin or pantothenic acid overdose produces symptoms of possible diarrhea.

Food Sources of Vitamin C

Citrus fruits and juices, green locote, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, sweet potatoes, papaya, cantaloupe, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, raspberries, red locote, blueberries, and pineapple contain vitamin C. Also one citrus orange contains 45 mg of vitamin C.

Vitamin C Overdose And Side Effects

Amounts exceeding 2,000 mg/day of vitamin C supplements can lead to stomach upset and diarrhea. A small amount can cause inflammation and bleeding of the gums, rough and dry skin, decreased rate of wound healing, and so on.

Food Sources of Vitamin D

Fish, dairy products, fortified cereals, oysters, and margarine are some vitamin D rich foods.

Deficiencies, Overdose, And Side Effects of Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency causes osteoporosis in old people and rickets in children. Vitamin D overdose causes undesirable effect that starts removing calcium from the bones and place them into other vital organs like heart and lungs, thereby reducing their overall capacity and function. Therefore, the inability to use heart and lungs properly can cause rickets.

Food Sources of Vitamin E

Corn, wheat germ, seeds, nuts, spinach, olives, vegetable oils, asparagus, sunflower, corn, soybean, and cottonseed contain high levels of vitamin E.

Deficiencies, Side Effects, and Overdose of Vitamin E

Vitamin E overdose at 400 International Units per day or more than that may increase risk of death, but consuming multivitamins, which contain vitamin E, is not harmful because of lose dose and quantity of vitamin E in the multivitamin supplements.

Food Sources of Vitamin K

Cauliflower, cabbage, corn, spinach, soybeans, and other green vegetables contain vitamin K. Vitamin K is absorbed by the bacteria that lines the gastrointestinal tract.

Vitamin K Deficiency

Deficiency of vitamin K is very rare but it occurs when our body is unable to absorb vitamin K from the intestinal tract, which increases the chances of bleeding and bruising and moreover uncontrolled bleeding because of the stoppage of normal clotting system which is essential for regularization of blood system.

Least but not last, it should be noted that only overdose of vitamins can cause side effects but then also before taking these vitamins and to know the recommended dosages, you should consult with your family physician, dietician, or doctor of naturopathy.