People require vitamins and nutrients in their diets to live their best, healthiest lives. Some of these vitamins that people need are fat-soluble vitamins, or vitamins A, D, E, and K. They’re called fat-soluble vitamins because they are soluble in organic solvents. They are also absorbed and transported in the body in a way that is similar to fats.
If you take a fat-soluble vitamin, it is dissolved in fat and stays in your tissue. When taking these vitamins, it is important not to take more than amounts considered to be safe. Fat-soluble vitamins stay in your tissue; they aren’t filtered out through your kidneys like other vitamins. Because of this, you can build up an excessive and dangerous amount of vitamins in your body. You need to talk to your health care provider if you’re interested in taking high doses of any of these vitamins to make sure that you’re staying within a safe range and following daily intake limits by the National Academy of Sciences.
If you take too much of certain vitamins and your body stores up too much of them, you’ll be at risk for specific health issues, including blurred vision, issues with your heart rhythm, liver problems, and congenital disabilities.
Vitamin A
Your body requires vitamin A to maintain your mucous membranes and your vision.
The vitamin can be found in meats, dairy products, and eggs. You can also consume it through green leafy vegetables and yellow and orange fruits and vegetables. Some dairy products and cereals are fortified with vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential because it boosts the absorption of calcium and phosphate. The vitamin also plays a role in bone mineralization. You can find vitamin D in animal products such as liver, fatty fish, egg yolks, and butter. Vitamin D is also produced through exposure to the sun, or when sunlight interacts with 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E plays a role in maintaining polyunsaturated fatty acids by shielding them from oxidative destruction in cell membranes. Vitamin E is found mainly in products of plant origin. Vegetable oils are a great source of Vitamin E, as are nuts, whole grains, and wheat germ.
Vitamin K
Your liver requires vitamin K to maintain multiple blood-clotting mechanisms. Vitamin K1 is synthesized by plants, while vitamin K2 homologs are synthesized by bacteria. You can find the most vitamin K in dark-green, leafy vegetables. Meats, dairy products, and cereals contain lower levels of vitamin K.
Fat-soluble vitamins are a very important part of your diet. However, you should be careful when consuming excessive amounts, as you could accidentally have a buildup since it is stored in your tissues.