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68-940: Its name is derived from the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus . Its texts are developed and maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), a body established in early November 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), was joined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 1962, and held its first session in Rome in October 1963. The Commission's main goals are to protect

136-469: A Codex standard – and significantly less for pesticide MRLs or food additive levels." In 1996 the German delegation, sponsored by three German pharmaceutical firms, put forward a proposal that no herb, vitamin or mineral should be sold for preventive or therapeutic reasons, and that supplements should be reclassified as drugs. The proposal was agreed, but protests halted its implementation. The 28th Session of

204-518: A conclusion that "a natural food such as milk must therefore contain, besides these known principal ingredients, small quantities of unknown substances essential to life." However, his conclusions were rejected by his advisor, Gustav von Bunge . A similar result by Cornelis Adrianus Pekelharing appeared in Dutch medical journal Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde in 1905, but it was not widely reported. In East Asia , where polished white rice

272-462: A deficiency disease. Even minor deficiencies may cause permanent damage. Once growth and development are completed, vitamins remain essential nutrients for the healthy maintenance of the cells, tissues, and organs that make up a multicellular organism; they also enable a multicellular life form to efficiently use chemical energy provided by food it eats, and to help process the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required for cellular respiration . For

340-431: A fourteenth, choline . Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions. Vitamin A acts as a regulator of cell and tissue growth and differentiation. Vitamin D provides a hormone-like function, regulating mineral metabolism for bones and other organs. The B complex vitamins function as enzyme cofactors (coenzymes) or the precursors for them. Vitamins C and E function as antioxidants . Both deficient and excess intake of

408-518: A maximum daily dosage referred to as the tolerable upper intake level (UL or Upper Limit). Vitamin products above these regulatory limits are not considered supplements and should be registered as prescription or non-prescription ( over-the-counter drugs ) due to their potential side effects. The European Union, United States and Japan establish ULs. Dietary supplements often contain vitamins, but may also include other ingredients, such as minerals, herbs, and botanicals. Scientific evidence supports

476-469: A month to more than six months, depending on previous dietary history that determined body stores. Deficiencies of vitamins are classified as either primary or secondary. A primary deficiency occurs when an organism does not get enough of the vitamin in its food. A secondary deficiency may be due to an underlying disorder that prevents or limits the absorption or use of the vitamin, due to a "lifestyle factor", such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, or

544-407: A multicellular organism. Using the genetic blueprint inherited from its parents, a fetus develops from the nutrients it absorbs. It requires certain vitamins and minerals to be present at certain times. These nutrients facilitate the chemical reactions that produce among other things, skin , bone , and muscle . If there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop

612-582: A number of different disorders. Some vitamins have documented acute or chronic toxicity at larger intakes, which is referred to as hypertoxicity. The European Union and the governments of several countries have established Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for those vitamins which have documented toxicity (see table). The likelihood of consuming too much of any vitamin from food is remote, but excessive intake ( vitamin poisoning ) from dietary supplements does occur. In 2016, overdose exposure to all formulations of vitamins and multi-vitamin/mineral formulations

680-700: A prescription. For most vitamins, pharmacopoeial standards have been established. In the United States, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) sets standards for the most commonly used vitamins and preparations thereof. Likewise, monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph.Eur.) regulate aspects of identity and purity for vitamins on the European market. The reason that the set of vitamins skips directly from E to K

748-498: A process for World Government establishment. Codex Alimentarius Austriacus The Codex Alimentarius Austriacus is a collection of standards, guidelines and product descriptions for a variety of foods. It was originally established by the Austrian-Hungarian Empire in 1891 and is still in use today. The Codex Alimentarius Austriacus standards are primarily the product of a voluntary effort of experts in

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816-483: A rice-based diet, and that the symptoms were reversed when the chickens were switched to whole-grain rice. He called this "the anti-beriberi factor", which was later identified as vitamin B 1 , thiamine. In 1930, Paul Karrer elucidated the correct structure for beta-carotene , the main precursor of vitamin A, and identified other carotenoids . Karrer and Norman Haworth confirmed Albert Szent-Györgyi's discovery of ascorbic acid and made significant contributions to

884-537: A source of vitamin D, as "bottled sunshine", and bananas as a "natural vitality food". They promoted foods such as yeast cakes, a source of B vitamins, on the basis of scientifically determined nutritional value, rather than taste or appearance. In 1942, when flour enrichment with nicotinic acid began, a headline in the popular press said "Tobacco in Your Bread." In response, the Council on Foods and Nutrition of

952-550: A special category under the general umbrella of foods , not drugs. As a result, the manufacturer, and not the government, has the responsibility of ensuring that its dietary supplement products are safe before they are marketed. Regulation of supplements varies widely by country. In the United States , a dietary supplement is defined under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. There

1020-444: A vitamin can potentially cause clinically significant illness, although excess intake of water-soluble vitamins is less likely to do so. All the vitamins were discovered between 1913 and 1948. Historically, when intake of vitamins from diet was lacking, the results were vitamin deficiency diseases. Then, starting in 1935, commercially produced tablets of yeast-extract vitamin B complex and semi-synthetic vitamin C became available. This

1088-486: Is European Union equivalent of RDA; higher for adults than for children, and may be even higher for women who are pregnant or lactating. For Thiamin and Niacin the PRIs are expressed as amounts per MJ of calories consumed. MJ = megajoule = 239 food calories. UL or Upper Limit Tolerable upper intake levels. ND ULs have not been determined. NE EARs have not been established. In those who are otherwise healthy, there

1156-418: Is a protein in raw egg whites that inhibits the absorption of biotin ; it is deactivated by cooking. Pyrithiamine, a synthetic compound, has a molecular structure similar to thiamine, vitamin B 1 , and inhibits the enzymes that use thiamine. Each vitamin is typically used in multiple reactions, and therefore most have multiple functions. Vitamins are essential for the normal growth and development of

1224-431: Is important. Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract with the help of lipids (fats). Vitamins A and D can accumulate in the body, which can result in dangerous hypervitaminosis . Fat-soluble vitamin deficiency due to malabsorption is of particular significance in cystic fibrosis . Anti-vitamins are chemical compounds that inhibit the absorption or actions of vitamins. For example, avidin

1292-725: Is little evidence that supplements have any benefits with respect to cancer or heart disease . Vitamin A and E supplements not only provide no health benefits for generally healthy individuals, but they may increase mortality, though the two large studies that support this conclusion included smokers for whom it was already known that beta-carotene supplements can be harmful. A 2018 meta-analysis found no evidence that intake of vitamin D or calcium for community-dwelling elderly people reduced bone fractures. Europe has regulations that define limits of vitamin (and mineral) dosages for their safe use as dietary supplements. Most vitamins that are sold as dietary supplements are not supposed to exceed

1360-489: Is no FDA approval process for dietary supplements, and no requirement that manufacturers prove the safety or efficacy of supplements introduced before 1994. The Food and Drug Administration must rely on its Adverse Event Reporting System to monitor adverse events that occur with supplements. In 2007, the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21, part III took effect, regulating Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) in

1428-492: Is not considered a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. Most vitamins are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules called vitamers. For example, there are eight vitamers of vitamin E : four tocopherols and four tocotrienols . The term vitamin does not include the three other groups of essential nutrients : minerals , essential fatty acids , and essential amino acids . Major health organizations list thirteen vitamins: Some sources include

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1496-508: Is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan . Vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others. Vitamin B 12 is the only vitamin or nutrient not available from plant sources. The Food Fortification Initiative lists countries which have mandatory fortification programs for vitamins folic acid, niacin, vitamin A and vitamins B 1 , B 2 and B 12 . The body's stores for different vitamins vary widely; vitamins A, D, and B 12 are stored in significant amounts, mainly in

1564-715: Is thus an international reference point for the resolution of international trade disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection. Many bilateral and multilateral trade agreements refer to the Codex Alimentarius , adopting it as a point of reference. The Codex Alimentarius covers all foods, whether processed, semi-processed or raw . In addition to standards for specific foods, the Codex Alimentarius contains general standards covering matters such as food labeling , food hygiene , food additives and pesticide residues, and procedures for assessing

1632-557: The American Medical Association approved of the Food and Nutrition Board 's new names niacin and niacin amide for use primarily by non-scientists. It was thought appropriate to choose a name to dissociate nicotinic acid from nicotine , to avoid the perception that vitamins or niacin-rich food contains nicotine, or that cigarettes contain vitamins. The resulting name niacin was derived from ni cotinic ac id + vitam in . Researchers also focused on

1700-727: The Codex Alimentarius is a reference guide, not an enforceable standard on its own. However, several nations adopt the Codex Alimentarius in their own regulations, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), for purposes of food safety, refers to the Codex Alimentarius Sanitary and Phytosanitary practice codes in the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) for member countries. The Codex Alimentarius

1768-497: The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine . Funk created the name from vital and amine , because it appeared that these organic micronutrient food factors that prevent beriberi and perhaps other similar dietary-deficiency diseases were required for life, hence "vital", and were chemical amines, hence "amine". This was true of thiamine , but after it was found that vitamin C and other such micronutrients were not amines,

1836-596: The Scottish surgeon James Lind discovered that citrus foods helped prevent scurvy, a particularly deadly disease in which collagen is not properly formed, causing poor wound healing, bleeding of the gums , severe pain, and death. In 1753, Lind published his Treatise on the Scurvy , which recommended using lemons and limes to avoid scurvy , which was adopted by the British Royal Navy . This led to

1904-434: The liver , and an adult's diet may be deficient in vitamins A and D for many months and B 12 in some cases for years, before developing a deficiency condition. However, vitamin B 3 (niacin and niacinamide) is not stored in significant amounts, so stores may last only a couple of weeks. For vitamin C, the first symptoms of scurvy in experimental studies of complete vitamin C deprivation in humans have varied widely, from

1972-675: The CAC had a total of 78 guidelines, 221 commodity standards, 53 codes of practice, and 106 maximum levels for contaminants of food (of which 18 covered contaminants). In a 2018 publication, the CAC stated that: "Codex has at times been criticized as slow to complete its work, but developing food standards and compiling them as a code that is credible and authoritative requires extensive consultation. It also takes time for information to be collected and evaluated, for follow-up and verification and, at times, for consensus to be found satisfying differing views. Overall, it takes an average of 4.2 years to develop

2040-547: The Codex Alimentarius Commission was subsequently held July 4–9, 2005. Among the many issues discussed were the Guidelines for Vitamin and Mineral Food Supplements , which were adopted during the meeting as new global safety guidelines: The guidelines state that "people should...be encouraged to select a balanced diet from food before considering any vitamin and mineral supplement. In cases where

2108-575: The EU's Food Supplements Directive and the Codex Alimentarius draft guidelines for vitamin and mineral supplements. The 2003 International Commission of the Future of Food and Agriculture, convened by Italian politician Claudio Martini and chaired by anti-globalization activist Vandana Shiva , issued several manifestos, including the Manifesto on the Future of Food, which contended that "bureaucracies like

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2176-498: The European Union (same concept as RDAs), followed by what three government organizations deem to be the safe upper intake. RDAs are set higher than EARs to cover people with higher than average needs. Adequate Intakes (AIs) are set when there is not sufficient information to establish EARs and RDAs. Governments are slow to revise information of this nature. For the U.S. values, with the exception of calcium and vitamin D, all of

2244-597: The Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine "...for their discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye." Wald's contribution was discovering the role vitamin A had in the process. Once discovered, vitamins were actively promoted in articles and advertisements in McCall's , Good Housekeeping , and other media outlets. Marketers enthusiastically promoted cod-liver oil ,

2312-701: The World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund , and the Codex Alimentarius have codified policies designed to serve the interests of global agribusiness above all others, while actively undermining the rights of farmers and consumers". The Codex Alimentarius has been the subject of various conspiracy theories. These theorize that it is an agenda for population control, an anti-supplement Big Brother initiative, actually establishes eugenics, or

2380-545: The beneficial effects of which are questionable. As one example, in the 1950s, the Wonder Bread company sponsored the Howdy Doody television show, with host Buffalo Bob Smith telling the audience, "Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 8 ways", referring to the number of added nutrients . The term "vitamin" was derived from "vitamine", a portmanteau coined in 1912 by the biochemist Casimir Funk while working at

2448-448: The benefits of dietary supplements for persons with certain health conditions. In some cases, vitamin supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery, with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if the person taking them has certain health conditions. They may also contain levels of vitamins many times higher, and in different forms, than one may ingest through food. Most countries place dietary supplements in

2516-624: The chemistry of flavins , which led to the identification of lactoflavin . For their investigations on carotenoids, flavins and vitamins A and B 2 , they both received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937. In 1931, Albert Szent-Györgyi and a fellow researcher Joseph Svirbely suspected that "hexuronic acid" was actually vitamin C , and gave a sample to Charles Glen King , who proved its activity counter to scurvy in his long-established guinea pig scorbutic assay. In 1937, Szent-Györgyi

2584-721: The creation of the Council of the Codex Alimentarius Europaeus in June 1958, under the joint sponsorship of the International Commission on Agricultural Industries and the International Bureau of Analytical Chemistry . In 1975, the committee for the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus was reorganized to conform with Austrian food laws, which have a reputation of being some of the strictest food laws in

2652-585: The current international food codex collaboratively worked out by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization . Consisting of three volumes, the Codex was finished sometime between 1910 and 1917 by O. Dafert . It lacked actual integration into Austrian law until 1975. The idea of a Europe-wide Codex Alimentarius based on the Austrian model was actively pursued by Hans Frenzel of Austria between 1954 and 1958. Frenzel's work culminated in

2720-405: The data date to 1997–2004. All values are consumption per day: EAR US Estimated Average Requirements. RDA US Recommended Dietary Allowances; higher for adults than for children, and may be even higher for women who are pregnant or lactating. AI US and EFSA Adequate Intake; AIs established when there is not sufficient information to set EARs and RDAs. PRI Population Reference Intake

2788-491: The essential vitamins, notably vitamins D and E. Well-researched human vitamin deficiencies involve thiamine (beriberi), niacin ( pellagra ), vitamin C (scurvy), folate (neural tube defects) and vitamin D (rickets). In much of the developed world these deficiencies are rare due to an adequate supply of food and the addition of vitamins to common foods. In addition to these classical vitamin deficiency diseases, some evidence has also suggested links between vitamin deficiency and

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2856-467: The first person to receive an award mentioning vitamins, even though it was not specifically about vitamin D. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 1929 was awarded to Christiaan Eijkman and Frederick Gowland Hopkins for their contributions to the discovery of vitamins. Thirty-five years earlier, Eijkman had observed that chickens fed polished white rice developed neurological symptoms similar to those observed in military sailors and soldiers fed

2924-499: The food industry and universities. While the standards laid out in the codex were not legally enforceable, they were nonetheless used by the courts to determine the identity and quality of a variety of food products. Until the mid-20th century, the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus was not well-known beyond the German-speaking countries of Europe. It subsequently lent its name to the international Codex Alimentarius Commission,

2992-403: The functions of the human body. In 1910, the first vitamin complex was isolated by Japanese scientist Umetaro Suzuki , who succeeded in extracting a water-soluble complex of micronutrients from rice bran and named it aberic acid (later Orizanin ). He published this discovery in a Japanese scientific journal. When the article was translated into German, the translation failed to state that it

3060-682: The health of consumers , to facilitate international trade , and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The CAC is an intergovernmental organization ; the member states of the FAO and WHO send delegations to the CAC. As of 2021, there were 189 members of the CAC (188 member countries plus one member organization, the European Union (EU) and 239 Codex observers (59 intergovernmental organizations, 164 non-governmental organizations , and 16 United Nations organizations ). The CAC develops food standards on scientific evidence furnished by

3128-406: The hypothesis that other diseases, such as rickets, pellagra, coeliac disease, and scurvy could also be cured by vitamins. Max Nierenstein a friend and Reader of Biochemistry at Bristol University reportedly suggested the "vitamine" name (from "vital amine"). The name soon became synonymous with Hopkins' "accessory factors", and, by the time it was shown that not all vitamins are amines , the word

3196-600: The intake from the diet is insufficient or where consumers consider their diet requires supplementation, vitamin and mineral food supplements serve to supplement the daily diet." The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) has said that the Guidelines call "for labelling that contains information on maximum consumption levels of vitamin and mineral food supplements". The WHO has also said that the Guidelines "ensure that consumers receive beneficial health effects from vitamins and minerals". In 2004, similarities were noted between

3264-507: The manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding operations for dietary supplements. Even though product registration is not required, these regulations mandate production and quality control standards (including testing for identity, purity and adulterations) for dietary supplements. In the European Union, the Food Supplements Directive requires that only those supplements that have been proven safe can be sold without

3332-446: The most part, vitamins are obtained from the diet, but some are acquired by other means: for example, microorganisms in the gut flora produce vitamin K and biotin; and one form of vitamin D is synthesized in skin cells when they are exposed to a certain wavelength of ultraviolet light present in sunlight . Humans can produce some vitamins from precursors they consume: for example, vitamin A is synthesized from beta carotene ; and niacin

3400-444: The need to ensure adequate nutrition, especially to compensate for what was lost in the manufacture of processed foods . Robert W. Yoder is credited with first using the term vitamania , in 1942, to describe the appeal of relying on nutritional supplements rather than on obtaining vitamins from a varied diet of foods. The continuing preoccupation with a healthy lifestyle led to an obsessive consumption of vitamins and multi-vitamins,

3468-543: The nickname limey for British sailors. However, during the 19th century, limes grown in the West Indies were substituted for lemons; these were subsequently found to be much lower in vitamin C. As a result, Arctic expeditions continued to be plagued by scurvy and other deficiency diseases . In the early 20th century, when Robert Falcon Scott made his two expeditions to the Antarctic , the prevailing medical theory

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3536-443: The percentage losses of various nutrients from food types and cooking methods. Some vitamins may become more "bio-available" – that is, usable by the body – when foods are cooked. The table below shows whether various vitamins are susceptible to loss from heat—such as heat from boiling, steaming, frying, etc. The effect of cutting vegetables can be seen from exposure to air and light. Water-soluble vitamins such as B and C dissolve into

3604-491: The safety of foods derived from modern biotechnology . It also contains guidelines for the management of official i.e. governmental import and export inspection and certification systems for foods. The Codex Alimentarius is published in the six official languages of the United Nations : Arabic , Chinese , English , French , Spanish and Russian . Not all texts are available in all languages. As of 2017,

3672-709: The scientific committees of the FAO and WHO; the oldest of these, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), was established in 1956 and predates the establishment of the CAC itself. According to a 2013 study, the CAC's primary functions are "establishing international food standards for approved food additives, providing maximum levels in foods; maximum limits for contaminants and toxins; maximum residue limits for pesticides and for veterinary drugs used in veterinary animals; and establishing hygiene and technological function practice codes". The CAC does not have regulatory authority, and

3740-474: The use of medications that interfere with the absorption or use of the vitamin. People who eat a varied diet are unlikely to develop a severe primary vitamin deficiency, but may be consuming less than the recommended amounts; a national food and supplement survey conducted in the US over 2003–2006 reported that over 90% of individuals who did not consume vitamin supplements were found to have inadequate levels of some of

3808-576: The water when a vegetable is boiled, and are then lost when the water is discarded. In setting human nutrient guidelines, government organizations do not necessarily agree on amounts needed to avoid deficiency or maximum amounts to avoid the risk of toxicity. For example, for vitamin C, recommended intakes range from 40 mg/day in India to 155 mg/day for the European Union. The table below shows U.S. Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, PRIs for

3876-579: The word was shortened to "vitamin" in English. Vitamins are classified as either water-soluble or fat-soluble . In humans there are 13 vitamins: 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E, and K) and 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C). Water-soluble vitamins dissolve easily in water and, in general, are readily excreted from the body, to the degree that urinary output is a strong predictor of vitamin consumption. Because they are not as readily stored, more consistent intake

3944-499: The world. Vitamin Vitamins are organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamers ) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through the diet . For example, vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it

4012-514: Was a newly discovered nutrient, a claim made in the original Japanese article, and hence his discovery failed to gain publicity. In 1912 Polish-born biochemist Casimir Funk , working in London, isolated the same complex of micronutrients and proposed the complex be named "vitamine". It was later to be known as vitamin B 3 (niacin), though he described it as "anti-beri-beri-factor" (which would today be called thiamine or vitamin B 1 ). Funk proposed

4080-469: Was already ubiquitous. In 1920, Jack Cecil Drummond proposed that the final "e" be dropped to deemphasize the "amine" reference, hence "vitamin", after researchers began to suspect that not all "vitamines" (in particular, vitamin A) have an amine component. The Nobel Prize for Chemistry for 1928 was awarded to Adolf Windaus "for his studies on the constitution of the sterols and their connection with vitamins",

4148-689: Was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery. In 1943, Edward Adelbert Doisy and Henrik Dam were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of vitamin K and its chemical structure. In 1938, Richard Kuhn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on carotenoids and vitamins, specifically B 2 and B 6 . Five people have been awarded Nobel Prizes for direct and indirect studies of vitamin B 12 : George Whipple , George Minot and William P. Murphy (1934), Alexander R. Todd (1957), and Dorothy Hodgkin (1964). In 1967, George Wald , Ragnar Granit and Haldan Keffer Hartline were awarded

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4216-536: Was fed only white rice, while the other was fed a diet of meat, fish, barley, rice, and beans. The group that ate only white rice documented 161 crew members with beriberi and 25 deaths, while the latter group had only 14 cases of beriberi and no deaths. This convinced Takaki and the Japanese Navy that diet was the cause of beriberi, but they mistakenly believed that sufficient amounts of protein prevented it. That diseases could result from some dietary deficiencies

4284-648: Was followed in the 1950s by the mass production and marketing of vitamin supplements , including multivitamins , to prevent vitamin deficiencies in the general population. Governments have mandated the addition of some vitamins to staple foods such as flour or milk, referred to as food fortification , to prevent deficiencies. Recommendations for folic acid supplementation during pregnancy reduced risk of infant neural tube defects . from plant origin as provitamin A / all- trans -beta-carotene: orange, ripe yellow fruits, leafy vegetables, carrots, pumpkin, squash, spinach The value of eating certain foods to maintain health

4352-414: Was further investigated by Christiaan Eijkman , who in 1897 discovered that feeding unpolished rice instead of the polished variety to chickens helped to prevent a kind of polyneuritis that was the equivalent of beriberi. The following year, Frederick Hopkins postulated that some foods contained "accessory factors" – in addition to proteins, carbohydrates, fats etc.  – that are necessary for

4420-477: Was recognized long before vitamins were identified. The ancient Egyptians knew that feeding liver to a person may help with night blindness , an illness now known to be caused by a vitamin A deficiency. The advance of ocean voyages during the Age of Discovery resulted in prolonged periods without access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and made illnesses from vitamin deficiency common among ships' crews. In 1747,

4488-530: Was reported by 63,931 individuals to the American Association of Poison Control Centers with 72% of these exposures in children under the age of five. In the US, analysis of a national diet and supplement survey reported that about 7% of adult supplement users exceeded the UL for folate and 5% of those older than age 50 years exceeded the UL for vitamin A. The USDA has conducted extensive studies on

4556-505: Was that scurvy was caused by "tainted" canned food . In 1881, Russian medical doctor Nikolai Lunin studied the effects of scurvy at the University of Tartu . He fed mice an artificial mixture of all the separate constituents of milk known at that time, namely the proteins , fats , carbohydrates , and salts . The mice that received only the individual constituents died, while the mice fed by milk itself developed normally. He made

4624-581: Was the common staple food of the middle class, beriberi resulting from lack of vitamin B 1 was endemic . In 1884, Takaki Kanehiro , a British-trained medical doctor of the Imperial Japanese Navy , observed that beriberi was endemic among low-ranking crew who often ate nothing but rice, but not among officers who consumed a Western-style diet. With the support of the Japanese navy, he experimented using crews of two battleships ; one crew

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