Solubility determines many characteristics of vitamins. It determines how they are absorbed into and transported around by the bloodstream, whether they can be stored in the body, and how easily they are lost from the body.
Water-soluble vitamins are those that are dissolved in water and readily absorbed into tissues for immediate use. Any excess is quickly passed in urine.
B vitamins are important to cell metabolism. Eight of the water-soluble vitamins are known as the vitamin B-complex group: thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), folate (folic acid), vitamin B12, biotin and pantothenic acid.
The B vitamins are widely distributed in foods, and their influence is felt in many parts of the body. They function as coenzymes that help the body obtain energy from food.
Several of the B vitamins—thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin—form part of the coenzymes that assist enzymes in the release of energy from carbohydrate, fat, and protein. Other B vitamins play other indispensable roles in metabolism.
Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C) too is water-soluble vitamin. It functions including immune system health, formation of collagen, promotes wound healing and healthy blood vessels, antioxidant, protects cholesterol, prevents scurvy.
B vitamins are primarily absorbed in foods such as pork, fish and liver. Healthy vitamin B sources include vegetables (pulses or beans), whole grains, rice, bananas, chili pepper, tempeh, brewer's yeast and molasses.
Citrus fruits, tomatoes and tomato juice, and potatoes are major contributors of vitamin C to the American diet. Other good food sources include red and green peppers, kiwifruit, broccoli, strawberries, Brussels sprouts, and cantaloupe.
Water-soluble vitamins
