How Much Do You Know About Vitamins?

Vitamin D is known as the "sunshine" vitamin. How far from the equator you live affects how much vitamin D your skin makes. Your skin cannot make vitamin D from the sun in the northern U.S. (north of 37-degree latitude) from November through February.

Rickets is seen more often in Black babies who have been breastfed but have not been given vitamin D supplements. Darker skin color blocks ultraviolet (UV) light from making vitamin D. This makes it more likely for darker skinned babies to get rickets. All breastfed babies should be given a supplement with vitamin D until they are weaned. They should then drink milk fortified with vitamin D.

Although polar bear might not be on your menu, it is an important source of protein among the Inuit of Canada and Alaska. But polar bear liver has a lot of vitamin A. This can cause poisoning or even death if eaten in large amounts. Other animals with potentially toxic levels of vitamin A in the liver include seal, whale, and grouper fish.

People of child-bearing age should take a multivitamin that has 400 micrograms of folic acid, as well as eat a healthy diet. This will lower the risk for birth defects of the brain and spine (neural tube defects) such as spina bifida. Spina bifida causes problems with the spine, spinal cord, and surrounding nerves in a growing fetus. Folic acid, or folate (vitamin B-9), is found in some leafy green vegetables, nuts, beans, citrus fruits, and fortified breakfast cereals. If a person is at risk of having a baby with a birth defect, their healthcare provider may recommend a larger amount of folic acid. Talk with your healthcare provider to find out more about folic acid.

Deficiency of vitamin A can cause a serious eye problem called xerophthalmia. A lack of vitamin A early in a child’s life can cause xerosis. This is a condition in which the membranes that cover the cornea and other parts of the eye become dry. If the vitamin A deficiency is not fixed, xerophthalmia occurs. This is a softening and ulceration of the cornea that leads to permanent blindness. Programs to provide vitamin A supplements to children in South America and Africa are now in place.

Black currants contain 4 times the vitamin C of citrus fruits. One cup has 200 milligrams (mg), compared with about 120 mg for a cup of orange juice. But black currants aren't widely grown in the U.S. because many people think they are too tart to eat fresh. They are more popular in Europe, where they are used to make juice, jams, and jellies. But cooking them to make jams and jellies destroys most of the vitamin C. Black currants are not the same as dried currants, which are similar to raisins in texture and nutrition.

Alcoholics may be lacking in many nutrients. These include too little thiamin, vitamin C, protein, and calories. Other risk factors for scurvy are mental disorders, social isolation among older adults, and eating disorders. Because food is abundant in the U.S. and much of it is "fortified" with vitamin C, even otherwise malnourished children are not likely to develop scurvy.