Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

By Dr. Anna Simon Introduction Riboflavin, or vitamin B2, is important for metabolism, converting carbohydrates and amino acids to useable energy for the body, and as an antioxidant protecting against tissue damage from free radicals. The earliest recorded isolation of riboflavin was in 1879 by A.W. Blyth, who extracted…

Vitamin B12

By Hasina Akhter, Ph.D. INTRODUCTION OF VITAMIN B12 Vitamin B12 is one of the nine water-soluble B vitamins. It is also known as cobalamin or cyanocobalamin as it contains cobalt, the essential trace element to all animals. Methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin are other forms of this vitamin that…

Vitamin A

Our bodies need a variety of vitamins and minerals to work properly and keep us healthy. One of those vitamins is Vitamin A, also known as Retinol. It is an important vitamin that is not often talked about. WHAT IS VITAMIN A? Vitamin A is considered to be a fat…

Vitamin B9 - Folic Acid

By Catherine Murari-Kanti, M.S. Introduction: Folic acid received its name from the Latin word folium which means leaf since it was isolated from spinach leaves in 1941. [1] Folic acid is also called Vitamin B9 making it part of the B-complex of vitamins and folate is the…

Vitamins: An Overview

[icon name=”user” class=”” unprefixed_class=””]  Suchitra Chari, MS Vitamins are organic (carbon-containing) molecules that are required in amounts to promote one or more specific and essential biochemical reactions within the living cell. There are fourteen vitamins and they are essential for normal growth and health of humans. We get…

Biotin: The Underrated Vitamin

Hamsa Al-Aqqad, M.S. FIRST THINGS FIRST: WHAT ARE VITAMINS? Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in small amounts by the body as the human system is not able to make them. They are coenzymes – components of enzymes – which speed up reactions in the body to allow for…

Vitamin B6

By Dr. Hasina Akhter INTRODUCTION Vitamin B6 is one of the nine water soluble B vitamins. It is also known as pyridoxine (3-hydroxy-4, 5-dihydroxy-methyl-2-methylpyridine). Pyridoxal-5’-phosphate (PLP) is the coenzyme form of this vitamin that plays a vital role in more than 100…

Vitamin E

By Dr. Carol Yu Introduction and overview One of the fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin E is dissolvable in fat, and is typically found in a wide range of foods. Vitamin E is well known for its anti-oxidant properties [1], meaning that it can protect cells in the body against…

Vitamin B3

By Dr. Hasina Akhtar INTRODUCTION OF VITAMIN B3 or NIACIN Vitamin B3 also known as niacin or nicotinic acid (pyridine-3-carboxylic acid) is a water soluble B vitamin. Its derivative nicotinamide is the precursor of two vital coenzymes produced in human body, Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NADP) and Nicotinamide…