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Nutrition & Dietetics vocabulary · Vitamins and Minerals

Fat-soluble vitamin

Meaning in nutrition & dietetics, with examples

nounCommon term

In nutrition & dietetics, fat-soluble vitamin means: One of the four vitamins, A, D, E and K, that dissolve in fat. They are absorbed together with dietary fat and can be stored in the liver and fatty tissue.

In Turkish: yağda çözünen vitamin

How it is used

Used in physiology and clinical nutrition. Because they are stored, very high intakes, especially of vitamins A and D, can build up and become toxic. Conditions that reduce fat absorption can cause deficiencies. The other group is the water-soluble vitamins: the B group and vitamin C.

Example sentences

  1. Patients with cystic fibrosis often need extra fat-soluble vitamins.

  2. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin needed for normal blood clotting.

Common collocations

  • fat-soluble vitamins
  • water-soluble vitamins
  • vitamins A, D, E and K
  • vitamin toxicity
  • vitaminAn organic substance that the body needs in small amounts for growth, immunity and normal metabolism. Most vitamins must come from food because the body cannot make enough of them.
  • vitamin DA fat-soluble vitamin that helps the body absorb calcium and keep bones healthy. The skin makes it in sunlight, and small amounts come from oily fish, eggs and fortified foods.
  • fatA macronutrient that gives the body concentrated energy, about 9 kcal per gram, and helps it absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. The word also means the fat tissue stored in the body.
  • absorptionThe process by which digested nutrients pass from the intestine, mainly the small intestine, into the blood or lymph so the body can use them.

More terms: Vitamins and Minerals

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.