Vitamins

Question 1

Vitamin:
Definition
Function

Answer 1

Definition: organic compounds that cannot be synthesized from dietary components
Function: precursors for synthesis of organic cofactors

Question 2

Classification of Vitamins:
Water-soluble (9)
Fat-soluble (4)
(Name the letters - not the names)

Answer 2

Water-soluble: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, Biotin, B12, folic acid, C
Fat-soluble: A, D, E, K

Question 3

Types of Water-Soluble Vitamins:
Energy metabolism (5)
Amino acid metabolism (1)
RBC or neural development (2)
Collagen synthesis (1)

Answer 3

Energy metabolism: B1, B2, B3, Biotin, B5
Amino acid metabolism: B6
RBC or neural development: B12, folic acid
Collagen synthesis: C

Question 4

Vitamin B1:
Name
Sources
Functions (3)
Deficiency Imbalances
Clinical Presentations of Deficiency (3)

Answer 4

Thiamine
Whole grain, red meat, egg yolk, leafy green vegetables, legumes, sweet corn, brown rice, berries, yeas, germ and husks of grain and nuts
Transketolase reactions of PPP, oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate and alpha-ketoglutarate (PDH complex)
Accumulation of pyruvate, lactate, Ala, citrate, alpha-ketoglutarate; reduced ACh and ATP
Beriberi, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, Korsakoff’s psychosis

Question 5

What happens if a thiamine-deficient person has too much alcohol?

Answer 5

Hemorrhages of mammillary bodies in the brain

Question 6

Vitamin B2:
Name
Sources
Functions (4)
Deficiencies (4)

Answer 6

Riboflavin
Yeast, eggs, dairy, legumes, meats
Precursor to flavin coenzymes (FMN and FAD); breakdown of carbohydrates, fat and proteins; maintenance of skin, mucous membranes, cornea and nerve sheaths; coenzyme for RedOx reactions
Seborrheic dermatitis, angular cheilosis, glossitis, ariboflavinosis

Question 7

Vitamin B3:
Names (2)
Sources
Functions (3)
Deficiency
Toxicity (about)

Answer 7

Niacin, nicotinic acid
pork, lamb, beef liver, hog kidneys, yeasts, beef tongue, hearts, lean meats, wheat germ, peanut meal, green peas
Metabolism of food (glycolysis, CAC, ETC); maintenance of healthy skin, nerves and GI tract, RedOx reactions
Pellagra; diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, death
Hypermobility and stomach acidity, respiratory paralysis, niacin rash

Question 8

Vitamin B5:
Names (2)
Sources
Functions (2)
Deficiency (0)
Toxicity (1)

Answer 8

Pantothenic acid, calcium pantothenate
Liver, eggs, cereal, produced by intestinal bacteria
Breakdown of carbohydrates, lipids and some amino acids; synthesis of CoA
No known disorders from deficiency
Mega-doses can cause diarrhea

Question 9

Vitamin B6:
Names (4)
Sources
Function (1)
Deficiencies (4)

Answer 9

Pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxol, pyridoxamine
Whole grain, peanuts, meat, poultry, fish (40% destroyed on cooking)
Skin disorders; neuropathy (enzyme responsible for formation of GABA); sideroblastic anemia (first step of heme biosynthesis); oral inflammation

Question 10

Biotin:
Sources
Functions (2)
Deficiencies (3)
Biotinidase deficiency in infants presentation (5)

Answer 10

Produced by intestinal bacteria, beef liver, egg yolk, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, cauliflower, mushrooms, biotin bound to avidin in egg whites
Carboxylation reactions (pyruvate, acetyl-CoA, propionyl-CoA; carbohydrate and fat metabolism
(Rare) Scaly dermatitis, hyperesthesia, glossitis
Hypotonia, seizures, optic atrophy, dermatitis, conjunctivitis

Question 11

Vitamin B12:
Names (2-ish)
Sources
Functions (2)
Deficiencies (3)
What protein is B12 absorption dependent on?
Will deficiency cause neurological disorders?

Answer 11

Cyanocobalamin, cobalamin
Intestinal bacteria, animal liver, meat, egg yolk, poultry, milk
Coenzyme for methylmalonyl-CoA mutase; coenzyme for Met synthase
Accumulation of odd chain fatty acids (cause neurological disorders); accumulation of Met; increased L-methylmalonic acid in urine
Intrinsic factor (IF)
You bet your ass

Question 12

Folic Acid:
Letter and number
Function (1)
Deficiency (2)
Why is it given to pregnant women during the first four months of pregnancy?
Will deficiency cause neurological disorders?

Answer 12

Technically vitamin B9
Transport single carbon fragments from one compound to another in amino acid metabolism and nucleic acid synthesis
Reduced replacement of RBC and GI tract (anemia and GI deterioration)
To prevent neural tube defects
Nope

Question 13

Vitamin C:
Name
Functions (2)
Deficiency (1)
What is it's effect on the common cold?

Answer 13

L-ascrobic acid
Reducing agent; antioxidant
Scurvy
Shortens duration

Question 14

Vitamin A:
Names (3)
Source
Functions (4)
Deficiency (7)
Should pregnant women use drugs containing vitamin A?

Answer 14

Retinal, retinoic acid, retinol
beta-carotene
Antioxidant (beta-carotene); photon receptor (retinal); cellular generation and differentiation (retinoic acid); regulates gene expression
Squamous metaplasia; follicular hyperkeratosis (gooseflesh); night blindness; reproductive failure; abnormal skeletal development, immune dysfunction; alopecia
Only if you want the mother to give birth to a firemonster

Question 15

Vitamin E:
Name
Sources
Functions (3)
Deficiency (0)
Toxicity (0)

Answer 15

Tocopherol
Absorbed in intestines, packaged in chylomicrons, delivered by liver
Antioxidant to stabilize nucleic acid, protein and mitochondria metabolism; preservative; conjugation to glucoronate and excreted in bile
No major diseases
Nontoxic up to 50 times RDA

Question 16

Vitamin K:
Versions (3) and Names (5)
Source
Function (1)
Deficiency (1)
Presentation of deficiency (1)
Cause of secondary deficiency (1)

Answer 16

K1 (phylloquinone, phytonadione, mephyton); K2 (menaquinone-n); K3 (menadione)
Intestinal bacteria
Coenzyme for carboxylation of glutamic side chains of clotting factors II, VII, IX, X
(Rare) Long clotting time
Manifests orally
Secondary to long-term or high-dose antibiotics