Nutralife module 1: Flashcards
What are the 4 nutritional cornerstones of good health?
- probiotics
- multivitamins/minerals
- antioxidants
- essential fatty acids
Why is a comprehensive multivitamin important?
- vitamins & minerals are essential dietary nutrients
- our bodies cannot synthesise these
- they are required for normal metabolism, growth, energy, immunity and general wellbeing
why are multivitamins and minerals required as supplements?
- very few people eat perfect diets
- nutrient levels in food can vary substantially due to different growing, processing, storing and cooking techniques
What are the two main categories of vitamins?
- water soluble vitamins
- fat soluble vitamins
What are water soluble vitamins?
- These are dissolved and carried through the body in water
- They may be easily lost through urine and sweat so need to be replaced daily
What are examples of water soluble vitamins?
- Vitamin C
- B complex vitamins e.g. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folic acid and biotin
What are fat soluble vitamins?
- These are dissolved in fat and carried through the body by fats in the bloodstream
- The body retains more fat than water, so these are stored more easily
- interrupting their dietary intake has less of an effect but high intake of fat-soluble vitamins can build up to toxic levels
What are the B complex vitamins?
-family of essential nutrients which work together to play several vital roles in the body:
healthy mood
metabolism
heart function
blood cell formation
assists with stress response, mood balance and normal enzyme function
What are trace minerals?
- minerals which are only required in small amounts (only a few mg or mcg each day)
- when ingested these usually become part of a hormone or enzyme that regulates one of the body’s metabolic processes
What are examples of trace minerals?
- chromium
- copper
- cobalt
- iodine
- iron
- manganese
- molybedenum
- selenium
- zinc
Which trace elements are low in NZ and Australian soils?
- chromium
- iodine
- selenium
- zinc
What is vitamin A?
Retinol which is an antioxidant
What is vitamin A beneficial for?
- good vision
- reproductive health
- healthy skin, teeth and soft tissues
- strong immunity
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin A?
- Liver, fatty fish, fish liver oils (cod, salmon, halibut), egg yolks
- milk, cheese
- yellow-orange and green leafy vegetables and fruits (carrots, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin, papaya, mango, apricots, peaches)
What are the signs of vitamin A deficiency?
- night blindness
- frequent colds, flu and infections
- dry mucous membranes
- poor dental health
What is vitamin B1?
Thiamin
What is vitamin B1 good for?
- breaking down and using proteins, fats and carbs
- heart, muscle and nerve function
- memory, mood and concentration
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin B1?
- liver, pork, fish
- fortified cereals, bread and pasta, whole grains, wheat germ, yeast
- legumes, soy foods, nuts
What are the signs of vitamin B1 deficiency?
- fatigue, weakness
- poor memory
- sleep disturbances
- irritability
- constipation
- beriberi
What is vitamin B2?
Riboflavin
What is vitamin B2 good for?
- obtaining energy from food
- RBC function
- vitamin B6 activation
- reducing CV risk
- memory, mood and concentration
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin B2?
- organ and muscle meats, eggs,
- milk, cheese, yoghurt,
- whole grains, fortified breads and cereals
- legumes, nuts
- broccoli, avocados, sprouts
What are the signs of vitamin B2 deficiency?
- fatigue, weakness,
- swollen tongue
- burning, itchy, light sensitive eyes and conjunctivitis
- dermatitis (especially on eyelids and ears)
- cracked lips (especially at corners of mouth)
- hair loss
- poor wound healing
- poor growth in children
What is vitamin B3?
Niacin
What is vitamin B3 good for?
- obtaining energy from food
- breaking down and using proteins, fats and carbs
- healthy skin and nerves
- Ca release from cellular stores
- healthy heart function and circulation
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin B3?
- beef, pork, liver, poultry, fish, eggs
- milk
- whole grain cereals, yeast
- beans, legumes
- almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds.
What are the key signs of vitamin B3 deficiency?
- diarrhoea
- dermatitis
- dementia, cloudy thinking
What is vitamin B5?
Pantothenic acid
what is vitamin B5 good for?
- releasing energy from food
- making hormones, vitamins A and D, neurotransmitters which support brain and nerve function
- making adrenal hormones for stress responses
- making new fats and proteins in the body
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin B5?
- liver, chicken, beef, egg yolks
- milk
- whole grains, cereals, yeast
- green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, beans,
- oranges
What are the signs of vitamin B5 deficiency?
- burning feet syndrome
- cardiac instability
- gut disturbances, vomiting
- dizziness
- depression
- fatigue, weakness
What is vitamin B6?
pyridoxine
What is vitamin B6 good for?
- breaking down, using and reforming protein building blocks
- brain and nerve function
- making Hb and RBCs
- reducing heart disease risk
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin B6?
- muscle and organ meats, poultry, fish, eggs
- fortified cereals, yeast
- green peas, split peas, beans, nuts
- brussel sprouts, spinach
- fruit
What are the signs of vitamin B6 deficiency?
- dermatitis
- cracked lips on corners of mouth
- swollen tongue
- CNS abnormalities
- impaired antibody production
- kidney stones
- elevated homocysteine levels (heart risk factor)
What is vitamin B12?
cyanocobalamin
What is vitamin B12 good for?
- normal nerve function
- normal blood function
- RBC production
- healthy heart and blood vessels
what are the key dietary sources of vitamin B12?
- beef, lamb, fish, veal, chicken, oysters, eggs
- milk, cheese, other dairy products
What are the signs of vitamin B12 deficiency?
- anemia, fatigue, appetite loss, weight loss, pallor
- nerve disturbances
- poor memory, dementia, depression, personality changes
- abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea
- swollen tongue
What is vitamin B9?
folic acid/folate
What is vitamin B9 good for?
- breaking down and using protein building blocks
- forming DNA, cell function, tissue growth
- RBC cell production
- heart health
- preventing neural tube birth defects
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin B9?
- organ meats, liver, eggs,
- cereals, fortified bread, yeast
- legumes, lentils, beans
- green leafy vegetables e.g. broccoli, asparagus
- fruit e.g. oranges
What are the signs of vitamin B9 deficiency?
- anemia, fatigue, irritability, depression,
- headache
- hairloss
- nausea, diarrhoea, weight loss
- insomnia
- brain and nerve disturbances
- elevated homocysteine levels (heart risk factor)
What is vitamin B7?
biotin
What is vitamin B7 good for?
- breaking down and using protein and fat building blocks
- healthy skin and hair
what are the key dietary sources of vitamin B7?
- meats, kidney, liver, egg yolks,
- milk
- whole grains, cereals, yeast
- peanuts, soybeans, bean sprouts
- eating raw egg whites can prevent biotin absorption
What are the signs of vitamin B7 deficiency?
- anemia,
- hairloss, thinning and colour loss
- burning/tingling sensations
- depression, fatigue, insomnia
- swollen tongue
- high cholesterol
- muscle pain
- dermatitis
What is choline?
-
What is choline good for?
- forming nerve cell transmitters and cell membranes
- inflammatory and allergic response
- healthy kidneys and liver
- reducing heart disease risk
- transporting and breaking down fat and cholesterol
What are the key dietary sources of choline?
- liver, eggs
- milk
- whole grains, wheat germ, yeast
- peanuts, beans, soybeans
What are the signs of choline deficiency?
- heart, kidney and liver problems e.g. fatty liver, liver cirrhosis
- CV problems e.g. artery hardening, high blood pressure,
- impaired immunity
- poor memory
- anxiety, panic attacks
What is vitamin C?
ascorbic acid, antioxidant
what is vitamin C good for?
- antioxidant protection
- forming collagen and cartilage, healing wounds
- healthy bones, teeth and gums
- fighting infection
- iron, Ca and Cu absorption
- helping stabilise and regenerate other vitamins e.g. Vitamin E or folic acid
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin C?
- blacurrants, berries, oranges, grapefruit, guava, kiwifruit
- sweet peppers, capsicums, broccoli, sprouts, tomatoes, spinach
What are the signs of vitamin C deficiency?
- fatigue, weakness
- easy bruising, poor wound healing
- swollen, bleeding gums
- frequent colds, flu and infections
- irritability, depression
- muscle and joint pain
- dry skin and mucous membranes
- anaemia
- convulsions
- scurvy
What is vitamin D?
cholecalciferol (D3)
What is vitamin D good for?
- healthy bones,
- maintaining blood calcium levels
- immune function
- healthy skin
- muscle strength
- heart health
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin D?
- sunlight on skin
- egg yolks, fish liver oils (cod/halibut liver oil), fatty fish (salmon, tuna, herring, mackerel)
- fortified milk
What are the signs of vitamin D deficiency?
- OP, risk of fractures, rickets
- autoimmune disorders
- increased risk of infections
- CV problems e.g. high BP, heart failure,
- breast/prostate/colon/skin cancer
- lower back pain
- diabetes
- depression
- hairloss
What is vitamin E?
Tocopherol, antioxidant
What is vitamin E good for?
- providing antioxidant protection against fat oxidation
- healthy heart, circulation, skin, and nerve function
What are the main dietary sources of vitamin E?
- beef, chicken, fish, egg yolks,
- wholegrains, wheat germ
- cashews, peanuts, almonds, sunflower/safflower seeds, nuts
- vegetable oils, avocados, green leafy vegetables, spinach
What are the signs of vitamin E deficiency?
- anemia
- immunity abnormalities
- neurological disturbances
- CV abnormalities
- blood platelet dysfunction
what is vitamin K?
Phyloquinone (K1)
Menaquinone (K2)
Menadione (K3)
What is vitamin K good for?
- normal blood clotting,
- healthy bone mineralisation
What are the key dietary sources of vitamin K?
- liver, pork, eggs
- soy, soybean/canola oil
- spinach, green leafy vegetables, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts.
What are the signs of vitamin K deficiency?
OP
blood clotting disorders
What calcium good for?
- strong bones and teeth
- muscle, heart and nerve function,
- blood clotting
What are the key dietary sources of calcium?
- fish with bones, egg yolks,
- milk, cheese, yoghurt,
- legumes, soybeans, tofu, fortified soy beverages, foods and cereals,
- Almonds, sesame seeds,
- Dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, spinach, turnips
- figs, molasses
Why should salt intake be reduced to retain calcium?
the body excretes calcium with salt in the urine, so less salt intake will = less calcium excreted
What are the signs of Ca deficiency?
- osteoporosis, increased risk of fractures, bone pain and deformities, rickets
- tooth discoloration and increased decay
- muscle pain and spasms, neuromuscular irritability
- high BP, pre-eclampsia, altered heart rate.
What is chromium beneficial for?
- assisting insulin to regulate blood sugar (It is a component of glucose tolerant factor)
- managing fluctuating blood sugar levels,
What are the key dietary sources of chromium?
- meat, seafood, eggs,
- cheese
- whole grains, yeast,
- nuts,
- mushrooms, asparagus
What are the signs of chromium deficiency?
- insulin resistance
- fluctuating blood sugar levels
- diabetes
What is copper beneficial for?
- nerve, heart and immune function
- connective tissue
- metabolising iron and forming blood cells,
- enzyme function
- producing antioxidant super oxide dismutase
What are the key dietary sources of copper?
- organ meats, lamb, pork, seafood,
- whole grains, wheat bran, cereals
- legumes, beans, nuts, sunflower seeds, chocolate
- mushrooms,
- prunes
What are the signs of copper deficiency?
- hair loss and greying
- anaemia
- bone disease
- brain and neurological problems, depression
- digestive disorders
- immune disorders, increased risk of infections
- infertility
- heart problems e.g. rapid heart beat, weak blood vessels
What is iodine beneficial for?
- normal thyroid function (growth and metabolism)
- producing energy
- assisting oxygen consumption in cells
What are the key dietary sources of iodine?
- salt water fish, shell fish, oysters, seaweekd
- iodised salt,
- dairy products
- sunflower seeds
- vegetables (if the soil where they are grown contains iodine)
- mushrooms
