Micronutrients Flashcards
What are micronutrients needed in?
Small amounts
What are micronutrients measured in?
Micrograms (ug)
What are vitamins and minerals needed in?
Required in very small amounts
What are vitamins and minerals measured in?
- Measured in milligrams (mg)
- Or micrograms (mcg)
- I mg = 1000mcg
What do micronutrients provide?
Fat soluble vitamins
What are the fat soluble vitamins?
ADEK
Vitamins A, D, E, K are the fat soluble vitamins
Where are the fat soluble vitamins stored?
In the liver
Do the fat soluble vitamins need to be eaten regularly?
No they don’t need to be eaten regularly
How long are the fat soluble vitamins stored for?
Can be stored in the body for months/years
Which are the water soluble vitamins ?
B group vitamins and vitamin C are water soluble vitamins
Can water soluble vitamins be stored int the body?
No they cannot be stored in the body
Do water soluble vitamins need to be eaten regularly?
Yes they do need to be eaten regularly
What can water soluble vitamins easily be destroyed by?
Can be easily destroyed by:
- Contact with sunlight
- Sunlight
- Affected by enzymes
How can we protect water soluble vitamins?
- Eat fresh
- Buy fruit and vegetables in a good condition
- Ripen at home
- Store in a cool, dark place
- Leave skins on where possible
- If boiling, use water sauce in a sauce e.g gravy
- Use cooking methods like steaming, stir-frying, roasting
- Boiling is the worst thing to do
Which vitamins are antioxidant vitamins?
ACE
Vitamins A, C, E have antioxidant properties
What do antioxidant vitamins do?
They protect against free-radicals
What can free-radicals do?
Free-radicals = damage healthy body cells = BAD
What can free-radicals lead to?
Can lead to heart disease
- certain types of cancer
What does Calcium do?
- Keeps teeth healthy
- Helps build bones
- Regulates muscle contractions
- Makes sure blood clotting is normal
What are some sources of calcium?
- Milk
- Cheese
- Dairy products
- Green leafy vegetables
- Bread
- Soya drinks
- Fish were you eat the bones
What can an excess of calcium lead to?
Can lead to stomach pains and diarrhoea
What is a deficiency of calcium?
Can lead to rickets in children and osteoporosis in later life
What is a power couple for calcium?
Works really well with vitamin D
What does vitamin C do?
- Helps with healing wounds
- Maintaining healthy skin and blood vessels, bones and cartilage
- Protecting cells
What are some sources of vitamin c
- Citrus fruits
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Strawberries
What can an excess of vitamin c lead to?
Can lead to stomach pains, diarrhoea and flatulence
What is a deficiency of vitamin c?
Scurvy
What does vitamin B12 do?
- Makes red blood cells
- Keeps the nervous system healthy
- Releases energy from food
- Uses folate
What are some sources of B12?
- Meat
- Fish
- Milk
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Some fortified cereals
What can an excess of vitamin B12 lead to?
- Liver disease
- Acne
- Rosacea
What can not enough vitamin B12 lead to?
Could lead to vitamin B12 deficiency anaemia
What does vitamin B1 do?
Helps the body break down and release energy form food
What are some sources of vitamin B1?
- Peas
- Nuts
- Wholegrain breads
- Liver
What can an excess of vitamin b1 lead to?
High blood pressure