A Brief History of Vitamins
Vitamins have captured the public’s interest more than any other group of nutrients. These seemingly “miracle substances” have been proven to have significant roles such as coenzymes, antioxidants, hormones, components of cell membranes, and more. Here’s a brief history of vitamins: how they were discovered, and, how certain vitamins were demoted from their “vitamin status.”
Early Observations: Scurvy
Vitamins were largely discovered while searching for cures of various diseases that were suspected to be associated with dietary deficiencies. This dates back as early as 1753 when British naval surgeon (Dr. James Lind) observed that many sailors became ill and died on long voyages when they had to live on rations without fresh foods. When Lind provided the sailors with fresh lemons and oranges (rich sources of vitamin C), no one became ill. Dr. Lind had discovered that scurvy, which had been affecting the sailors, was caused by a dietary deficiency of vitamin C and was prevented by adding citrus fruit to the diet. Scurvy is a hemorrhagic disease characterized by diffuse tissue bleeding, painful limbs and joints, thickened bones, and skin discoloration from bleeding, with bones fracturring easily, wounds that do not heal, gums swelling and bleeding, and loosening teeth.
Early History & Era of Discovery
In 1906, Dr. Frederick Hopkins of Cambridge University began a series of experiments in which he fed a group of rats a synthetic mixture of protein, fat, carbohydrate, mineral salts, and water. All of the rats became ill and died. He then added milk to the purified ration for a separate set of rats, and they maintained normal growth. This important discovery, that additional substances present in natural foods are essential to life, provided the necessary foundation for the individual vitamin discoveries that followed.
Most of the vitamins that are known today were discovered during the first half of the 1900s. A form of the name vitamin was first used in 1911, when Casimir Funk, a Polish chemist working at the Lister Institute in London, discovered a nitrogen-containing substance (an amine) that he speculated might be a common characteristic of all vital agents. He coined the word vitamine, from “vital amine.” The final “e” was eventually dropped later, when other vital substances turned out not to be amines, and the name vitamin was retained to designate compounds within this class of essential substances.
Vitamin Naming & Definition
At first, scientists assigned letters of the alphabet to each vitamin in the order that they were discovered; however, as more vitamins were discovered, this practice was abandoned in favor of more specific names based on a vitamin’s chemical structure or body function. A mysterious component of unpolished rice was recognized as an essential food substance and was named vitamin B. Subsequently, it was named vitamin B complex because the vitamin was found to be composed of several compounds.
As each vitamin was discovered, the following two characteristics that define a vitamin clearly emerged:
- It must be a vital organic substance that is not a carbohydrate, fat, or protein; and it must be necessary to perform a specific metabolic function or to prevent a deficiency disease.
- It cannot be manufactured by the body in sufficient quantities to sustain life, so it must be supplied by the diet.
What happened to vitamins B4, B8, B10, and B11?
B4, B8, B10, and B11 were once thought to be vitamins, thus given numbers in the B-vitamin complex numbering scheme. Subsequently, these were discovered to be either not essential for life or they were manufactured by the body, thus not meeting the two essential qualifiers for a vitamin.
Vitamin B4 can refer to the distinct chemicals choline, adenine, or carnitine. Note that choline is now considered an essential dietary nutrient. Vitamin B8 can refer to adenosine monophosphate (AMP) or inositol. Vitamin B10 refers to para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA). Vitamin B11 refers to PHGA (chick growth factor).
What about B13, B14, B15, and B16?
Not vitamins either. Vitamin B13 is known as orotic acid, which is sometimes used as a mineral carrier in some dietary supplements to increase bioavailability. Vitamin B14 was named during a study by Earl R. Norris, but later abandoned due to conflicting evidence. Vitamin B15 is known as pangamic acid, which is considered unsafe and subject to seizure by the FDA. Vitamin B16 is known as dimethylglycine (DMG), which is synthesized by the human body from choline.
Some other B “vitamins” no longer considered vitamins include vitamins B17, B20, Bf, Bm, Bp, Bt, Bv, Bw, and Bx. Vitamin Bx was an alternate name for both PABA and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).
Takeaway
Always be wary of supplement claims. For example, the FDA has stated that numerous companies falsely stated on their websites, packaging, and social media that their products could cure, treat, mitigate the effects of, or prevent, diabetes. “If claims sound too good to be true, they probably are,” according to the FDA press release on these warnings. Always talk to your healthcare team before starting any new drugs or supplements.
