Key Concepts & Self-Assessment15 Key Facts
Review key Vitamins, Minerals, Dietary Sources & Deficiency Disorders exam facts and rate your mastery to track revision.
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#1
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, whereas Vitamin C and all B-complex vitamins are water-soluble.
#2
Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin) contains the trace metal cobalt and is essential for red blood cell maturation and nervous function.
#3
Deficiency of Vitamin D causes rickets in growing children and osteomalacia (bone softening) in mature adults.
#4
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is heat-labile and required for collagen synthesis, wound healing, and non-heme iron absorption.
#5
Iodine deficiency impairs thyroxine (T4) synthesis, leading to compensatory enlargement of the thyroid gland termed endemic goitre.
#6
Vitamin A (retinol) deficiency leads to night blindness (nyctalopia), xerophthalmia, and keratinization of the cornea due to inadequate synthesis of the visual pigment rhodopsin.
#7
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency causes beriberi, which manifests in dry form as peripheral neuropathy and in wet form as congestive high-output cardiac failure.
#8
Vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency produces pellagra, characterized clinically by the classic triad of dermatitis, diarrhea, and dementia.
#9
Vitamin K (phylloquinone/menaquinone) acts as an essential cofactor for gamma-glutamyl carboxylase, synthesizing hepatic clotting factors II (prothrombin), VII, IX, and X.
#10
Iron deficiency causes microcytic hypochromic anaemia, diminishing hemoglobin synthesis and reducing systemic oxygen transport capacity.
#11
Vitamin B9 (folic acid) deficiency during early pregnancy causes neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly in developing fetuses.
#12
Severe dietary deficiency of Vitamin E (tocopherol) causes hemolytic anaemia in premature infants, progressive ataxia, and free radical lipid peroxidation of cell membranes.
#13
Severe protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) manifests as kwashiorkor (characterized by edema, hepatomegaly, and hypoproteinemia) and marasmus (characterized by severe muscular wasting without edema).
#14
Calcium homeostasis in human blood is regulated antagonistically by Parathyroid Hormone (PTH), which elevates serum calcium, and Calcitonin, which lowers serum calcium.
#15
Zinc deficiency impairs cell-mediated immunity, retards linear growth, delays wound healing, and causes acrodermatitis enteropathica alongside loss of taste (ageusia).
Subject Specialist Commentary
Analytical perspective & practical exam advice from the Master10 academic board
Vitamins and minerals are essential micronutrients that regulate human metabolism, cellular growth, and immunity. Vitamins divide into two primary groups: fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), which are stored in the liver and adipose tissues, and water-soluble vitamins (Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins), which require regular dietary replenishment. Missing micronutrients triggers well-defined deficiency conditions, such as rickets in children lacking Vitamin D, night blindness from Vitamin A deficiency, and goitre from inadequate iodine intake.
For SSC CGL and UPSC General Science papers, questions routinely test scientific names, deficiency symptoms, and trace elements. Use the memory mnemonic ADEK to remember fat-soluble vitamins, distinguishing them from water-soluble B and C. A frequent test trap focuses on Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin): remember that it contains the metal cobalt and works in red blood cell formation. For quick exam revision, associate Vitamin B1 with beriberi, Vitamin B3 with pellagra, and Vitamin C with scurvy.
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