# Vitamins **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026 "2009-06-17T02:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/1 "2009-06-17T02:49:59Z")
There’s Vitamin A. There’s several Vitamin B’s. There’s C, D, E, and K. A couple of questions: 1. Whatever happened to Vitamins F-J? 2. Where did all those B’s come from? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/2 "2009-06-17T03:01:22Z")
“Vitamin B” proved out to be a cluster of vitamins, One of them, folic acid, sometimes called Vitamin B[sub]9[/sub], was at one time called Vitamin F. (I cannot help on G-J). Vitamin K is so called because of its importance to the clotting of blood. (I believe it was originally a German term with the word for clotting written with a K-.) ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/3 "2009-06-17T03:31:32Z")
Many of substances previously called Vitamins have been reclassified, either because they are needed in greater quantities than vitamins are, are not needed in any quantity even though they might have a beneficial effect, are able to be synthesized by the body. That is, a vitamin must be a substance that is 1) required 2) in small amounts that 3) cannot be synthesized from its building blocks. Many substances have been found to have health effects by adding or removing them but do not necessarily fall into the vitamin category. Many previous lettered vitamins were reclassified as a B-vitamin; they’re apparently all related to metabolism and a good number of them took a while to be isolated. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/4 "2009-06-17T04:00:47Z")
I have absolutely no expertise here, but according to the often-fallible wikipedia:[ul] [li]Vitamin F = Omega-3 fatty acids = later reclassified as non-vitamins [/li][li]Vitamin G = Riboflavin = Vitamin B[sub]2[/sub][/li][li]Vitamin H = Biotin = Vitamin B[sub]7[/sub][/li][li]Vitamin I = “Enternal Factor” = a possibly imaginary vitamin? [/li][li]Vitamin J = Choline = grouped with Vitamin B [/li][li]Vitamin L = Anthranilic acid[/li][li]Vitamin M = Folic Acid = Vitamin B[sub]9[/sub][/li]Vitamin S = a New Zealand jam band[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/5 "2009-06-17T05:13:31Z")
> [@](#): > > Many of substances previously called Vitamins have been reclassified, either because they are needed in greater quantities than vitamins are, are not needed in any quantity even though they might have a beneficial effect, are able to be synthesized by the body. That is, a vitamin must be a substance that is 1) required 2) in small amounts that 3) cannot be synthesized from its building blocks. But Vitamin D can be synthesized by the body. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/6 "2009-06-17T11:14:09Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > But Vitamin D can be synthesized by the body. True and most readings I have done about it lately say that it is not really a vitamin but is instead a hormone. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/7 "2009-06-17T14:22:41Z")
The name “vitamin” was originally “vital amine” - amine molecules that we had to consume to remain healthy. Our understanding of biology has come a long way since then, and the terminology hasn’t always caught up. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamins/500026/8 "2009-06-17T15:55:20Z")
[quote=“Randy\_Seltzer, post:4, topic:500026”] [li]Vitamin I = “Enternal Factor” = a possibly imaginary vitamin? [/li][/QUOTE] Do you mean the factor related to Vitamin B12? “[Intrinsic Factor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrinsic_factor)” (as that sounds like “Internal Factor”). Never mind: I just read the Wiki on Vitamin I: \* Vitamin B7: “Vitamin I” of Centanni E. (1935) — also called ‘Enteral factor’ — is a water and alcohol soluble rice-bran factor which prevents digestive disturbance in pigeons. It governs the anatomical and functional integrity of the intestinal tract. Later found in yeast. Possible candidates for this substance are inositol, niacin (nicotinic acid), and biotin. Carnitine was also claimed to be a candidate but is not soluble in alcohol. \* Weird.