Vitamins and Minerals Flashcards
What are the characteristics of vitamins (5)?
Organic compounds
Do not yield energy
Micronutrients
Vital to life
Indispensable to body functions
What do precursors, or provitamins do?
Transform chemically to one or more active vitamin forms.
Measure of vitamin in a food, generally includes:
- Vitamin and the vitamin activity potential from its precursors
- Example: beta-carotene
What is bioavailability?
The rate and extent to which a nutrient is absorbed and used
What is malnutrition?
any condition caused by excess or deficient food energy or nutrient intake or by an imbalance of nutrients
What is undernutrition?
deficient in energy or nutrients
What is overnutrition?
Excess energy or nutrients
What is a primary deficiency?
a nutrient deficiency caused by inadequate dietary intake of a nutrient
What is a secondary deficiency?
a nutrient deficiency caused by something other than inadequate intake such as a disease condition or drug interaction that reduces absorption, accelerates use, hastens excretion or destroys the nutrient
What is a subclinical deficiency?
a deficiency in the early stages, before the outward signs have appeared
What are the fat-soluble vitamins?
A, D, E and K
Name the water-soluble vitamins
B vitamins, C
What are the characteristics of fat-soluble vitamins (7)?
Absorbed into the lymph
Require bile for absorption
Travel in blood in association with protein carriers
Stored in tissues – Liver and fatty tissues – until needed
May be toxic in excess
Found in fats & oils of foods
Body can survive weeks without eating these vitamins (diet as a whole provides average amounts that meet requirements)
What are the characteristics of water-soluble vitamins?
Absorbed directly into bloodstream
Travel freely in bloodstream
Most are not stored to any great extent
Excess excreted in urine
Lower risk of toxicity than fat-soluble vitamins
Which fat-soluble vitamins can easily reach toxic levels, with supplements?
A and D
What happens with deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins?
When is it more likely to happen?
- Likely if consistently low in fat-soluble vitamins
- Fat malabsorption
- Mineral oil laxatives can cause vitamin loss
- Extraordinarily low-fat diets interfere with absorption
What are the three forms of vitamin A active in the body?
Retinol
Retinal
Retinoic acid
What is the plant-derived precursor of vitamin A?
Beta-carotene (found in dark orange vegetables (carrots, pumpkins))
Most abundant of the carotenoid precursors
What are the roles of vitamin A?
- Vision
- Cell differentiation
- Gene expression
- Maintenance of body linings and skin
- Immunity
- Growth of bones and of the body
- Normal development of cells
- Critical importance to reproduction
How does vitamin A help with eyesight in the back of the eye (describe this process)?
Light passes through the cornea before striking the retina
Retina contains light-sensitive nerve cells
Light bleaches the vitamin A-containing pigment rhodopsin
This breaks off the vitamin**, initiating an impulse to the optic center in the brain
The vitamin reunites with the pigment, & there is a little vitamin A destruction
Vitamin A must regenerate the supply
What happens if vitamin A supply runs low?
Night blindness
How does vitamin A affect eyesight (front of the eye) (deficiency)?
- Keratin accumulation (keratinization) of the cornea can occur with vitamin A deficiency
- Can lead to xerosis (drying) & then to dryness and thickening (xerophthalmia) causing permanent blindness
- If detected early - can be reversed with vitamin A supplementation or regular consumption of vegetables and fruit
Which tissues need vitamin A and why?
All epithelial tissues
These tissues serve as protection from pathogens as well as to other damage (protective layer)
How does vitamin A affect the control of gene expression?
Retinoic acid activates or deactivates certain genes thereby affecting protein production
How does vitamin A affect immunity?
- Plays a role in the regulation of genes that produce immune system proteins
- Deficiency can lead to a spiral of malnutrition and infection
How does vitamin A have a role in growth?
Assists in growth of bone & teeth – needed in the dismantling step of old bone structure
What happens when vitamin A deficient (outside of eye sight)?
- Cell differentiation & maturation are impaired
- failure of mucus-producing cells to produce mucus
- a subsequent increase in keratin-producing cells
- tissues more vulnerable to infection
- ie: respiratory infection
Vitamin A toxicity is not very likely from food, but what can cause this?
Supplements, fortified foods, liver (especially polar bear liver)
What happens with vitamin A toxicity?
May weaken bones, bone and joint pain, abdominal pain, stunted growth, liver damage
Early symptoms: loss of appetite, blurred vision, growth failure in children, headache, skin itching, irritability
Long-term symptoms: bone weakening and hip fracture
Focus: growth, bones, liver
What happens in vitamin A toxicity with pregnant women?
Fetal malformation – teratogenic. Caused either by:
- Chronic use of supplements exceeding recommendation
- Single large dose (100x need)
Who is most prone to toxicity of vitamin A?
- Children who mistake chewable vitamin pills for candy
- Adolescents who take large doses for acne (Accutane is derived from vitamin A but vitamin A supplements do not help with acne)
Beta-carotene will not cause vitamin A toxicity. What happens with excess of this?
Can turn yellow/orange due to deposition in subcutaneous fat
Vitamin A activity for vitamin A precursors is measured in what?
RAE – retinol activity equivalents
around 12 mcgs of beta-carotene is equal to 1 microgram of RAE
Does eating carrots really promote good vision?
Bright (deep) orange fruits & vegetables and dark green vegetables - rich in beta-carotene - have a role in healthy eyesight.
Does not improve vision if vitamin A intake is already adequate
What diseases is a lack of beta-carotene associated with? What can be said about supplements and smokers?
- Lack of foods rich in beta-carotene increases the risk of macular degeneration
- Beta-carotene from foods & elevated beta-carotene in the blood are associated with reduced cancer risk
- Benefit not seen with supplements
- Beta-carotene supplements associated with increased risk of cancer in smokers
What are the major dietary antioxidants?
Beta-carotene, Vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and many other phytochemicals
Where do we get vitamin A from?
Foods of animal origin
- Liver and fish oil
- Fortified milk and milk products
- Eggs
Beta-carotene is found in plants
- Dark green leafy foods (spinach, bok choy)
- Rich yellow and deep orange foods (carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, and apricots)
Grain products have none
What is the tolerable upper intake level of vitamin A? What is the RDA for men and women?
3000 micrograms
900 for men, 700 for women
Which vitamin is not really essential?
Vitamin D – the body can make all it needs with the help of sunlight
Many people may border on vitamin D deficiency
What are the roles of vitamin D?
- Regulation of blood calcium and phosphorous levels & therefore maintains bone integrity
- ## Functions as a hormone
When more calcium is needed, vitamin D acts to raise blood calcium levels. How does it do this? *
- Promotes calcium absorption
- Promotes calcium retention by the kidneys
- Draws calcium from bone
How does vitamin D function as a hormone (what does it play a role in)?
Plays a role in the brain, heart, stomach, pancreas, skin, reproductive organs, some cancer cells, stimulates cell maturation (including immune system cells)
It is possible that deficiency in vitamin D promotes what?
- high blood pressure
- some cancers
- type 1 diabetes
- heart disease
- rheumatoid arthritis
- inflammatory bowel disease
- multiple sclerosis
What does deficiency in vitamin D cause in children?
Rickets
- Characterized by abnormal bone growth
- Bowed legs, outward-bowed chest, knobs on ribs
Risk for bone loss later in life due to potential lack of vitamin D is more common in who?
- Adolescents who consume soft drinks rather than vitamin D-fortified milk or alternatives and prefer indoor to outdoor activities
- Older individuals may have painful joints & muscles due to low vitamin D levels
What is the adult form of rickets? In who does this most often occur?
Osteomalacia
In women with all three of the following:
- Low calcium intake
- Little exposure to the sun
- Who go through repeated pregnancies & periods of lactation
Vitamin D is the most toxic vitamin in excess. What are some of these symptoms?
- Toxicity symptoms include appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, increased urination and increased thirst, severe psychological depression (effects on the CNS)
- Continued overdoses cause dangerously high blood calcium level, forcing calcium to be deposited in soft tissues
- Such as the heart, blood vessels, lungs, kidneys
You cannot reach toxic levels of vitamin D in the sun. How can people make a vitamin from sunlight?
- UV exposure to a cholesterol compound in the skin transforms it into a vitamin D precursor which is absorbed into the blood
(The liver & kidneys then convert precursor to active form of vitamin D) - Skin synthesis of vitamin D poses no risk of toxicity
(The sun begins breaking down excess vitamin D made in the skin) - Generally, just being outdoors when the sun is overhead, even in lightweight clothing, promotes sufficient skin synthesis of vitamin D
Focus: Skin, liver, and kidneys
What can affect vitamin D synthesis?
- Skin colour, air pollution, city living, clothing, geography, indoor lifestyle, season, sunscreen, time of day
- Sunscreens with SPFs of 8 or above can reduce sun risks, but also prevent vitamin D synthesis
What is vitamin D measured in?
International Units (IU)
What are the sources of vitamin D?
- Sunlight
- Small amounts from butter, cream, fortified margarine
- Fortified milk
- Egg yolks, liver, fatty fish and fish oil
- Only certain fortified plant sources exist: margarines & some plant-based beverages (i.e. soy beverage)
- Mushrooms
Milk and alternatives, meat and alternatives
Why do recommendations for vitamin D intake increase with age?
- Organs capabilities decrease with age
- Higher risk for bone loss
Vitamin E consists of 4 tocopherol compounds. What are they?
Alpha, beta, gamma, and delta.
We only ever talk about alpha-tocopherol
For vitamin E, what is its main role and why is it important?
Antioxidant activity
- Antioxidant defending the body against oxidative damage
- Vitamin E is preferentially oxidized, thus protecting cells
- Oxidative damage results from free radicals which are formed during normal metabolism disrupt the structure of cellular lipids, DNA and proteins. Free radical activity may lead to cancer, heart disease, or other diseases
What is vitamin E’s antioxidant effect especially crucial for?
- In the lungs – cells are exposed to high oxygen concentrations
- Protects red blood cells, white blood cells
What are some of vitamin E’s other roles?
- May play other roles in immunity
- Plays a role in nerve development
What happens in infants if deficient in vitamin E?
Infants born before transfer of vitamin E from the mother to the infant
- Erythrocyte hemolysis is a rupturing of the red blood cells which results in anemia
What happens in adults if deficient in vitamin E?
Nerve damage (loss of muscle coordination & reflexes with impaired movement, vision, and speech)
- Associated with fat malabsorption diseases: damaged liver, gallbladder or pancreas
Why:
- Low intake with extremely-low-fat diet for years
- People who rely solely on fat replacers rather than fat
- Vitamin E is destroyed by food processing & heating (even though present in many fatty foods)
What can be said about vitamin E toxicity?
- No toxicity has been seen with natural food sources
- Large doses may increase the effects of anticoagulant medications
- May be an increased risk of death in those taking greater than 400 IU from a supplement
What are some food sources of vitamin E?
- Destroyed by heat processing & oxidation
- Vegetable oils (including salad dressing, shortening)
- Avocados are a good source
- Wheat germ is a good source (fatty part of the grain)
- Smaller amounts from meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk products, nuts, seeds
- Animal fats have almost no vitamin E
- Supplements generally do NOT provide health benefits unless deficient
What are the functions of vitamin K?
Synthesis of blood clotting proteins
- Does not improve clotting in those with diseases such as hemophilia
- Interferes with the function of certain anticoagulant medications (blood thinners) Warfarin/Coumadin
Synthesis of normal form of bone proteins that bind minerals to bone (hip fractures can be caused by deficiency)
Someone who takes drugs like Warfarin/Coumadin (blood thinners), what do they need to do?
- CONSISTENT intake of vitamin K rich foods (moderate amounts)
- Avoid drastic changes and self-prescription of vitamin K supplements
What are some sources of vitamin K?
- Intestinal bacteria (cannot meet the body’s need)
**Leafy green vegetables – Dark green generally richest: Spinach, collard greens, beet greens, Swiss chard - Lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and other members of the cabbage family
- Canola & soybean oils
- Eggs and milk contain small amounts
- Liver is the only rich animal source
(Dark green leafy is the one we need to know, not the rest)
Who is most at risk for deficiency for vitamin K?
- Unlikely in adults
- Newborns’ intestinal bacteria have not established themselves (sterile GI tract)
- Antibiotic treatment (kills both the beneficial & harmful bacteria in their intestinal tract
- Fat malabsorption
What can be said about toxicity in vitamin K?
No UL
- Rare among healthy adults
- Infants & pregnant women: toxicity can result from over-supplementation with synthetic vitamin K
- Leads to jaundice and bilirubin in the brain of an infant can cause brain damage or death
Water soluble vitamins can easily be leached out through cooking & washing with water, are easily absorbed, but also excess is readily excreted in urine. What are the general advice for meeting needs?
Choose foods daily that are rich in water-soluble vitamins to achieve the recommended intakes regularly
What can be said about toxicity in water-soluble vitamins?
- Not from food
- Can occur from the large doses concentrated in some vitamin supplements (expensive urine)
- Athletes with an appropriate diet generally don’t need vitamin supplements – increased energy needs therefore more food
Short trips near the Mediterranean Sea didn’t lead to scurvy but there were high death rates on long voyages. Why was this?
Scurvy – fruits and vegetables were used up early on long trips
James Lind, a British doctor performed the first nutrition experiment on humans in the mid 1700s to find a cure for scurvy (lime juice)
What are the roles of vitamin C?
Maintenance of connective tissues
- Formation & maintenance of collagen (component of bones, teeth, skin, tendons, scar tissue, capillaries)
Antioxidant
What are the deficiency symptoms of vitamin C?
- Most scurvy symptoms are due to collagen breakdown (Loose teeth, bleeding gums, pinpoint hemorrhages, anemia, tenderness to touch, weakness, swollen ankles & wrists, loss of appetite, growth cessation)
Risk of scurvy is low in North America. Who are more susceptible?
- Some elderly people: Low intakes of veg/fruit and a poor appetite
- People with food insecurity
- People addicted to alcohol or other drugs
- Infants fed cow’s milk who do not receive breast milk or formula - Breast milk & infant formula supply vit. C
What is the thing we need to know about vitamin C and colds?
There is no consensus as to whether it helps or not
- Vitamin C supports immune system function & so protects against infection
- Vitamin C has not been shown to prevent colds and results are inconsistent in benefitting a cold
- One group of researchers have found the following:
Some small benefit from vitamin C in high doses (1 gram) taken at the onset of a cold
- May shorten the duration of colds by about 1/2 day & reduce the severity of symptoms by about 40%
- Placebo effect has happened
Is too much vitamin C hazardous to health?
- Vitamin C from food is safe
- Adverse effects include digestive upsets, such as nausea, abdominal cramps, excessive gas, diarrhea
- Massive doses may interfere with medications to prevent blood clotting
- May be dangerous for people with an overload of iron
What is an interesting fact about smokers and vitamin C that you need to know?
- Smoking introduces oxidants that deplete vitamin C. So, RDA set 35 mg higher for smokers
What are some food sources of vitamin C?
- Citrus fruits, dark green vegetables (bell peppers and broccoli), cabbage type vegetables, strawberries, cantaloupe, lettuce, tomato, papaya, mangos, red bell pepper
- Potatoes contain vit C - scurvy became evident in Ireland during the potato famine
- Vitamin C in fruits & vegetables are prone to destruction by heat & oxygen
- Fresh, raw & quickly cooked are best
- Store properly & consume promptly
Mostly from vegetables and fruits
What are the DRI recommendations for vitamin C?
Women: 75 mg/day
Men: 90 mg/day
+ 35 for smokers
What can be said about B vitamins overall?
B vitamins act as part of coenzymes
- Coenzyme combines with & activates an enzyme
Role in Metabolism
- Metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids & amino acids
- Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid & biotin all help release the energy stored in the energy-yielding nutrients
- Vitamin** B6 helps the body make protein**
- Folate & vitamin B12 help cells to multiply
What happens with B vitamin deficiencies overall?
Every cell is affected
- Cell renewal depends on energy & protein which depend on the B vitamins
- Digestive tract & blood are damaged
- In children, full recovery may be impossible (A thiamin deficiency during growth can cause permanent brain damage)
What can be said about deficiency of any one B vitamin?
Rarely shows up alone, because people eat foods that contain mixtures of nutrients
What is the role of thiamin?
Energy metabolism
Nerve processes and their responding tissues (muscle)
What is the deficiency disease of thiamin?
Beriberi:
- First observed with polishing of rice in Asia
- Loss of sensation in the hands & feet, muscular weakness, advancing paralysis, abnormal heart action
- Wet beriberi (edema present)
- Dry beriberi (no edema)
What is the name of the deficiency disease that shows up with alcohol abuse and severe deficiency?
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
- Alcohol displaces food in the diet, impairs thiamin absorption, promotes thiamin excretion in the urine
- Symptoms: mental confusion, disorientation, loss of memory, jerky eye movements, staggering gait, apathy, irritability
- Treatment: thiamin by IV or orally (alcohol withdrawal protocol in hospitals)
What are the sources of thiamin?
** Widespread in healthy foods
- Pork products, sunflower seeds, whole grain cereals, legumes are rich sources
What is the role of riboflavin (similar to thiamin)
Energy metabolism of all cells
What is the deficiency disease of riboflavin?
Ariboflavinosis
- Inflammation of the membranes of the mouth, skin, eyes and GI tract; smooth, purplish red tongue
- May go undetected because thiamin def. symptoms more severe
- Children who lack milk products & meat are at risk
- Treatment: A diet that treats a riboflavin deficiency also resolves a thiamin deficiency
- Often accompanies thiamin deficiency
What are the sources of riboflavin?
** Widespread in healthy foods
- Milk & milk products
- Leafy green vegetables
- Whole-grain breads
- Enriched/fortified grain products
- Some meats & eggs
What is the main role of niacin?
Energy metabolism
What is the deficiency disease of niacin?
Pellagra – the four Ds
- Diarrhea, dermatitis (develops on skin exposed to light), dementia, and death
Came to Europe from North America
At risk for pellagra:
- Poorly nourished people living in poverty, particularly those with alcohol addiction
What are the sources of niacin? What can be converted to niacin?
** High protein foods
Tryptophan, which is abundant in almost all proteins, can be converted to niacin
If eating adequate protein, will not be deficient in niacin
- Milk, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, whole grains, fortified and enriched grains, nuts and seeds
What are niacin equivalents (NE)?
Food containing 1 mg niacin and 60 mg tryptophan would contain 2 mg NE
What can be said about toxicity & niacin?
Caused from supplements (that aren’t that high – 2-3x the RDA)
- Large doses can cause niacin flush – painful tingling, flush and hives – niacin supplements 2-3x RDA
- Large doses of niacin can injure the liver and cause blurred vision
- Large doses of a form of niacin (nicotinic acid) may be prescribed to lower blood lipids
What is the role of folate?
DNA synthesis
Part of coenzymes for new cell synthesis
What does deficiency of folate lead to in adults?
Because immature red & white blood cells & cells of the GI tract divide rapidly, they are most vulnerable to a deficiency
- Anemia - megaloblastic anemia or macrocytic anemia (Large, immature red blood cells. Related to anemia of vitamin B12 deficiency)
- Diminished immunity
- Abnormal digestive function
- Folate deficient diet may increase risk of CVD, colon and cervical cancer
What are neural tube birth defects (NTDs)?
Problems with spinal cord, mental delay, severely diminished brain size or even death shortly after birth
Arise in the first few days or weeks of pregnancy
Most women eat too few fruits & vegetables to supply folate needed (especially since it is forming so early in pregnancy, when so many women are unaware of their pregnancy)
- Why bleaches white grain products are all fortified with folic acid since late 1990s (which has seen a significant drop after fortification)
What does folate toxicity look like?
- Folate can mask B12 deficiency (anemia)
- Excess folate may be antagonistic to the actions of some anticancer drugs
What is the unit of measure of folate?
Dietary Folate Equivalent (DFE) converts all forms of folate into units that are equivalent to the folate in food
Why is DFE important?
Synthetic folate in enriched foods & supplements is absorbed more readily than naturally occurring folate (so, natural is not always better)
- Bioavailability ranges from approx 50% (foods) to 100% (supplements taken on an empty stomach). So, folate from foods is given full credit & fortified foods & supplements are given extra credit (1.7 times more available)
What are the sources of folate?
- Leafy green vegetables
- Fresh, uncooked vegetables and fuits (the heat of cooking & oxidation occurs during storage destroy much of the folate in foods
- Eggs
- Orange juice and legumes
What is the RDA of folate?
Healthy adults: 400 mcg DFE/d
Pregnancy: 600 mcg DFE/d
Heath Canada recommends women who could become pregnant: 400 mcg/day of folic acid from supplements plus a healthy diet
What is the role of B12?
Close relationship with folate
- Activated by folate
- Folate is activated by B12
Maintenance of the sheaths that surround and protect nerve fibres
What happens with deficiency of B12?
- Damaged nerve sheaths
- Creeping paralysis (tips of finger/toes and can be permanent)
- General malfunctioning of nerves and muscles
Deficiency of vitamin B12 results in failure of folate to make red blood cells. What type of anemia can be caused then?
Vitamin B12 deficiency same anemia as folate
Large, immature red blood cells (macrocytic or megaloblastic anemia)
What is not good about the relationship between folate and B12 with anemia?
Folate will clear up anemia but B12 deficiency continues. Give vitamin B12 as well if there is are symptoms of folate deficiency – incase of B12 deficiency
Who is at risk of B12 deficiency?
- Elderly (absorption problems due to decreased stomach acidity and decreased intrinsic factor)
- Atrophic gastritis (inherited gene defect for intrinsic factor production (mid-adulthood)
- Vegans (deficiency symptoms take time: body stores up to 6 years’ worth of the vitamin. All strict vegetarians (vegans) must be sure to use B12-fortified products or supplements)
What can be said about absorption of B12?
Requires intrinsic factor, which is a compound made by the stomach. The stomach’s acid liberate vitamin B12 from food; intrinsic factor then binds to the vitamin. The complex is then absorbed from the small intestine into the blood
What is pernicious anemia?
A vitamin B12 – deficiency disease, caused by a lack of intrinsic factor and characterized by large, immature red blood cells
Treatment: B12 injections
What are the sources of B12?
Animal sources are the only significant sources
Bioavailability greatest in milk and fish
Fortified plant foods - ex - soy beverage
What are the roles of B6?
- 100+ reactions in the tissues
- assists in conversion of one amino acid to another needed amino acid – protein synthesis
- Aids in the conversion of tryptophan to niacin
- Neurotransmitter synthesis: conversion of tryptophan to serotonin
- Hemoglobin synthesis
- Assists in release of stored glucose from glycogen, contributing to the regulation of blood glucose
- Immune function
- Steroid hormonal activity
- Fetal brain & nervous system development
What happens in B6 deficiency?
General symptoms: Weakness, Psychological depression, Confusion, Irritability, Insomnia
Other symptoms:
Anemia, Greasy dermatitis
Advanced cases of deficiency:
convulsions, May weaken the immune system
Evidence that low intakes may be related to increased risk of heart disease
What can be said about toxicity of B6?
Seen in women took 2+ g/day for 2+ months
Numb feet
Lost sensation in their hands
Eventually became unable to walk or work
Recovered after they stopped taking the supplements
A single B6 supplement can deliver 2g of the vitamin, the equivalent of what?
3,000 bananas
1,600+ servings of liver
or 3,800+ servings of chicken breast
Stick with food
What can be said about the need of B6?
Due to its roles in protein metabolism, need is proportional to protein intake
What is the most important thing to remember for B6 (disregard other extensive lists for this vitamin)?
Unlike other water soluble vitamins it is stored extensively in muscle tissues
What are the sources of B6?
Protein-rich foods: meats, fish, poultry
Legumes & peanut butter
Potatoes, leafy green vegetables, some fruits
What can be said about homocysteine, an amino acid?
- Elevated homocysteine may be an indicator of CVD risk
- Deficiencies of folate, vitamin B12 or vitamin B6 cause excess homocysteine to build up in the blood
- Supplements of these vitamins lead to a significant drop in homocysteine level
- It is unknown how this affects a person’s CVD risk
What is the role of biotin?
Energy metabolism
Cofactor for several enzymes in the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat, protein
What can be said about deficiency of biotin?
May occur with some rare diseases
Consumption of dozens of raw egg whites per day, which contain a protein that binds biotin (avidin), will result in a deficiency
- Cooking eggs denatures this protein
What are the sources of biotin?
Widespread in foods