Vitamin A: Immune system, vision, skin

The amount of vitamin A adults aged 19 to 64 need is:

• 700 µg a day for men
• 600 µg a day for women

Any vitamin A your body does not need immediately is stored for future use. This means that you do not need to consume it every day.

Deficiency symptoms may include: Dry skin (potentially eczema), Dry eyes, Infertility and trouble conceiving, Delayed growth (mainly children), throat and chest infections, Poor wound healing, Acne and breakouts.

Thiamin (vitamin B1): Nervous system, helps the body break down and release energy from food.

The amount of thiamin adults (aged 19 to 64) need is:

• 1mg a day for men
• 0.8mg a day for women

Thiamin cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.

“Some foods can inhibit Thiamine absorption also; these include coffee, chocolate, black tea and alcohol.” {NHS}

Deficiency symptoms may include: Loss of appetite, fatigue, nerve damage, blurred or double vision, memory loss, rapid heart beat, dizziness & loss of muscle power.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2): Skin, eyes, nervous system, and helps the body release energy from food.

UV light can destroy riboflavin, so ideally these foods should be kept out of direct sunlight.

The amount of riboflavin adults (aged 19 to 64) need is about:

• 1.3mg a day for men
• 1.1mg a day for women

People need to consume vitamin B2 every day, because the body can only store small amounts, and supplies go down rapidly. Most healthy people who eat a well-balanced diet should get enough B2. However, elderly people and alcoholics may be at risk for riboflavin deficiency.

Deficiency symptoms may include: Fatigue, slowed growth, digestive problems, cracks and sores around the corners of the mouth, swollen magenta-coloured tongue, eye fatigue, swelling and soreness of the throat, sensitivity to light.

Niacin (vitamin B3): Nervous system, Skin, helps body release energy from food

The amount of niacin you need is about:

• 16.5mg a day for men
• 13.2mg a day for women

Niacin cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.

Deficiency symptoms may include: Fatigue, swollen throat, blurred vision, cracked skin and depression.

Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5): Helps the body release energy from food

Pantothenic acid is found in varying amounts in almost all vegetables, whole grain foods.

No amount has been set in the UK for how much pantothenic acid you need. But you should be able to get all the pantothenic acid you need from your daily diet, as it’s found in many foods.

Pantothenic acid cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6): Helps the body store energy from protein and carbohydrates, helps the body form haemoglobin which is the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body.

The amount of vitamin B6 adults (aged 19 to 64) need is about:

• 1.4mg a day for men
• 1.2mg a day for women

You should be able to get all the vitamin B6 you need from your daily diet because it is found in a wide variety of foods.

The bacteria that live naturally in your bowel are also able to make vitamin B6.

Biotin (vitamin B7): Biotin is needed in very small amounts to help the body make fatty acids. 

Biotin is also found in a wide range of foods, but only at very low levels. However, the bacteria that live naturally in your bowel are able to make biotin.

Folate and folic acid (Vitamin B9): Helps the body form red blood cells, reduces the risk of birth defects called neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in unborn babies.

Folate is a B vitamin found in many foods. The man made form of folate is called folic acid.

Adults need 200 micrograms (μg) of folate a day. A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram (mg).

“If you’re pregnant, trying for a baby, or could get pregnant, it’s recommended that you take a 400 microgram folic acid supplement daily until you’re 12 weeks pregnant.  Folic acid supplements need to be taken before you get pregnant, so start taking them before you stop using contraception or if there’s a chance you might get pregnant.  This is to help prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in your baby.  Some women have an increased risk of having a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect and are advised to take a higher dose of 5mg of folic acid each day until they’re 12 weeks pregnant.  This is important and unlikely to cause harm, as it’s taken on a short-term basis, but speak to your doctor first.” {NHS}

“It’s recommended you take folic acid as soon as you start trying for a baby (ideally for 3 months before) and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This will help your baby’s brain and spine to develop normally.  You can take folic acid after 12 weeks too. It helps make blood cells. Your doctor or midwife may recommend that you keep taking folic acid throughout pregnancy if you are anaemic or at risk of anaemia.” {NHS}

There are no long-term stores in the body, so you need to eat folate-containing foods frequently. Most people should be able to get the amount of folate they need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Deficiency symptoms may include:

A lack of folate could lead to folate deficiency anaemia, the symptoms of this include: Rapid breathing or shortness of breath, headaches, indigestion, loss of appetite, palpitations, problems with your vision, feeling weak or tired, diarrhoea, a sore or red tongue, sometimes with mouth ulcers, problems with memory & understanding and judgement (cognitive changes).

Cobalamin (Vitamin B12): Helps make red blood cells, Nervous system, release energy from food, helps the body use folate.

Adults (aged 19 to 64) need about 1.5 micrograms a day of vitamin B12.

Humans naturally produce cobalamin in the large intestine. However, humans can only absorb it from the small intestine. The average person is likely to be deficient in vitamin B12 (not just vegans) due to the fact that it can be difficult to absorb and most people may not eat enough B12 rich foods. Therefore, it is recommended for people to take a vitamin B12 supplement and/or eat fortified foods regularly.

A vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause symptoms that affect your brain and nervous system (neurological symptoms), including: Numbness, muscle weakness, psychological problems, which can range from mild depression or anxiety, to confusion and dementia, problems with balance and coordination, pins and needles & incontinence.

Vitamin C: Helps protect cells and keeps them healthy, maintains healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage, helps with wound healing

Adults aged 19 to 64 need 40mg of vitamin C a day.

You should be able to get all the vitamin C you need from your daily diet. However, it should be noted that Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.

Deficiency symptoms: Lack of vitamin C can lead to scurvy. The symptoms of this may include: Feeling very tired and weak all the time, Feeling irritable and sad all the time, joint, muscle or leg pain, swollen, bleeding gums (sometimes teeth can fall out), developing red or blue spots on the skin, usually on the legs and feet, although this may be less noticeable on brown or black skin & skin that bruises easily.

You could also be at risk of scurvy if you:

• Smoke: Smoking reduces how much vitamin C your body gets from food
• Don’t consume fresh fruits or vegetables in your diet
• Eat very little food at all – possible reasons include treatments that make you feel very sick all the time (such as chemotherapy) or an eating disorder such as anorexia
• Have a long-term dependency on drugs or alcohol that affects your diet
• Have a poor diet while pregnant or breastfeeding, because the body needs more vitamin C at these times.

Vitamin D: Keeps bones, teeth and muscles healthy

The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. In the UK from roughly late March/early April to the end of September, most people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight, but between October and early March we do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight. Therefore, it is recommended that everyone should consider taking a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter.

If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people. Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years.

You cannot overdose on vitamin D through exposure to sunlight. However, it should be noted that too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can damage DNA in your skin cells and cause skin cancer. So you may want to consider using sun protection factor (SPF) when in the sun for long periods of time. In the UK almost 9 in 10 cases of melanoma skin cancer could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds, because getting sunburned increases your risk of skin cancer.

A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain caused by a condition called osteomalacia in adults.

Vitamin E: Helps maintain healthy skin, eyes and strengthens the immune system

The amount of vitamin E you need is:

• 4mg a day for men
• 3mg a day for women

Any vitamin E your body does not need immediately is stored for future use, so you do not need it in your diet every day.

Vitamin E is found in nearly all foods to some extent. For this reason, most people are not at risk of deficiency. However, disorders that affect the absorption of fat, such as cystic fibrosis or liver disease, may lead to deficiency over time, especially if your diet is low in vitamin E.

Increasing your vitamin E intake is easy, even without supplements. For instance, an excellent strategy would be to add some sunflower seeds or almonds to your diet. You can also increase the absorption of vitamin E from low fat foods by eating them with fat. Adding a tablespoon of oil to your salad could make a significant difference.

Vitamin K: A group of vitamins that the body needs for blood clotting, helping wounds to heal.

Adults need approximately 1 microgram a day of vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight.

For example, someone who weighs 65 kg would need 65 micrograms a day of vitamin K, while a person who weighs 75 kg would need 75 micrograms a day.

Any vitamin K your body does not need immediately is stored in the liver for future use, so you do not need it in your diet every day.