Chapter 5: Vitamins

Question 1

Micronutrients

Answer 1

nutrients that are needed in very small amounts

Question 2

Vitamins

Answer 2

organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and sometimes, nitrogen or other elements

Question 3

Oxidation

Answer 3

a chemical reaction in which a substance combines with oxygen; the loss of electrons in an atom

Question 4

Provitamins

Answer 4

precursors of vitamins

Question 5

Enzymes

Answer 5

proteins produced by cells that catalyze chemical reactions within the body without undergoing change themselves

Question 6

Coenzymes

Answer 6

organic molecules that activate an enzyme

Question 7

Free Radicals

Answer 7

highly unstable, highly reactive molecular fragments with one or more unpaired electrons

Question 8

Antioxidants

Answer 8

substances that donate electrons to free radicals to prevent oxidation

Question 9

Food Additives

Answer 9

substances added intentionally or unintentionally to food that affect its character

Question 10

Enrich

Answer 10

to add nutrients back that were lost during processing; for example, white flour is enriched with B vitamins lost when the bran and germ layers are removed

Question 11

Fortified

Answer 11

to add nutrients to a food that were either not originally present or were present in insignificant amounts

Question 12

Megadoses

Answer 12

amounts at least 10 times greater than the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

Question 13

Preformed Vitamin A

Answer 13

the active form of vitamin A

Question 14

Carotenoids

Answer 14

a group name of retinol precursors found in plants

Question 15

Essential Nutrient

Answer 15

a nutrient that must be supplied by the
diet because it is not synthesized in the body. Essentiality does not refer to importance, merely to the need for a dietary source

Question 16

IU: International Units

Answer 16

the former unit of measure of vitamin D that has been replaced by micrograms of cholecalciferol, the active form of vitamin D. To convert micrograms of vitamin D to IU, mul- tiply micrograms by 40

Question 17

Rickets

Answer 17

vitamin D deficiency disease in children, most prominently characterized by bowed legs

Question 18

Osteomalacia

Answer 18

adult rickets characterized by inadequate bone mineralization due to the lack of vitamin D

Question 19

Homocysteine

Answer 19

an amino acid correlated with increased risk of heart disease

Question 20

Methionine

Answer 20

an essential amino acid

Question 21

Niacin Equivalents (NEs)

Answer 21

the amount of niacin available to the body including that made from tryptophan

Question 22

Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFEs)

Answer 22

DFE = microgram of food folate + (1.7 x micrograms synthetic folic acid)

Question 23

Phytochemicals

Answer 23

bioactive, nonnutrient plant compounds associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases