This is a collaborative post: Did you know that there are at least 13 essential vitamins that your body needs to function normally? The majority of these vitamins can be obtained through a balanced diet, although multivitamin tablets are also available to safeguard your intake.
Knowing that your body relies on vitamins is one thing, but understanding how they actually work in your body is another. If you wish to know about this process, then you’re in the right place. This guide will take you through the differences between fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, including how they work in your body.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
As the name might suggest, fat-soluble vitamins are dissolved in fats. The fat globules in your body absorb these types of vitamins, which allows them to travel through your small intestine. While they travel through your body, they are distributed in the bloodstream, allocating to the areas that need them the most.
Most fat-soluble vitamins can be found in high-fat foods. Believe it or not, this is actually good news, as they are absorbed more easily by the body when eaten with fat.
It’s important to note that too many fat-soluble vitamins is not a good thing. Due to being stored in the body, over consumption can result in toxicity. This is why it is all the more important to maintain a balanced diet.
There are four essential fat-soluble vitamins to be aware of:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
As stated previously, all of the above vitamins can be obtained through a balanced diet. The only true exception is vitamin D, which mainly comes from the sun. Your skin produces vitamin D when exposed to strong enough sunlight!
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Unlike fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water. They do not need to be stored or transported through the body; instead, they are swiftly absorbed into your tissues for quick effect. Any excess waste leaves your body through urine, eliminating the worry about reaching toxic levels.
Every single vitamin in the B complex is a water-soluble vitamin, and so is vitamin C. To clarify, the known water-soluble vitamins are as follows:
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Vitamin B3 (niacin)
- Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
- Vitamin B7 (biotin)
- Vitamin B9 (folic acid)
- Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
- Vitamin C
In Summary
The main difference between fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins is the way in which they act in your body. Fat-soluble vitamins are transported through the body with help from “carriers”. They are stored in your body, meaning that sourcing large amounts of these vitamins is not necessary.
Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, dissolve in water. This means that they become readily available to your body more quickly, getting to work almost instantly. However, water-soluble vitamins are needed in larger quantities, as any excess at the time leaves your body through urine.
While it’s good to know the difference between these two types of vitamins, this doesn’t change the importance of a balanced diet. A healthy and balanced diet provides the best way to meet your nutritional needs for both types of vitamin!