Fat Soluble Vitamins 17/04.

Question 1

What are vitamins?

Answer 1

Vitamins are a group of chemical substances which are vital to the body.

Question 2

Why are vitamins micronutrients?

Answer 2

The body requires only small amounts of each vitamin which makes them micronutrients.

Question 3

Can the body make vitamins? If not, how does the body obtain the micronutrients?

Answer 3

The body cannot make most of them itself, they must be supplied by food.

Question 4

What could a diet lacking one or more of the vitamins result in?

Answer 4

A diet lacking one or more vitamins will result in a specific deficiency disease.

Question 5

Vitamins are classified according to the substances in which they dissolve. There are two groups:

Answer 5

• Fat Soluble Vitamins: Vitamin A, D, E, and K
• Water Soluble Vitamins: Vitamin C and Vitamin B complex.

Question 6

What are the functions of Vitamin A (Retinol) in the body (5)?

Answer 6

• Maintains healthy mucus membranes in the throat, digestive and excretory tracts moist.
• Helps to avoid infections.
• Required to make visual purple to help with vision in dim light.
• Required for the growth of children, especially for bones and teeth.
• Necessary for healthy skin.

Question 7

Give 5 examples of Vitamin A animal sources?

Answer 7

Fish liver oils, butter, cheese, eggs, liver and kidney, herrings, milk.

Question 8

Give 5 examples of Vitamin A (supplied as carotene in plant sources) plant sources?

Answer 8

Plant sources: carrots, spinach, watercress, cabbage, green peas, parsley, kale, apricots, prunes, tomatoes.

Question 9

What does the body convert into Vitamin A and where is it stored?

Answer 9

The body converts the carotene into vitamin A.
Vitamin A is then stored in the liver, therefore a daily supply is not required.

Question 10

Is too much Vitamin A good for your body? If not suggest why?

Answer 10

Too much vitamin A is poisonous and can seriously affect skin and joints, especially in children.

Question 11

Why are pregnant women not advised to consume too much liver?

Answer 11

Pregnant women are advised not to eat too much liver as this could lead to damage and defects to the unborn baby.

Question 12

What are the special requirements of Vitamin A?

Answer 12

• Children need plenty for growth and development.
• People who cannot digest or absorb fat well may need a vitamin A injection to overcome this.

Question 13

What are the 3 deficiency effects of Vitamin A?

Answer 13

• The retina ceases to make visual purple and vision in dim light is impaired, leading to night blindness. In severe cases, the structure of the eye deteriorates and eventually ruptures causing total blindness.
• The skin and mucus membranes become dry and infected.
• Growth of children is retarded.

Question 14

What are the 2 functions of Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol -the sunshine vitamin)?

Answer 14

• Required for the formation of bones and teeth.
• Helps to promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

Question 15

Give 5 sources of Vitamin D?

Answer 15

• Liver, fish liver oils, oily fish, egg yolk, margarine (added by law), and sunlight – made on the skin.

Question 16

What is the effect of too much Vitamin D?

Answer 16

Too much vitamin D is dangerous as it results in an excess absorption of calcium in the blood, which is deposited in the lungs and kidneys and can cause death.

Question 17

What are the 3 deficiency diseases of Vitamin D?

Answer 17

• Rickets – in children: bones become weak, bow legs, knocked knees, fragile skulls.
• Osteomalacia – in adults: can result in serious fractures from a minor fall.
• Growth in children is retarded.

Question 18

What are the 4 functions of Vitamin E (Tocopherol)?

Answer 18

• Very effective antioxidant.
• Protects polyunsaturated fatty acids from damage by free radicals, especially in cell membranes.
• Protects against heart disease.
• Stops food from becoming rancid.

Question 19

Give 5 sources of Vitamin E (Tocopherol).

Answer 19

Lettuces, grasses, peanuts, seeds, wheat germ oil, vegetable oils, milk, milk products and egg yolk.

Question 20

What is the deficiency disease of Tocopherol in premature babies and people who cannot absorb fat?

Answer 20

Premature babies and people who cannot absorb fat may show signs of an increased breakdown of red blood cells, muscle damage, and swelling of the adipose tissue.

Question 21

What are the three functions of Vitamin K?

Answer 21

• Essential for normal blood clotting.
• Assists in the production of coagulation factors in the blood.
• Promotes bone health.

Question 22

Give 5 sources of Vitamin K.

Answer 22

Green leafy vegetables e.g., spinach, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli, liver, milk and bacteria in the intestinal tract (naturally produced).

Question 23

What are babies given immediately after being born and why?

Answer 23

Babies are given vitamin K immediately after they are born so that their blood will clot if they are injured.

Question 24

What are the effects of over consumption of Vitamins?

Answer 24

Over consumption of vitamins can lead to toxicity. Symptoms include nausea, dizziness, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, slow growth and vomiting.

Question 25

What are the food preparation rules of the following: - Retinol and B-carotene. - Vitamin D.

Answer 25

Retinol and B-carotene are both insoluble in water and are unaffected by normal temperatures and methods of food preparation Vitamin D is unaffected by normal cooking temperatures and methods. It does not dissolve in water.