Careless cooking can lead to the loss of vitamins.

Modern lifestyles and eating habits lead to vitamin deficiencies in many people, which can have serious consequences for the body.

Let's examine the causes of this shortage.

Vitamins, vitamin deficiency, causes of vitamin deficiency, consequences of vitamin deficiency

Vitamins (primarily water-soluble vitamins) act as catalysts for biochemical reactions in the body, ensuring metabolism and energy release.

Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, primarily function in shaping and structuring tissues and organs in the body.

Vitamins are essential for the body; a vitamin deficiency can lead to functional and structural disorders, causing illness and potentially death.

The levels of vitamins in food crops and animal products are decreasing due to current farming and livestock practices.

Currently, the vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits grown prioritize quantity over quality: Vegetables grown for commercial purposes and at low prices are often unsafe and easily contaminated with heavy metals, bacteria, pesticide residues, and growth hormones, potentially causing acute and chronic poisoning.

Safe vegetables comply with regulations on fertilizers, pesticides, and growth stimulants. While they meet safety standards according to GAP and VietGAP, they do not guarantee quality in terms of vitamins and minerals due to the shortened growing season.

In addition, vitamins are easily destroyed by light, temperature, oxygen, air, pH, chemicals, etc.

For example, vitamin C is easily degraded by light, contact with enzymes, metals, especially iron and copper, is easily oxidized in alkaline environments, and is easily lost over time during storage.

Vegetables lose 95% of their vitamin C when cooked. Potatoes lose 15% each month during storage. Leafy greens and kohlrabi lose all their vitamin C within the first few days. Orange juice loses vitamin C rapidly if exposed to light, the cap is opened, or it is left exposed.

Processing, cooking, and storage also cause significant vitamin degradation. Vitamin B levels are lost by an average of 50%. Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) is lost by 20-50%. Vitamin B8 (vitamin H, biotin) is lost by 10-40%; Vitamin B6 by 10-50%; Vitamin B9 (folic acid) by up to 90%; Vitamins A and D are easily degraded by light; Vitamin E is easily destroyed by oxidation; Water-soluble vitamins are very easily damaged by processing, washing, and cooking.

Vitamins are primarily derived from plants, with varying amounts from different animals. The decreasing consumption of plant-based foods is a major reason for daily vitamin deficiencies.

Furthermore, the increasing trend of antibiotic use and misuse disrupts the gut microbiota, limiting the synthesis of certain vitamins such as vitamin K.

Nowadays, women tend to wear completely covered sun-protective clothing when going outdoors, or they avoid going outside altogether, which puts them at a very high risk of vitamin deficiency.

Processed foods, ready-made foods, and preserved foods generally have very low vitamin content. Furthermore, the consumption of these foods is increasing, while the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables is decreasing.

Vitamins do not produce energy; the body cannot synthesize or store them. Each vitamin has a specific role in the body. Vitamins are not interchangeable. Therefore, vitamins must be supplemented through daily food intake.

According to Vietnamnet