KIN 346Module 3 Flashcards
What are vitamins?
Essential, organic micronutrients
How do vitamins differ from macronutrients?
1) Structure: found in individual units 2) Function: don’t yield energy 3) Food contents: amounts ingested and required are usually measured in micrograms and milligrams
What affects bioavailability of vitamins?
1) efficiency of digestion and previous nutrient intake 2) method of preparation (some are easily destroyed) 3) source of the nutrient (supplement, food, fortification) 4) Other foods consumed at the same time (may help or hunder)
What are precursors or previtamins?
Inactive form of vitamins that must be activated in the body to be useful
What are the fat soluble vitamins?
A,D,E,K
What are the water soluble vitamins?
The Bs and Vitamin C
How are fat soluble vitamins absorbed?
into lymph, requires bile
How are fat soluble vitamins transported?
require protein carriers
How are fat soluble vitamins stored?
in fat compartments
How are fat soluble vitamins excreted?
tend to be stored
Are fat soluble vitamins toxic?
More likely than water soluble
What are the requirements for fat soluble vitamins?
periodic doses
How are water soluble vitamins absorbed?
directly into the blood
How are water soluble vitamins transported?
travel freely
How are water soluble vitamins stored?
in water compartments
How are water soluble vitamins excreted?
usually excess is removed in urine
Are water soluble vitamins toxic?
Less likely, but possible from supplements
What are the requirements for vitamins?
frequent doses
What are the RDAs for Vitamin A for men and for women?
Men (19-30): 900 micrograms/ day. Women (19-30) = 700 micrograms per day
Three active forms of reinoids in the body?
Retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid
How is vitamin A absorbed and where is it stored?
Absorbed into the lymph and stored in the liver
Animal foods supply what form a vitamin A?
Supply retinyl esters, absorbed as retinol
Food sources of retinol/retinyl esters?
liver, fish oils, eggs, milk, milk products, and fortified foods such as margarine
Plan foods supply what type of Vitamin A?
Carotenoids
Food sources of carotenoids?
Leaft greens (kale, spinach), and orange veggies and some orange fruits (squash, sweet potato, cantaloupe, apricots, and papaya)
What are cartenoids?
Orange pigments found in foods in which some have vitamin A activity (called prescursors)
What carentoid has the highest vitamin A activity?
Beta-carotene
What does beta carotene consist of?
Two molecules of retinol
12 micrograms of beta-carotene = ?
1 microgram vitamin A (retinol)
How is vitamin A activity measured?
Retinol Activity Equivalents (accounts for active forms and precursors)
What is an important role of Vitamin A?
regulation of gene expression
What is an important role of retinal?
promoting vision
What is an important role of retinoic acid?
Protein synthesis and cell differentiation (maintenance of epithelial tissues) and growth (bone remodelling)
Important role of retinol?
Supports reproduction
Important role of beta carotene?
acts as anantioxidant
What are the two indispensable roles of vitamin A in vision?
maintenance of the cornea and conversion of light energy into nerve impulses in the retine
Steps in vision?
Retina contains rhodopsin, a molecule composed of opsin (a protein) and cis-retinal (vitamin A). Light hits rhodopsin and retinal becomes trans-retinal, causing it to detach from opsin, sending nerve impulses to the brain to cause vision.
How does vitamin A deficiency cause blindness?
When trans-retinal is being converted back into cis-retinal, some of it is oxidized to retinoic acid, which cannot be turned back into retinal, so more retinal is needed either directly or from converting retinol to retinal.
What does vitamin A adequacy depend on?
stores (liver) and protein status
Where is vitamin A mainly stored?
The liver
What are the 2 stages of blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency?
Night blindness (retina) and progressive blindess called xeropthalmia (cornea)
What is keratinization, and deficiency in what vitamin causes it?
The hardening and thickening of skin. Faltering of digestion and absorption. Weakened defenses because of weakened epithelial tissue. Caused by a vitamin A deficiency.
Why do WHO and UNICEF recommend routine vitamin A supplementation?
Severity of measles often correlated with degree of deficiency, and a deficiency in vitamin A increases vulnerability to infectious disease.
UL for vitamin A?
3000 micrograms/d of PREFORMED vitamin A
Consumption of what increases the risk of vitamin A toxicity?
Eating lots of liver, supplements, and fortified foods
Free vitamin A damages the tissues when?
Binding proteins are swamped
What characterizes vitamin A toxicity?
Over-stimulated cell-division (bone abnormalmities (weakening), birth defects (teratogen), liver failure, and death)
Excess beta carotene intake from foods?
high intake from foods is harmless…causes yellowing if the skin (not eyes)
Excess beta-carotene from supplements causes?
Problematic. Toxic levels can be reached by overriding body’s usual protective mechanisms, can become pro-oxidant, destroys Vitamin A in cells.
Other name for Vitamin D?
Calciferol
RDA for vitamin D for males (19-30) and females?
15 micrograms/day for males and females (600IU)
What is the active form of vitamin D?
1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (calcitriol)
Why is vitamin D considered non-essential or “conditionally essential?”
It can be synthesized endgenously from the precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol, made in the liver
What are some animal foods that supply vitamin D?
egg yolks, liver, fatty fish and their oils
What type of vitamin D do animal foods supply?
cholecalciferol (vitamin D3)
What type of vitamin D do plant foods supply? Are there good sources of this?
Supply ergocalciferol (vitamin D2), and no good sources exist
What are some fortified foods that are a source of vitamin D?
milk and margarine (mandatory), butter, juices, cereals
Steps in vitamin D synthesis and activation
1) 7-dehydrocholesterol (a precursor made in the liver from cholesterol) in the skin gets hit with UV light 2) Forms previtamin D3 or Vitamin D3 comes from foods (inactive form) 3) In the liver, hydroxylation turns it in 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (calcidiol) 4) Hydroxylation in the kidneys turns it into the active form, 1,25-dihydroxy Vitamin D3/calcitriol
How many hydroxylations must occur to get active vitamin D3, and where do they occur?
2, in the liver and the kidneys
Active form of vitamin D3 is a ___
hormone
How does vitamin D participate in bone growth and maintenance?
By maintaining concentrations of calcium and phosphorus through action at the intestine, kidneys, and bone
How does vitamin D maintain blood concentrations of phosphorus and calcium through the intestine, kidneys, and bone?
Intestine: increases absorption when diet is adequate. Kidneys: increases REabsorption with parathyroid hormone. Bone: increases mobilzation with parathyroid hormone. Many other roles are being studied.
Vitamin D is needed to produce a protein that binds calcium in intestinal cells, what is this protein called, and what does vitamin D deficiency cause with respect to it?
Calbindin, deficiency means that dietary calcium absorption is limited. This creates a secondary deficiency that leads to bone abnormalities such as rickets in childrem, osteomalacia in adults, and increased risk of osteoporosis.
What are some reasons why people become vitamin d deficient from lack of sunshine?
older age, northern latitude, pollution, sunscreen, clothing, skin pigmentation
Percentage of Canadians that are vitamin D deficient in winter and summer?
40%, 25%
For all Canadians, what is recommended to guarantee vitamin D requirement is met?
2 cups of fortified milk daily…supplements for older adults, as well
What is the UL for vitamin D?
100 micrograms/day (4000 IU)
What is vitamin D toxicity usually due to?
Excess supplementation. Dietary excess from food sources is unlikely. Endogneous production from sunlight cannot reach toxic levels–precursors in skin are degraded with long sun exposure.
What does vitamin D toxicity cause?
Elevated blood concentration (hypercalcemia) leading to calcification of soft tissues (kidney stones and calcification of blood vessels)
What is another name for Vitamin E?
Tocopherol
RDA for 19-30 males and females for vitamin E?
15 mg/day…those with high PUFA intakes may need more
Why do people with high PUFA intakes need more vitamin E?
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that prevents the oxidation of PUFAs, so more in your diet, the more protection you need from oxidation
How many tocopherol compounds are there, what is hthe biologically active form?
4 different forms differentieated by positions of their methyl groups. Alpha-tocopherol is the biologically active form, other forms cannot be converted to alpha-tocopherol
Is vitamin E widespread in the food supply?
Yes
What are the main sources of vitamin E in the food supply?
Vegetale oils and products made from them (margarine, salad dressings)
What are some food sources of vitamin E in food?
vegetable oils and products made from them, wheat germ (ground), whole grains, nuts and seeds, liver, egg yolkd, leafy green vegetables
Is vitamin E easily destroyed?
YES! by heating process (deep fried foods)
What are the roles of vitamin E?
ANtioxidant (prevents oxidation of PUFAs and other lipids and protects cell membranes from oxidative damage), and may protect against heart disease by protecting LDL against oxidation and reducing inlfammation
Where is vitamin E deficiency primarily seen?
premature infants (transfer of vitamin E in last few weeks of pregnancy) and in conditions of fat malabsoprtion (CF, Chron’s)
What is the acute effect of vitamin E deficiency?
Hemolytic anemia (RBC explode becaues loss of PUFAs in membrane)
What is the long term effect of vitamin E deficiency?
Causes neuromuscular dysfunction (loss of muscle coordination and relfexes, impaired vision and speech)
UL of vitamin E?
1000 mg/day…can’t achieve through foods alone
Why is vitamin E toxicity rare?
blood concentration is tightly regulated by the liver.
What do extreme intakes of vitamin E cause?
Hemorrhage because it interferes with clotting action of vitamin K and enhances the action of anti-clotting drugs
AI for vitamin k for males and females?
120 micrograms/d and 90 micrograms/day
Where does about 50% of our vitamin K intake come from?
Synthesized endogenously by GI bacteria as a product of fermentation, the rest must be suppled from dietary sources (i.e. it remains essential)
Is vitamin K essential?
YES
Where is vitamin K stored?
The liver
What does animal food supply in terms of vitamin K, and what foods supply it?
Supply menaquinone…liver and milk
What do plant food supply in terms of vitamin K, and what foods supply it?
Supply phylloquinone…leafy green vegetables, cabbage-type vegetables (brussel sprouts, brocolli, and cauliflower), vegetable oils (canola and soybean)
Roles of Vitamin K
involved in the cascade of reactions that lead to blood clotting *required to repair damage to blood vessels and tissues). Participates in bone health (metabolism of osteocalcin to actiavte carboxylase, decreases bone turnover, protects against fracture)
What is osteocalcin?
A bone proten that binds calcium to bone…helps activate carboxylase, which is needed to bind the calcium. Protects against fracture.
Although primary vitamin K deficiency is rare, when can it happen, and what does it cause?
Can be found in conditions of fat malabsorption, newborn infants and those on antibiotics. Causes poor wound healing and hemorrhage/
What are the water soluble vitamins?
B family and C
Another name for vitamin C
ascorbic acid
Vitamin C requirements?
90 mg/day for males, 75 mg/d females
Why do smokers require an extra 35 mg/d of vitamin C?
Lots of oxidation takes place, so extra vitamin c is needed for more antioxidants
What are some sources of vitamin C?
citrus, strawberries, bell peppers…fruits and veggies
How is vitamin C easily destroyed?
Heat (cooking) and oxygen exposure
How much vitamin C does one cup of orange juice provide?
> 100 mg (more than the RDA)
Roles of vitamin C
Works as antioxidant because it can easily donate electrons to unstable free radicals (can be restored to its active form by accepting an electron, key to limiting losses and maintaining antioxidant reserve, in the SI, it protects Fe from oxidation, enhancing absoprtion). Cofactor in the formation and maintenance of collagen (connective tissue serving as a matrix on which bones and teeth are fored, involved in wound healing). Cofactor in the synthesis of a number of compounds (carnitine, NTs, thyroxin)
What does vitamin c deficiency cause?
Loss of integrity of blood vessels causes bleeding (scorbutic) gums, pinpoint hemorrhages. Long-term inadequacy leads to scurvy (hemorrhage, dry and rough skin, impaired wound healing, bone abnormalities, anemia and infection, sudden death
UL for vitamin c?
2000 mg/d
What can vitamin c toxicity result from?
overzealous supplementation (often for the common cold)
Symptoms of vitamin c toxicity?
GI distress, diarrhea, can interfer with anticlotting medications, causes kidney stones, can become a pro-oxidant and contribute to Fe overload (increases absorption of Fe in GI tract and increaes release of Fe from iron stores)
Can vitamin C cure the common cold?
No. Modest, consistent reduction in duration and severity and reduced risk after periods of physical stress, though.
As a group, what do the B vitamins do?
Work as coenzymes in energy metabolism
What are the B family vitamins?
Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, pyridoxine, cobalamin, biotin, pantothenic acid
As a group, what are common signs of vitamin B deficiencies?
Glossitis (shiny tongue from it being swollen) and Cheilosis (corners of mouth become cracked)
RDA for Thiamin for men and women?
1.2 mg/d an 1.1 mg/day
What is thiamin?
vitamin B1
What is thiamin deficiency a result of?
A result of malnourishment (diet less than 1200 cals, homeless, poor)
What does prolonged thiamin inadequacy result in?
Beriberi (dry = damage to nervous system, muscle wasting, wet = damage to cardiovascular system - edema)
What is Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome?
Thiamin deficiency in alcoholics…disorientation, memory loss, jerky eye movements, staggering gait
What is the upper limit for thiamin?
Toxicity is not observed, so no UL
What is riboflavin?
Vitamin B2