Course
16

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Overview
Learn how to interpret and correct imbalances in vitamins A, D, E, and K to enhance hormonal, immune, and metabolic function through food and targeted supplementation.
Format
Online
Units
4
Recommended for
  • Acne
  • Eczema
  • Low immunity
  • Malabsorption
  • Brain health
Fat-Soluble Vitamins

The learning framework

1
Why fat-soluble vitamin imbalance is widely overlooked
Vitamins A, D, E, and K play critical roles in immune regulation, bone integrity, antioxidant protection, hormonal balance, cardiovascular health, vision, skin health, blood clotting, and cellular communication, yet deficiencies and imbalances remain common due to poor dietary diversity, fat malabsorption, impaired bile flow, liver dysfunction, gut inflammation, and limited sun exposure.
2
The limitations of isolated nutrient assessment
Most practitioners learn about fat-soluble vitamins as isolated nutrients with general reference ranges, without understanding how they are absorbed, transported, stored, activated, or how they interact with each other and with minerals, leading to missed deficiencies, inappropriate supplementation, and failure to address the upstream digestive and hepatobiliary issues that impair fat-soluble vitamin absorption and utilisation.
3
A functional framework for fat-soluble vitamin balance
The Fat Soluble Vitamins module trains you to understand the absorption, transport, storage, activation, and interaction of vitamins A, D, E, and K within the broader context of digestion, liver function, and metabolic health, equipping you to assess status accurately, correlate findings with clinical and dietary data, and apply evidence-based strategies that restore balance safely and effectively.

What you'll learn

By the end of this module, you will be able to:
Understand the unique properties of fat-soluble vitamins
Recognising that vitamins A, D, E, and K are lipophilic, requiring dietary fat for absorption, bile for emulsification, intact intestinal mucosa for uptake, and storage in liver and adipose tissue, creating both the advantage of bodily reserves and the risk of toxicity with excessive intake.
Assess the absorption pathway for fat-soluble vitamins
Understanding that absorption depends on adequate stomach acid, pancreatic lipase, bile salts, intact intestinal villi, and lymphatic transport,and how impairments reduce uptake and create deficiency risk.
Understand vitamin A forms, functions, and metabolism
Differentiating between preformed vitamin A and provitamin A carotenoids, recognising vitamin A's roles in vision, immune function, reproduction, gene expression, and skin health,assessing deficiency patterns and toxicity risks.
Assess vitamin D synthesis, activation, and functions
Recognising vitamin D as a steroid hormone influencing calcium absorption, bone mineralisation, immune modulation, mood regulation, and cardiovascular health,interpreting serum 25(OH)D levels with functional targets and understanding vitamin D-calcium-K2 synergy.

Why this matters

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Your path to becoming a Certified Practitioner

How to get started

1st Step
Submit your Application
Apply online in just a few minutes. Our team will review your experience, education and goals to ensure this certification aligns with your professional path.
2nd Step
Join the IOH community
Once accepted, you’ll gain instant access to our global network of practitioners, mentors and resources that support your learning from day one.
3rd Step
Begin your first module
Start your studies inside the IOH learning portal — with guided mentorship, live calls, and access to the Oracle AI system that turns knowledge into action.

Expand your knowledge

All Courses
What does an Integrative Nutritional Therapist do?
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An Integrative Nutritional Therapist utilises the latest evidence-based research to create an integrative approach to optimising each client’s health and wellbeing.

They design bio-individual nutrition plans, personalise supplementation where appropriate, and interpret functional laboratory data, including blood work, to gain deeper insights, achieve better accuracy and tailor every intervention to the individual.

How is functional medicine different from conventional medicine?
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Conventional medicine often waits until a disease is clearly present before intervention begins. Treatment is focused on managing or suppressing a diagnosed condition.

Functional medicine looks upstream. It assesses the early drivers of dysfunction and works to prevent disease from developing in the first place, or restore balance in the body. It uses a whole-systems view of the body, then applies personalised, preventative nutrition and lifestyle interventions to support long-term health rather than only reacting once things have gone wrong.

What will be my scope of practice after completing this certification?
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After completing the certification, you will be recognised and insured as a Integrative Nutritional Therapist inclusive of Nutritional Therapy and Functional Blood Work, with a clearly defined scope of practice.

You will be trained and insured to:

  • Design bio-individual nutrition plans
  • Recommend and prescribe over-the-counter supplementation up to safe, optimal intake thresholds
  • Utilise functional blood work from a wellness perspective to guide your reasoning and recommendations
  • Collaborate with and refer to medical professionals when red flags, pathology or out-of-scope conditions are identified

Our scope of practice has been aligned with nutritional therapy standards and externally audited, so you can work with confidence and clarity.

Is your course accredited?
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Yes. Our certifications are accredited by multiple independent professional bodies, including the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT) and the Complementary Medical Association (CMA).

To receive these accreditations, our curriculum undergoes forensic external auditing to ensure every component is up to date, evidence-informed, ethically delivered and aligned with recognised Nutritional Therapy and Functional Health standards. This includes rigorous evaluation of our academic content, assessments, delivery methods and scope of practice frameworks.

This external oversight gives you confidence that the qualification you are investing in is credible, robust and widely recognised within the industry, with clear pathways for insurance, professional membership and global practice.

Will I be able to practise internationally?
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Yes. Our graduates are eligible for insurance through IICT that is recognised across 36 countries, including:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden & United Kingdom.

This allows you to work with clients internationally, including in online practice, provided you respect local regulations and the scope of practice defined by your insurer and professional associations.

Need help?
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