Vitamins and Deficiency Diseases: Quick Answer
Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness, B1 causes beriberi, B3 causes pellagra, B12 causes pernicious anaemia, C causes scurvy, D causes rickets (osteomalacia in adults), E causes sterility and weak muscles, and K causes delayed blood clotting. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble; the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C are water-soluble.
Key takeaway: SSC and Railway questions on vitamins come from just four columns: vitamin, chemical name, deficiency disease, and one main source. Add the fat-soluble group (A, D, E, K), the cobalt fact (B12), the sunshine vitamin (D) and the clotting vitamin (K), and you have covered almost every question asked.
What Are Vitamins? Definition and Types for SSC Exams
Vitamins are organic compounds the body needs in very small amounts for normal growth and metabolism. Most cannot be made by the body, so they must come from food. They give no energy (no calories), unlike carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
- The word "vitamine" was coined by Polish biochemist Casimir Funk in 1912 ("vital amine"). The final "e" was dropped when it was found that not all vitamins are amines.
- Vitamin C was the first vitamin to be made artificially (synthesised in 1933).
- Exceptions to "the body cannot make them": vitamin D is made in the skin in sunlight, and vitamin K and some B vitamins are made by bacteria in the large intestine.
Fat-Soluble vs Water-Soluble Vitamins (Difference Table)
| Point | Fat-soluble vitamins | Water-soluble vitamins |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamins | A, D, E, K | B-complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12) and C |
| Storage | Stored in the liver and fatty tissue | Not stored (except B12 in the liver); extra is lost in urine |
| Need in diet | Not needed every day | Needed regularly |
| Toxicity | Excess can be harmful (hypervitaminosis, mainly A and D) | Toxicity is rare |
| Cooking loss | Fairly stable | Easily destroyed by heat and washing, especially vitamin C |
| Trick | "ADEK" or "KEDA" | Everything else |
Vitamins and Deficiency Diseases Chart (Complete List)
| Vitamin | Chemical name | Main food sources | Deficiency disease or symptom |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Retinol | Carrot, papaya, mango, spinach, milk, egg yolk, fish liver oil | Night blindness, xerophthalmia (dry cornea), Bitot's spots |
| B1 | Thiamine | Whole grains, husk of rice, pulses, yeast, nuts | Beriberi (nerves, muscles and heart affected) |
| B2 | Riboflavin | Milk, eggs, liver, green vegetables | Cheilosis (cracks at the corners of the mouth), sore tongue, skin problems |
| B3 | Niacin (nicotinic acid) | Groundnut, meat, fish, whole grains | Pellagra: the "4 Ds" (dermatitis, diarrhoea, dementia, death) |
| B5 | Pantothenic acid | Almost all foods: eggs, meat, legumes | Burning feet syndrome (rare) |
| B6 | Pyridoxine | Cereals, fish, banana, potato | Anaemia, convulsions, skin problems |
| B7 | Biotin (also called vitamin H) | Egg yolk, nuts, liver, soybean | Hair loss, dermatitis |
| B9 | Folic acid (folate) | Green leafy vegetables, pulses, liver | Megaloblastic anaemia; neural tube defects in the unborn baby |
| B12 | Cyanocobalamin (contains cobalt) | Meat, fish, eggs, milk (animal foods) | Pernicious anaemia, nerve damage |
| C | Ascorbic acid | Amla, guava, citrus fruits, tomato, green chillies | Scurvy (bleeding and swollen gums, slow wound healing) |
| D | Calciferol (D2 ergocalciferol, D3 cholecalciferol) | Sunlight on the skin, fish liver oil, egg yolk, fortified milk | Rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults |
| E | Tocopherol | Vegetable oils, nuts, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables | Sterility (in experimental animals), muscle weakness, red blood cell breakdown |
| K | Phylloquinone (K1), menaquinone (K2) | Green leafy vegetables, soybean, gut bacteria | Delayed blood clotting, excessive bleeding (haemorrhage) |
A useful rule: all three anaemia vitamins are in the B group: B6, B9 and B12. If an option set has "anaemia" with vitamin C or D, it is a trap.
Vitamin A to K: Key Facts Asked in SSC and Railway Exams
| Vitamin | Most asked fact |
|---|---|
| A | Needed to make rhodopsin (visual purple) in the retina; stored in the liver; also called the anti-xerophthalmic vitamin |
| B1 | Beriberi was common where people ate polished rice, because polishing removes the thiamine-rich husk |
| B3 | Pellagra is common where maize is the staple food |
| B12 | The only vitamin with a metal (cobalt); found naturally only in animal foods, so strict vegetarians are at risk |
| C | Most easily destroyed by heat and storage; amla (Indian gooseberry) is one of the richest sources; antioxidant |
| D | The "sunshine vitamin": made in the skin by ultraviolet-B rays; behaves like a hormone; helps absorb calcium and phosphorus |
| E | Called the anti-sterility or "beauty" vitamin; works as an antioxidant |
| K | The coagulation vitamin ("K" is from the German "Koagulation"); needed to make prothrombin; newborns are given a vitamin K injection |
Mineral Deficiency Diseases List (Iron, Iodine, Calcium and More)
| Mineral | Main role | Deficiency disease | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | Part of haemoglobin, carries oxygen | Iron-deficiency anaemia | Green leafy vegetables, jaggery, dates, meat, liver |
| Iodine | Makes thyroid hormone (thyroxine) | Goitre (swollen thyroid); cretinism in children | Iodised salt, seafood |
| Calcium | Bones and teeth, blood clotting, muscle contraction | Weak bones, osteoporosis, rickets with vitamin D lack | Milk, curd, cheese, ragi |
| Phosphorus | Bones, teeth, ATP | Weak bones and teeth | Milk, cereals, pulses |
| Zinc | Growth, immunity, wound healing | Stunted growth, poor immunity, delayed wound healing | Meat, nuts, whole grains |
| Fluorine | Hardens tooth enamel | Dental caries (tooth decay); excess causes fluorosis | Drinking water, tea |
| Sodium and potassium | Nerve signals, water balance | Muscle cramps, weakness | Common salt, banana, fruits |
| Magnesium | Part of chlorophyll; muscle and nerve function | Muscle cramps, weakness | Green vegetables, nuts |
Protein and Energy Deficiency Diseases: Kwashiorkor vs Marasmus
| Point | Kwashiorkor | Marasmus |
|---|---|---|
| Cause | Mainly protein deficiency (energy intake may be adequate) | Deficiency of both protein and calories |
| Age | Usually 1-5 years, after weaning | Usually below 1 year |
| Signs | Swelling (oedema) of legs and face, pot belly, thin hair | Extreme wasting, "skin and bones", no swelling |
Trick: Kwashiorkor = Keeps swelling; Marasmus = Muscle wasting.
Vitamins Chemical Names Trick and Memory Tricks
- Fat-soluble: "ADEK" (or "KEDA" in Hindi tricks).
- Chemical names in order A, B1, B2, B3: "Return This Rice Nice" = Retinol, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin.
- C, D, E, K: "All Children Take Pills" = Ascorbic acid (C), Calciferol (D), Tocopherol (E), Phylloquinone (K).
- Diseases A to D: "Night Beri Pellas Scurry Rickety" = A night blindness, B1 beriberi, B3 pellagra, C scurvy, D rickets.
- Bleeding is K, bleeding gums is C: vitamin K deficiency = blood does not clot; vitamin C deficiency = gums bleed (scurvy). Exams mix these two.
- Anaemia = B6, B9, B12 + iron. Pernicious anaemia is only B12.
Vitamins and Deficiency Diseases: PYQ-Style Practice Questions with Answers
1. Deficiency of which vitamin causes scurvy? (a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin B12 (c) Vitamin C (d) Vitamin K Answer: (c) Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Scurvy shows as bleeding, swollen gums.
2. Rickets in children is caused by the deficiency of: (a) Vitamin D (b) Vitamin E (c) Vitamin B1 (d) Iodine Answer: (a) Vitamin D. In adults the same deficiency causes osteomalacia.
3. The chemical name of vitamin E is: (a) Retinol (b) Tocopherol (c) Calciferol (d) Thiamine Answer: (b) Tocopherol.
4. Which vitamin contains cobalt? (a) Vitamin B6 (b) Vitamin B9 (c) Vitamin B12 (d) Vitamin K Answer: (c) Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin).
5. Which of the following is a water-soluble vitamin? (a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin D (c) Vitamin K (d) Vitamin C Answer: (d) Vitamin C. A, D, E and K are fat-soluble.
6. Pellagra is caused by the deficiency of: (a) Thiamine (b) Niacin (c) Riboflavin (d) Folic acid Answer: (b) Niacin (vitamin B3). Its signs are dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.
7. Which vitamin is essential for blood clotting? (a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin C (c) Vitamin D (d) Vitamin K Answer: (d) Vitamin K. It is needed to make prothrombin.
8. Night blindness is caused by the deficiency of: (a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin B2 (c) Vitamin C (d) Vitamin E Answer: (a) Vitamin A (retinol), which is needed to make rhodopsin in the retina.
9. Goitre is caused by the deficiency of: (a) Iron (b) Calcium (c) Iodine (d) Zinc Answer: (c) Iodine, which the thyroid gland needs to make thyroxine.
10. Beriberi is caused by the deficiency of: (a) Vitamin B1 (b) Vitamin B3 (c) Vitamin B6 (d) Vitamin B12 Answer: (a) Vitamin B1 (thiamine).
11. Which vitamin is made in the human skin in the presence of sunlight? (a) Vitamin A (b) Vitamin C (c) Vitamin D (d) Vitamin K Answer: (c) Vitamin D.
12. Who coined the term "vitamine"? (a) Louis Pasteur (b) Casimir Funk (c) Robert Koch (d) Edward Jenner Answer: (b) Casimir Funk, in 1912.
13. Kwashiorkor is mainly caused by the deficiency of: (a) Carbohydrates (b) Fats (c) Proteins (d) Vitamins Answer: (c) Proteins. Marasmus is caused by lack of both protein and calories.
Vitamins and Deficiency Diseases FAQs
How many vitamins are there in total?
There are 13 essential vitamins: A, C, D, E, K and the eight B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12).
Which vitamins are fat-soluble?
Vitamins A, D, E and K. They are stored in the liver and fatty tissue, so an excess of A or D can be toxic.
Which vitamin deficiency causes anaemia?
Vitamins B6, B9 (folic acid) and B12 can all cause anaemia. B12 deficiency causes pernicious anaemia and B9 deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia. Iron deficiency, a mineral, is the most common cause overall.
Which is the chemical name of vitamin C?
Ascorbic acid. Amla, guava and citrus fruits are rich sources, and vitamin C is easily destroyed by heat.
Which vitamin is called the sunshine vitamin?
Vitamin D, because the skin makes it when exposed to ultraviolet-B rays in sunlight.
Which vitamin is not found in plant foods?
Vitamin B12 is found naturally only in animal foods such as meat, fish, eggs and milk, so vegans need fortified foods or supplements.
What is the difference between rickets and osteomalacia?
Both are caused by vitamin D (and calcium) deficiency. Rickets affects growing children and bends the bones; osteomalacia is the softening of bones in adults.
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