Science · Classes 9-10 · Chapter 1 · 1.1

Food and Nutrition: Water-soluble Vitamins (B Complex and C).

The corners of your lips are cracked, and your gums bleed. Is one vitamin to blame for both? No. One is a shortage of B₂, the other of C. Learning which sign belongs to which vitamin is today's job.

The names of the two vitamin groups tell you the test. Pick a vitamin, drop it into water or oil, and see where it dissolves.

test it Do all six

Water or oil?

The two jars are a model of what the groups mean.

1. The vitamin B complex

There are 12 types of water-soluble vitamin B, and together they are called the vitamin B complex. It is essential for growth, especially for the work of the brain and nervous system, for the metabolic activity of the cell and for reproduction. Here we take five of them: B₁, B₂, B₅, B₆ and B₁₂.

Thiamin (B₁) comes from husked rice, flour, pulse, oil seed, nut, and fresh fruits and vegetables; its animal sources are liver, egg, milk and fish. Severe deficiency causes beriberi. The nerves grow weak, depression or low spirits set in, tiredness comes, appetite falls and weight drops.

Riboflavin (B₂) is found in liver, egg, milk, green vegetables, young shoots of plants and germinated seed. Without enough of it the corners of the lips crack, sores appear in the mouth and on the tongue, and the skin turns rough.

Niacin or nicotinic acid (B₅) is found in meat, liver, flour (ata), pulse, nut, oil seed, chick-pea and vegetables. Its deficiency causes pellagra. The three main features are dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), diarrhoea and dementia (a memory problem). All three names start with D, so together they are called 3D. Now put the three Ds together one by one.

step by step press next

The 3D of pellagra

D১ · Dermatitis
Inflammation of the skin. The first feature shows on the skin.

Pyridoxine (B₆) is found in rice, ata, fish, meat, vegetables, chick-pea, fungi, kidney and the yolk of eggs. Its deficiency causes loss of appetite, a tendency to vomit, and anaemia. Cobalamin or cyanocobalamin (B₁₂) comes from liver, milk, fish, meat, egg, cheese and kidney. Its deficiency also causes anaemia, along with a disorder of the nervous system.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is in fruits such as gooseberry (amloki), lemon, orange, tomato, pineapple and guava, and in vegetables such as radish, lettuce, coriander leaf, mint, green chilli, cauliflower and bitter gourd. Remember the other side too: dry fruit, seed and canned food usually do not contain it.

know the source tap a food

Which vitamin is this food for?

Husked rice: a source of thiamin (B₁). Its lack causes beriberi.

Vitamin C has many jobs. It makes the cells of skin, bone and teeth compact and strong, repairs damaged cells, and keeps teeth and gums firm. It also plays a part in the metabolism of fat, protein and amino acids. The skin stays bright and smooth, and the body is protected from diseases.

So severe deficiency causes scurvy, whose first sign is bleeding from the gums. Bones cannot become strong, sores appear on the skin and wounds take time to heal. The gums swell and the teeth weaken. Immunity falls, so the person catches cold easily.

cut from the note tap to turn over

Scurvy and the gums

QuestionWhat happens to the gums in scurvy?

AnswerThey bleed and swell, and the teeth weaken.

QuestionWhat does vitamin C do for teeth and gums?

AnswerIt strengthens the teeth and the gums.

3. From disease to vitamin

Now everything in one grid. In each row, tap the name of the disease or sign, or its tick, and see which vitamin's column it falls in.

grid tap a cell

Which disease comes from which vitamin

disease or sign	B₁	B₂	B₅	B₆	C
beriberi	✓	·	·	·	·
cracked lip corners	·	✓	·	·	·
pellagra	·	·	✓	·	·
anaemia with vomiting	·	·	·	✓	·
scurvy	·	·	·	·	✓

Beriberi: B₁. Severe thiamin deficiency causes it, along with weak nerves, tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss.

4. Check yourself

The first question is in the exam's style.

check yourself pick one answer

Question 1

Which is a water-soluble vitamin?

In the second, name the vitamin from the sign.

check yourself pick one answer

Question 2

Lack of pyridoxine causes-

i. loss of appetite
ii. red patches on the skin
iii. anaemia

The last one is one more go to fix it.

check yourself pick one answer

Question 3

Sumon, the son of Mr Mohsin, shows symptoms of mental depression, tiredness and loss of appetite. Mr Mohsin took his son to a doctor. The doctor advised the boy to eat husked rice, pulse, nuts, milk, egg, liver and similar foods. The lack of which vitamin is clear in Sumon?

The whole note on seven cards.

cut from the note tap to turn over

Seven cards

QuestionHow many types of water-soluble vitamin B are in the vitamin B complex?

Answer12 types.

QuestionWhich disease does severe thiamin deficiency cause?

AnswerBeriberi.

QuestionThe lack of which vitamin causes cracks at the lip corners and sores in the mouth and tongue?

AnswerRiboflavin (B₂).

QuestionWhich disease does niacin (B₅) deficiency cause?

AnswerPellagra.

QuestionWhat are the three features (3D) of pellagra?

AnswerDermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.

QuestionWhich foods usually do not contain vitamin C?

AnswerDry fruit, seed and canned food.

QuestionWhich disease does severe vitamin C deficiency cause, and what are its signs?

AnswerScurvy; bleeding gums, slow-healing wounds, frequent colds.

Source: Science, Classes 9-10 (NCTB), Chapter 1 “Healthy Life, Better Living”, section 1.1.