Vitamin management Flashcards
why are nutrients needed?
for growth and maintenance of body systems = to provide energy we need to stay alive, keep warm and be active
what are vulnerable groups when it comes to nutrition?
- Children
- Woman (mentruation, conception)
- elderly (poor diet)
- certain ethnicities
What is classed as underweight for children?
more than 2 st dev below the reference mean
how can growth failure affect a child?
- delayed cognition
- motor and behavioural development
- reduced capacity of immune system
what are common deficiencies in children?
fibre, folate, iron, vitamin D
what are the fat soluble vitamins?
A, D, E and K
What is RDA?
Recommended dietary allowances
- minimum amount sufficient to maintain essential functions and optimum health
Can excess amounts of vitamins be toxic?
Fat-soluble vitamins: more likely to be stored in tissues - easily get toxicity if taken as extra supplements
Water-soluble vitamins: generally not toxic as excess amounts are excreted in urine
what are things to consider when taking vitamins?
- medication/ food interactions
- total daily dose (especially in combination products)
- can result in overdosing/toxicity
what are minerals?
nutrients that our body needs but can’t make so only available from the diet
what are major nutrients?
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Potassium
Sodium
what must products be legislated under to be classed as a medicinal product?
Medicines act (1968)
what are antioxidants?
A substance that delayed or prevents oxidation
what do antioxidants do?
they protect from harmful effects of unstable oxygen molecules called free radicals which over time can damage the body’s cell membranes, proteins and DNA
what are fish oils?
derived from the tissues of oily fish which contain omega 3
- precursors of eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation
what do popular oral fish oil supplements sometimes also contain?
Vitamins E and A (avoid in pregnancy) and vitamin D
was is one of the risks associated with fish oils?
Increased risk of bleeding - avoid with anticoagulants
what are ‘at risk populations’ of nutritional deficiencies?
- long stay hospital
- care homes
- institutional living
- those with digestion and malabsorption disorders
- those with restrictive eating disorders
what must nutritional supplements on GP10 be annotated with?
ACBS
what is enteral nutrition?
- feed is delivered directly to the stomach via a nasogastric tube
- short term solution
What is PEG?
percutaneous endoscopic feeding
- longer term option, delivered via a pump, reservoir and giving set
what is parental nutrition?
Provinding nutrition when the GI tract is not functioning or inaccessible
- nutrients are delivered directly into the circulatory system via a dedicated venous catheter (last resort options)
- delivered via a 3L bag
- patients require regular monitoring of fluid balance, urea and electrolytes, glucose etc.
What happens in cases of total parenteral nutrition
physical fullness requirements are not met, the patient experiences hunger despite the body being fully nourished
