Vitamin – Function – Food Sources
- Alternative medicine
- Vitamin – Function – Food Sources
- Anatomy
- Structure
- Function
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Vitamin – Function – Food Sources
Vitamin – Function – Food Sources
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
Helps with energy production in your body.
Sources – Whole grains, enriched grains, liver, pork, dried beans, nuts and seeds.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Helps with energy production in your body. Helps your body use other B vitamins.
Sources – Soybeans, meat and poultry, liver and eggs, mushrooms, milk, cheese, yogurt, whole grains, enriched grains.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Helps your body to use protein, fat, and carbohydrates to make energy. Helps enzymes work properly in your body.
Sources – Mushrooms, peanut butter, meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, enriched grains.
Biotin
Allows your body to use protein, fat, and carbohydrates from food. Biotin content in food can vary greatly.
Sources – Sweet potatoes, non-fat milk, yogurt, peanuts, almonds, eggs, liver, soy protein.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Helps your body to make and use protein and glycogen, which is the stored energy in your muscles and liver. Helps form hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in your blood.
Sources – Bananas, 100% bran, instant oatmeal, meat, fish, poultry, liver, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, pistachio, nuts, sunflower seeds.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Works with vitamin folate to make DNA. and helps to make healthy blood cells. Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause a type of anemia. Keep nerves working properly.
Sources – Milk, cheese, yogurt, fortified soy or rice beverages, meat, fish, poultry, liver, eggs, fortified soy products.
Folate
Folate is the folate that is found in vitamin supplements. Helps to produce and maintain DNA and cells. Helps to make red blood cells and prevent anemia. Found in vitamin supplements and fortified foods.
Sources – Asparagus, cooked spinach, romaine lettuce, brussels sprouts, beets, broccoli, corn, green peas, oranges, orange juice, bread, enriched pasta, wheat germ, liver, dried beans, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, sunflower seeds, flax seeds.
Vitamin C
May help prevent cell damage and reduce risk of certain cancers, heart diseases, and other diseases. Helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps gums healthy. Protects you from infections and keeping your immune system healthy. Increases the amount of iron your body absorbs from some foods. Sources – Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, and their juices, kiwi, strawberries, mangoes, papaya. red, yellow, and green peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, raw dark leafy vegetables.
Vitamin A
Helps you to see during the day and at night. Protects you from infections by keeping skin and other body parts healthy. Promotes normal growth and development.
Sources – Liver, some fish, milk, cheese.
Carotenoids (Aapha, betacarotene, et betacryptoxanthin)
Carotenoids are not vitamins but some types can turn into vitamin A in the body. Act as antioxidants, which protect your body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.
Sources – Cantaloupe pink grapefruit, tomatoes, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, beet greens, and swiss chard, dark orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin D
Increases the amount of calcium and phosphorus your body absorbs from foods. Deposits calcium and phosphorus in bones and teeth, making them stronger and healthier. Protects against infections by keeping your immune system healthy.
Sources – Milk, fortified soy, and rice beverages, fortified margarine, some fish, eggs, organ meats, fish liver oils.
Vitamin E
Helps to maintain a healthy immune system and other body processes. Acts as an antioxidant and protects cells from damage.
Sources – Vegetable oils, avocados, leafy green vegetables, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, some nuts, peanut butter.
Vitamin K
Make proteins that cause our blood to clot, when you are bleeding. Involved in making body proteins for your blood, bones, and kidneys.
Sources – Broccoli, soybeans, dark green leafy vegetables such as kale, collards, turnip/beet greens and spinach.
On this page:
Discover our animated video!
Symptoms, risk and screening
Are you over 50 years old, or have you been having urinary problems for some time now? This video is for you! Several diseases can affect your prostate, and it’s important to detect them early. Let’s take a closer look.
Anatomy
What is the prostate
The prostate is a gland:
- Located between the bladder and the penis, just in front of the rectum;
- Formed of 2 lobes which surround the urethra, a canal that runs through the center of the prostate, from the bladder to the penis, letting urine and sperm flow out of the body;
- The size of a walnut, which grows larger in size in your forties;
- That has a soft, spongy texture to the touch like a small, ripe plum.
The prostate is made of:
- Gland cells that secrete liquids for ejaculation;
- Muscle cells that participate in the evacuation of your sperm during ejaculation;
- Fiber cells that maintain the structure of the gland.
Around the prostate, we find:
- The seminal vesicles, glands that produce sperm and that are located on either side of the prostate;
- The vas deferens, the tube that carries sperm from the testicle to the seminal vesicles;
- The nerve bundles that control your bladder and erectile function and that are located on either side of your prostate.
Structure
Three main zones of the prostate
Peripheral zone
- The peripheral zone is the largest area of the prostate. It can easily be felt by the doctor during a digital rectal exam (DRE).
- Most prostate cancers start in the peripheral zone.
Transition zone
- This is the area located in the middle of the prostate, between the peripheral and central areas. It surrounds your urethra that runs through the prostate.
- With age, the transitional area increases in size until it becomes the largest portion of your prostate. This is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate.
Central zone
- It is the part of the prostate that is farthest from the rectum. This is why prostate tumors located in this area can not be felt by the doctor during a digital rectal examination.
- If the doctor is in doubt, the following information will help decide if additional investigation is necessary:
- Your PSA level
- Your age and family history
- Your ethnic origin
Fonction
In short
Your fertility and natural fertilization
- It produces … a prostatic fluid rich in enzymes, proteins and minerals that nourishes and protects your spermatozoa.
- It makes … a protein (APS) that is used to liquefy your sperm to facilitate the mobility of your spermatozoa.
- It allows … ejaculation by contracting.
- It promotes … fertility through its enzymes facilitating the penetration of sperm through the cervix.
- It is not related to the mechanism of erection. Therefore, the origin of erectile dysfunction lies elsewhere.
Additional details
Exocrine Function
The prostate is made up of thousands of tiny fluid-producing glands. Specifically, the prostate is an exocrine gland. Exocrine glands are so-called because they secrete through ducts to the outside of the body (or into a cavity that communicates with the outside). Sweat glands are another example of an exocrine gland.
The fluid that the prostate gland produces forms part of semen, the fluid that carries sperm during orgasm. This fluid, produced in the prostate, is stored with sperm in the seminal vesicles. When the male climaxes, muscular contractions cause the prostate to secrete this fluid into the urethra, where it is expelled from the body through the penis.
Urine Flow
The prostate wraps itself around the urethra as it passes from the bladder to the penis. Prostatic changes can affect urine flow. Increasing the size of the prostate or muscle tone may impede the flow of urine due to the close anatomical relationship between the urethra and the prostate.
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)
The prostate also produces a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). PSA is released with the ejaculatory fluid and can also be traced in the bloodstream. The testing of PSA levels in the blood is used to detect prostate cancer. The level of PSA in the blood is usually measured in nanograms of PSA per milliliter of blood (ng/mL).
A raised PSA level
Usually, a PSA rate of less than 4 nanograms per milliliter of blood is normal, but age should also be taken into consideration as PSA levels gradually increase with age. A rise in PSA concentration may indicate the presence of:
- An enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia)
- An inflammation or infection of the prostate (prostatitis)
- A prostate cancer
Your doctor will have you undergo other tests to determine the exact cause of the increase in your PSA.
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You have questions or concerns? Don’t hesitate. Contact us at 1-855-899-2873 to discuss with one of our nurses specialized in uro-oncology. They are there to listen, support and answer your questions, and those of your family or your loved ones. It’s simple and free, like all of our other services.
Also take the time to visit each of our pages on this website, as well as our YouTube channel, in order to get familiar with the disease, our expert lectures, our section on available resources, the support that is offered to you, our events and ways to get involved to advance the cause..
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Sources and references
- Prostate Cancer – Understand the disease and its treatments; Fred Saad, MD, FRCSC and Michael McCormack, MD, FRCSC, 4th et 5th editions
- Canadian Cancer Society
- Prostate Cancer Foundation-PCF.org
- National Cancer Institute-USA
- American Cancer Society
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Prostate Cancer UK
Last medical and editorial review: September 2023
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