Chapters 6-10 (Vitamins, Minerals, Digestion/Absorption, Energy Balance, & Nutritional Calculations)

Question 1

Vitamin Functions

Answer 1

Act as enzymes, enzyme precursor, or coenzymes.

Do not supply energy.

Question 2

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Answer 2

Require bile salts & fat to be absorbed (absorbed via lymphatic system).
Increased risk of toxicity. Vitamin A, D, E (essential) & K.

Question 3

Vitamin A

Answer 3

From carotenes & carotenoids in plants & some animal tissues. (Liver, fish liver oils, milk and egg yolks).
Cats require Vitamin A.

Question 4

What does Vitamin A support?

Answer 4

Vision, Bone Growth, Reproduction, Tooth development, & Maintenance of epithelial tissues.

Question 5

Vitamin A Deficiency

Answer 5

Abnormal development of epithelial cells.
Abnormal spermatogenesis and estrous cycles.
Rods in eyes become increasingly sensitive to light.

Question 6

Vitamin A Toxicity

Answer 6

Skeletal malformation, Spontaneous fractures, Internal hemorrhage, Anorexia, Slow growth, Weight loss, Skin thickening, Increased clotting times, Enteritis, Congenital abnormalities, Conjunctivitis, Hepatic lipidosis, Reduced liver & kidney function.

Question 7

Vitamin D

Answer 7

Regulate calcium & phosphorus metabolism in body (Marine Fish/Fish oils [toxic], egg yolk, beef, liver and dairy).

D2 (ergocalciferol): found in harvested or injured plants.
D3 (cholecalciferol): synthesized in skin or from animal products.

Question 8

What does Vitamin D support?

Answer 8

Enhances intestinal absorption, mobilization, retention, & bone deposition.
Supports: immune system, brain & nervous system, pancreas, skin, muscles & cartilage, and reproductive organs.

Question 9

Vitamin D Deficiency

Answer 9

Rickets in young animals, Enlarged costochondral junctions, Osteomalacia, Osteoporosis, Decreased plasma calcium, & inorganic phosphorus.

Question 10

Vitamin D Toxicity

Answer 10

Hypercalcemia, Tissue calcification, Death.

Question 11

Vitamin E

Answer 11

Known as tocopherols & tocotrienols (Alpha-tocopherol most active).
Main function is as an antioxidant; works closely with selenium.
(found in leafy greens, in almost all tissues of the body).

Question 12

Vitamin E Deficiency

Answer 12

Oxidative damage & disruption of critical cellular processes.

Dogs: degenerative skeletal muscle disease, degeneration of testicular germinal epithelium, impaired spermatogenesis, & gestational issues.

Cats: steatisis, focal interstitial myocarditis, focal myositis of skeletal muscle, & mononuclear infiltration of liver.

Question 13

Vitamin E Toxicity

Answer 13

Least toxic vitamin.

Impaired bone mineralization, reduced hepatic storage of Vitamin A, & coagulopathies.

Question 14

Vitamin K

Answer 14

Quinones.

leafy greens & as byproduct of intestinal flora

Question 15

What does Vitamin K support?

Answer 15

Normal blood clotting & formation of osteocalcin.

Question 16

Vitamin K Deficiency

Answer 16

Prolonged clotting time, generalized hemorrhages & death in severe cases.

Question 17

Vitamin K Toxicity

Answer 17

Rare.

Anemia, porphyrinuria, chest pains & shortness of breath –humans.

Question 18

Water Soluble Vitamins

Answer 18

Dissolved in water. Depleted faster due to limited storage. Less likely to cause toxicity. Vitamin C & B-complex.

Question 19

B-complex Vitamins

Answer 19

Act as coenzymes for specific cellular enzymes used in tissue synthesis & energy metabolism (organ meats & germinal parts of grains & yeasts).

Question 20

Thiamin B1

Answer 20

Found in cereal grains. Involved in nervous system function and production of ATP. Broken down by thiaminases.

Question 21

Thiamin Deficiencies

Answer 21

Nervous disorders, appetite suppressions, digestion problems, & heart muscle degeneration.

Question 22

Riboflavin B2

Answer 22

Found in meat, eggs, green plants, yeast, and dairy products.
Cofactor for enzymes in energy production.

Question 23

Riboflavin Deficiencies

Answer 23

Poor hair coat, neurologic, anemia & infertility.

Question 24

Niacin B3

Answer 24

Found in yeast, animal & fish by-products, cereals, legumes, & oilseeds.
Can be made metabolically from dietary amino acid tryptophan.
Necessary for ATP production.

Question 25

Niacin Deficiencies

Answer 25

Dermatitis, diarrhea, death, & dementia.

Question 26

Pyridoxine B6

Answer 26

Found in meats, whole grains, vegetables, & nuts.

Involved in metabolism of amino acids & synthesis of hemoglobin

Question 27

Pyridoxine Deficiencies

Answer 27

Reduces growth rate, muscle weakness, neurologic signs, anemia, & kidney damage.

Question 28

Pantothenic Acid B5

Answer 28

Found in nearly everything. Transformed in Coenzyme A (needed in Krebs cycle).

Question 29

Pantothenic Acid Deficiencies

Answer 29

Erratic appetite, slow growth, fatty liver, & decreased antibody function.

Question 30

Folic Acid B10 & B11

Answer 30

Food in green, leafy vegetables, organ meats, and egg yolks (synthesized by intestinal bacteria in dogs & cats).
DNA synthesis.

Question 31

Folic Acid Deficiencies

Answer 31

Poor weight gain, anemia & leukopenia, & glossitis.

Question 32

Biotin B7

Answer 32

Found in oil seeds, egg yolks, alfalfa, liver, & yeast. Must be converted by biotinidase to be absorbed.
Necessary for some fatty acid synthesis.

Question 33

Biotin Deficiencies

Answer 33

Dermatitis, lethargy, poor growth, & neurologic signs.

Question 34

Cobalamin B12

Answer 34

Made by intestinal bacteria and found only in animal tissues.
Important in fat and carbohydrate metabolism and myelin synthesis.

Question 35

Cobalamin Deficiencies

Answer 35

Poor growth, neurological signs.

Question 36

Choline

Answer 36

Doesn’t meet criteria to be a B-complex vitamin, but still is. Synthesized in the liver.
Forms cell membranes & component of acetylcholine (ACh).

Question 37

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Answer 37

Guinea pigs, fish & primates cannot synthesize.

Antioxidant, facilitates iron absorption, protects lipids in cell membranes, growth and maintenance of bone and collagen, & amino acid metabolism.

Question 38

Vitamin C Deficiency

Answer 38

Scurvy.
Impaired wound healing, immune response and reproductive function.
Anemia & small hemorrhages.

Question 39

Carnitine

Answer 39

Found in all animal cells.

Transports fatty-acids for oxidation.

Question 40

Carnitine Deficiencies

Answer 40

Chronic muscle weakness, fasting hypoglycemia, cardiomyopathy, & hepatomegaly.

Question 41

Carotenoids

Answer 41

Found in orange & green vegetables, highly pigmented fruits & various species of fish.
Can be metabolized into Vitamin A.
Act as antioxidants.

Question 42

Bioflavonoids

Answer 42

Red, blue, & yellow pigments.
Can behave similarly to Vitamin C.
Antioxidant for lipids & water environments.

Question 43

Minerals

Answer 43

Balances HR, RR, & nerve function, acid-base balance, clotting factors, muscle contractions, & other cellular activities.
Make up <1% of any diet.

Question 44

Macro (needed in large amounts)

Answer 44

Calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, & sodium & chloride.

Question 45

Micro AKA trace elements (needed in small amounts)

Answer 45

Iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, & chromium.

Question 46

Calcium

Answer 46

Most abundant mineral. Formation/maintenance of skeleton & teeth. Intracellular messenger from cells to hormones & neurotransmitters.
Calcium absorption regulated by Vitamin D.
1% in blood/lymph & 99% in bones/teeth.

(Meat meal/bone meal, soybean meal, & flaxseed meal)

Question 47

Calcium Deficiency

Answer 47

Table-scrap diet.

Poor bone development, easily fractured bones, reduced growth & eclampsia during lactation.

Question 48

Calcium Toxicity

Answer 48

Bone and joint abnormalities, osteochondritis dessecans (OCD), hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), & wobbler’s syndrome.