Chapters 6-10 (Vitamins, Minerals, Digestion/Absorption, Energy Balance, & Nutritional Calculations) Flashcards
Vitamin Functions
Act as enzymes, enzyme precursor, or coenzymes.
Do not supply energy.
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Require bile salts & fat to be absorbed (absorbed via lymphatic system).
Increased risk of toxicity. Vitamin A, D, E (essential) & K.
Vitamin A
From carotenes & carotenoids in plants & some animal tissues. (Liver, fish liver oils, milk and egg yolks).
Cats require Vitamin A.
What does Vitamin A support?
Vision, Bone Growth, Reproduction, Tooth development, & Maintenance of epithelial tissues.
Vitamin A Deficiency
Abnormal development of epithelial cells.
Abnormal spermatogenesis and estrous cycles.
Rods in eyes become increasingly sensitive to light.
Vitamin A Toxicity
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.
Vitamin D
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.
What does Vitamin D support?
Enhances intestinal absorption, mobilization, retention, & bone deposition.
Supports: immune system, brain & nervous system, pancreas, skin, muscles & cartilage, and reproductive organs.
Vitamin D Deficiency
Rickets in young animals, Enlarged costochondral junctions, Osteomalacia, Osteoporosis, Decreased plasma calcium, & inorganic phosphorus.
Vitamin D Toxicity
Hypercalcemia, Tissue calcification, Death.
Vitamin E
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).
Vitamin E Deficiency
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.
Vitamin E Toxicity
Least toxic vitamin.
Impaired bone mineralization, reduced hepatic storage of Vitamin A, & coagulopathies.
Vitamin K
Quinones.
leafy greens & as byproduct of intestinal flora
What does Vitamin K support?
Normal blood clotting & formation of osteocalcin.
Vitamin K Deficiency
Prolonged clotting time, generalized hemorrhages & death in severe cases.
Vitamin K Toxicity
Rare.
Anemia, porphyrinuria, chest pains & shortness of breath –humans.
Water Soluble Vitamins
Dissolved in water. Depleted faster due to limited storage. Less likely to cause toxicity. Vitamin C & B-complex.
B-complex Vitamins
Act as coenzymes for specific cellular enzymes used in tissue synthesis & energy metabolism (organ meats & germinal parts of grains & yeasts).
Thiamin B1
Found in cereal grains. Involved in nervous system function and production of ATP. Broken down by thiaminases.
Thiamin Deficiencies
Nervous disorders, appetite suppressions, digestion problems, & heart muscle degeneration.
Riboflavin B2
Found in meat, eggs, green plants, yeast, and dairy products.
Cofactor for enzymes in energy production.
Riboflavin Deficiencies
Poor hair coat, neurologic, anemia & infertility.
Niacin B3
Found in yeast, animal & fish by-products, cereals, legumes, & oilseeds.
Can be made metabolically from dietary amino acid tryptophan.
Necessary for ATP production.
Niacin Deficiencies
Dermatitis, diarrhea, death, & dementia.
Pyridoxine B6
Found in meats, whole grains, vegetables, & nuts.
Involved in metabolism of amino acids & synthesis of hemoglobin
Pyridoxine Deficiencies
Reduces growth rate, muscle weakness, neurologic signs, anemia, & kidney damage.
Pantothenic Acid B5
Found in nearly everything. Transformed in Coenzyme A (needed in Krebs cycle).
Pantothenic Acid Deficiencies
Erratic appetite, slow growth, fatty liver, & decreased antibody function.
Folic Acid B10 & B11
Food in green, leafy vegetables, organ meats, and egg yolks (synthesized by intestinal bacteria in dogs & cats).
DNA synthesis.
Folic Acid Deficiencies
Poor weight gain, anemia & leukopenia, & glossitis.
Biotin B7
Found in oil seeds, egg yolks, alfalfa, liver, & yeast. Must be converted by biotinidase to be absorbed.
Necessary for some fatty acid synthesis.
Biotin Deficiencies
Dermatitis, lethargy, poor growth, & neurologic signs.
Cobalamin B12
Made by intestinal bacteria and found only in animal tissues.
Important in fat and carbohydrate metabolism and myelin synthesis.
Cobalamin Deficiencies
Poor growth, neurological signs.
Choline
Doesn’t meet criteria to be a B-complex vitamin, but still is. Synthesized in the liver.
Forms cell membranes & component of acetylcholine (ACh).
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
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.
Vitamin C Deficiency
Scurvy.
Impaired wound healing, immune response and reproductive function.
Anemia & small hemorrhages.
Carnitine
Found in all animal cells.
Transports fatty-acids for oxidation.
Carnitine Deficiencies
Chronic muscle weakness, fasting hypoglycemia, cardiomyopathy, & hepatomegaly.
Carotenoids
Found in orange & green vegetables, highly pigmented fruits & various species of fish.
Can be metabolized into Vitamin A.
Act as antioxidants.
Bioflavonoids
Red, blue, & yellow pigments.
Can behave similarly to Vitamin C.
Antioxidant for lipids & water environments.
Minerals
Balances HR, RR, & nerve function, acid-base balance, clotting factors, muscle contractions, & other cellular activities.
Make up <1% of any diet.
Macro (needed in large amounts)
Calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, & sodium & chloride.
Micro AKA trace elements (needed in small amounts)
Iron, zinc, copper, selenium, iodine, & chromium.
Calcium
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)
Calcium Deficiency
Table-scrap diet.
Poor bone development, easily fractured bones, reduced growth & eclampsia during lactation.
Calcium Toxicity
Bone and joint abnormalities, osteochondritis dessecans (OCD), hypertrophic osteodystrophy (HOD), & wobbler’s syndrome.
