मुख्य सामग्री पर जाएं
REET Level 2 · Science

Vitamins & Deficiency Diseases — REET Notes

इसे हिंदी में पढ़ें →

This page covers, in detail, all the major vitamins for REET Level 2 (Maths-Science) — their chemical names, deficiency diseases, main functions and natural sources. REET 2024 asked direct questions on vitamin-disease pairs, so every vitamin here is explained with a clear table and a memory trick so that vitamin and disease names never get mixed up in the exam.

  • 2 questions in REET 2024
  • Class 6-8 level
  • 9 min read
Verified 17 September 2026 · Source: List of Vitamins and the Diseases Caused by Their Deficiency

How this topic is asked in REET

In REET 2024, both questions on this topic were built directly around vitamin-disease and vitamin-function pairs — the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) and the vitamin needed for blood clotting (K). In other words, this topic tends to bring one-line, purely factual questions where the key skill is not swapping vitamin and disease names (for example, not confusing vitamin D with vitamin C). At least one question is expected from this topic almost every year, so the table below is worth memorising thoroughly.

What Vitamins Are and Their Types

Vitamins are essential organic compounds that the body needs only in very small amounts, but they are essential for normal growth, immunity and various body functions. The body cannot make most vitamins on its own, so they must be obtained through food.

Based on solubility, vitamins are divided into two groups — fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) can be stored in the body's fat tissue, so it isn't essential to take them every day; water-soluble vitamins (the B-group and C), on the other hand, are not stored in the body and must be included in the diet daily. This is exactly why a deficiency of a water-soluble vitamin like vitamin C can appear within weeks of poor diet, while a fat-soluble vitamin deficiency often takes longer to show up, since the body can draw on its stored reserves for a while first.

Vitamins, Deficiency Diseases and Main Functions

VitaminChemical NameDeficiency DiseaseMain Function
ARetinolNight blindnessVision and skin health
B1ThiamineBeriberiNerve function and energy metabolism
B2RiboflavinAriboflavinosis (cracked skin/mouth)Skin and eye health
B3NiacinPellagraSkin and nerve health
B12CobalaminAnaemia (megaloblastic anaemia)Formation of red blood cells (RBC)
CAscorbic acidScurvyImmunity and wound healing
DCalciferolRickets (in children) / osteomalacia (in adults)Calcium absorption and bone growth
ETocopherolInfertility/muscle weaknessAntioxidant
KPhylloquinoneFailure of blood to clotBlood clotting

Scurvy and rickets are the pair most commonly confused in exams — remember, scurvy is linked to vitamin C and rickets to vitamin D.

Fat-Soluble vs Water-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamins

Fat-solubleA, D, E, K

Water-solubleB-group, C

Feature

Fat-solubleStored in the body's fat tissue and liver; not essential to take daily

Water-solubleNot stored in the body; required in the diet every day

This grouping is worth remembering for REET, since questions like 'which vitamin is not fat-soluble' are based directly on this classification.

Origin of the Word 'Vitamin' and the Importance of a Balanced Diet

The word 'vitamin' was first used by the Polish biochemist Casimir Funk in 1912. He combined 'vital' (essential for life) with 'amine' (a chemical group) to coin the name 'vitamine,' which later became 'vitamin.' The name itself is a useful reminder of what these compounds are — substances vital to life that were originally believed to all belong to the amine chemical family, even though later research showed that not every vitamin actually contains an amine group.

Since every vitamin performs a different function in the body and its deficiency causes a different disease, a balanced diet — including a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains and milk — is necessary so the body gets all the essential vitamins in adequate amounts. Relying too heavily on one type of food can lead to diseases linked to vitamin deficiency.

This topic is also useful for a teacher because it is often the teacher who first notices signs of malnutrition or a specific vitamin deficiency in a child at school (such as poor vision, fatigue, or gum problems), and an understanding of balanced nutrition is also practically useful for schemes like the mid-day meal programme.

Common Natural Sources of Vitamins

Vitamin A
Carrots, milk, papaya, green leafy vegetables, liver
Vitamin B1
Whole grains, pulses, peanuts
Vitamin C
Citrus fruits (lemon, orange), Indian gooseberry (amla), guava
Vitamin D
Sunlight, fish oil, egg yolk
Vitamin K
Green leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage)
Vitamin E
Vegetable oils, nuts, sprouted grains
Vitamin B12
Milk, egg, meat — mainly animal-source foods

How to Teach This in Class

Classroom activity

Have students prepare a simple one-week meal chart and mark the vitamin sources present in each meal, connecting the theory to everyday life.

Teaching aid

Bring real food items or their pictures — carrots, amla, green vegetables, eggs — to class and run a vitamin-source matching activity, where students match each food item with the correct vitamin card.

Common misconception

Students often swap the diseases caused by vitamin D deficiency (rickets, bone-related) and vitamin C deficiency (scurvy, gum-related). Compare the symptoms of both (bone vs. gums/skin) to make the difference clear.

Assessment idea

Run a quick oral rapid-fire round in class — the teacher names a disease (such as 'Scurvy?') and students immediately name the related vitamin; this instantly shows whether the pairs are remembered and also helps identify weaker students.

Memory trick

'D for bone, K for clot, A for eye, C for gums' — that is, vitamin D for strong bones, vitamin K for blood clotting, vitamin A for eyesight, and vitamin C to prevent gum problems/scurvy. Repeating this short line can be recalled quickly even inside the exam hall.

Questions Asked in REET 2024 (With Solutions)

Question 134

Disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin – C (Ascorbic acid) is

  1. Aरिकेट्स
  2. Bस्कर्वी
  3. Cबेरी-बेरी
  4. Dरतौंधी

Explanation

विटामिन-C (एस्कॉर्बिक अम्ल) की कमी से स्कर्वी (Scurvy) रोग होता है, जिसमें मसूड़ों से खून आना और घाव देर से भरना जैसे लक्षण होते हैं। रिकेट्स विटामिन-D, बेरी-बेरी विटामिन-B₁ और रतौंधी विटामिन-A की कमी से होती है।

Question 137

Which Vitamin is essential for blood clotting ?

  1. Aविटामिन A
  2. Bविटामिन D
  3. Cविटामिन E
  4. Dविटामिन K

Explanation

विटामिन K रुधिर का थक्का जमने (blood clotting) के लिए आवश्यक है, क्योंकि यह यकृत में थक्का बनाने वाले प्रोटीन (जैसे प्रोथ्रोम्बिन) के निर्माण में सहायक है। इसकी कमी से चोट लगने पर रक्तस्राव देर तक होता है। विटामिन A दृष्टि के लिए और विटामिन D हड्डियों के लिए आवश्यक है।

Practice Questions

Question 1

Night blindness is caused by the deficiency of which vitamin?

  1. Aविटामिन B1
  2. Bविटामिन A
  3. Cविटामिन C
  4. Dविटामिन D

Explanation

Night blindness is caused by a deficiency of vitamin A (retinol), which is essential for vision.

Question 2

Rickets in children is caused by the deficiency of which vitamin?

  1. Aविटामिन A
  2. Bविटामिन C
  3. Cविटामिन D
  4. Dविटामिन K

Explanation

Rickets in children is caused by a deficiency of vitamin D (calciferol), which is needed for calcium absorption and bone growth.

Question 3

Beriberi disease is caused by the deficiency of which vitamin?

  1. Aविटामिन B1 (थायमिन)
  2. Bविटामिन B2
  3. Cविटामिन C
  4. Dविटामिन E

Explanation

Beriberi is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1 (thiamine), which is needed for nerve function and energy metabolism.

Question 4

Pellagra disease is caused by the deficiency of which vitamin?

  1. Aविटामिन B1
  2. Bविटामिन B3 (नियासिन)
  3. Cविटामिन B12
  4. Dविटामिन C

Explanation

Pellagra is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B3 (niacin), which is needed for skin and nerve health.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a fat-soluble vitamin?

  1. Aविटामिन A
  2. Bविटामिन D
  3. Cविटामिन C
  4. Dविटामिन K

Explanation

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin; A, D and K are fat-soluble vitamins.

Question 6

Bleeding gums and slow wound healing are symptoms of the deficiency of which vitamin?

  1. Aविटामिन A
  2. Bविटामिन B12
  3. Cविटामिन C
  4. Dविटामिन D

Explanation

These are symptoms of scurvy, which is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Question 7

Which vitamin, known as cobalamin, causes anaemia when deficient?

  1. Aविटामिन B1
  2. Bविटामिन B12
  3. Cविटामिन C
  4. Dविटामिन K

Explanation

The chemical name for vitamin B12 is cobalamin; its deficiency causes megaloblastic anaemia.

Question 8

The most effective activity for teaching vitamins and deficiency diseases in class is —

  1. Aकेवल नाम रटवाना
  2. Bभोजन-चार्ट बनवाकर स्रोत चिन्हित करवाना
  3. Cविषय पर चर्चा न करना
  4. Dकेवल परीक्षा में पूछना

Explanation

Teaching by connecting vitamins to everyday food, through a meal chart with sources marked, helps students remember them for the long term.

Question 9

Students often confuse the diseases caused by deficiency of vitamin D and vitamin C. The correct way to clear this is —

  1. Aदोनों को एक साथ न पढ़ाना
  2. Bहड्डी संबंधी (रिकेट्स) व मसूड़े संबंधी (स्कर्वी) लक्षणों की तुलना कर स्पष्ट अंतर बताना
  3. Cकेवल एक रोग पढ़ाना
  4. Dविद्यार्थियों को स्वयं समझने देना

Explanation

Comparing the bone-related symptoms (rickets) and gum-related symptoms (scurvy) side by side clears up the confusion.

Question 10

Which vitamin helps in making proteins like prothrombin in the liver for blood clotting?

  1. Aविटामिन A
  2. Bविटामिन E
  3. Cविटामिन K
  4. Dविटामिन B12

Explanation

Vitamin K helps the liver produce clotting proteins such as prothrombin, so it is essential for blood clotting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions come from vitamins in REET?+

REET 2024 had 2 questions from this topic, both direct vitamin-disease or vitamin-function pairs.

Which vitamin deficiency causes scurvy?+

Scurvy is caused by a deficiency of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), with symptoms such as bleeding gums and slow wound healing.

Which vitamin is needed for blood clotting?+

Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting because it helps the liver make clotting proteins such as prothrombin.

Which vitamins are fat-soluble?+

Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble; they can be stored in the body's fat tissue.

Which vitamin deficiency causes night blindness?+

Night blindness is caused by a deficiency of vitamin A (retinol), which is essential for vision.

Who coined the word 'vitamin' and what does it mean?+

The word 'vitamin' was first coined by Casimir Funk in 1912 by combining 'vital' (essential for life) with 'amine.'

Which vitamins get stored in the body?+

The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can be stored in the body's fat tissue, while water-soluble vitamins (B-group, C) are not stored, which is why they need to be replenished through food every day rather than only occasionally.

Read Next

Components of Food

Previous topic: the main nutrients found in food.

Communicable Diseases

Next topic: types of communicable diseases and how to prevent them.

REET Syllabus

See the complete REET Level 1 and Level 2 syllabus.

REET 2024 Solved Paper

See all solved REET 2024 questions here.

Official Sources

  1. List of Vitamins and the Diseases Caused by Their Deficiency

Change Log

  • 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked