Which of the following vitamins is soluble in water?

Appeared in: RRB Staff Nurse Delhi-2015

Explanation

Vitamins are classified based on their solubility into two groups: fat-soluble and water-soluble.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) and the B-complex vitamins are water-soluble, meaning they dissolve in water.
Water-soluble vitamins are readily absorbed, not stored in large amounts, and excess is excreted in urine, requiring regular intake.
Among the given options, only Vitamin C is water-soluble.

Option A: Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin. It dissolves in fat and is stored in the body's liver and fatty tissues.
Option C: Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, essential for blood clotting. It is stored in the body.
Option D: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, crucial for calcium absorption and bone health. It is stored in the body.

Visual 1: Infographic: A chart categorizing all essential vitamins into water-soluble (B-complex, C) and fat-soluble (A, D, E, K) groups, with food sources for each.
Visual 2: Diagram: Illustrating the absorption pathway of water-soluble vs. fat-soluble vitamins in the digestive system, showing how fat-soluble vitamins require bile and are absorbed with lipids into the lymphatic system.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Classification of vitamins based on solubility as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses must educate patients on the importance of daily intake of water-soluble vitamins (like Vitamin C) as the body does not store them, and deficiency can occur quickly.
Understanding solubility is critical for patient safety. For fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), nurses must be aware of the risk of toxicity (hypervitaminosis) with over-supplementation, as they are stored in the body.
What if a patient has a malabsorption syndrome like Crohn's disease or cystic fibrosis? Their ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins would be significantly impaired, requiring monitoring and potentially water-soluble forms of these vitamins or alternative administration routes.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core concept of the question, which is the solubility of vitamins.
Recall the two main classifications of vitamins: water-soluble and fat-soluble.
Use a mnemonic to remember the fat-soluble vitamins, such as 'ADEK' (for Vitamins A, D, E, and K).
Evaluate each option against this classification. Vitamin A, D, and K are in 'ADEK', so they are fat-soluble.
The remaining option, Vitamin C, is therefore water-soluble. This process of elimination confirms the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Q0eqmiUqIrcOzEqaeJ02f-

Practise the full RRB Staff Nurse Delhi-2015

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.