Vitamins + minerals Flashcards
Vitamins (definition)
Organic compounds required in very small quantities for normal body function
Absence from the diet results in signs of deficiency –> death
Which are the fat soluble vitamins?
A, D, E, K
Chemical names of the fat soluble vitamins
A = retinol
D = calciferols
E = tocopherols
K = quinones
Which are the water soluble vitamins?
B complex, C
What are the names of the B complex vitamins?
B₁ = Thiamin
B₂ = Riboflavin
B₃ = Nicotinic acid/niacin
B₅ = pantothenic acid
B₆ = pyridoxine
B₇ = Biotin
B₉ = Folic acid
B₁₂ = Cyanobalamin
Sources of vitamins
- Provitamins are compounds that act as vitamins after undergoing a chemical change to active forms in the body
- Foods low in a vitamin may still contribute if consumed in large amounts/frequently
- Many vitamins are destroyed by oxidation
- How food is processed, stored and cooked can have a major influence on the level of vitamins it contains
Metabolic functions of retinol
1) Formation + integrity of epithelia + mucous membranes
2) Retinal function - combines with opsin to form rhodopsin needed for night vision
3) Bone growth
4) Immune function
Pro-vitamin A: β carotene
Converted to retinol during absorption through the gut wall
This ability varies with:
- Age: young animals are poor converters
- Species: cats can’t convert β-carotene at all
- Breed: channel island cattle are very poor converters
- Health: diseases affecting the gut wall and liver function
Because retinol is stored in the liver, animals don’t require a daily supply
Sources of retinol
- Liver
- Accumulates and stored in the liver
- Egg yolk
- Milk fat
β carotene: plants (grass)
Retinol deficient foods:
- Cereal grains
- Meat
Retinol deficiency in cattle
- Mild deficiency - rough, scaly skin
- Prolonged deficiency - night blindness, lachrymation, corneal opacity, retained placenta, still birth
Deficiency is rare in adults as carotenoids acquired at pasture replenish hepatic sores of vitamin A -> able to provide adequate retinol cover over winter periods
Intensively reared indoor beef cattle on cereal diets are prone
Retinol deficiency in dogs + cats
Can occur if fed all-meat diets without liver
Dogs:
- Scurvy
- Scaly skin (first sign)
- Night blindness
- Abnormal skeletal growth
Cats:
- Foetal defects are apparent + complete infertility can result
Retinol deficiency in poultry
Symptoms appear quickly (2-3 wks)
- Pale comb/wattles
- Loss of condition
- Retarded growth
- Ruffled plumage
- General unthriftiness
- Susceptible to infectious diseases
- High mortality rate
Poutry feeds require vitamin A supplement
Hypervititamiosis A (dogs + cats)
EX fish liver oil/liver intakes
- Abnormal bone deposition
- lameness
- Vertebral spondylosis
- Gingivitis
- Weight loss
- Poor coat
Hypervitaminosis A (Pigs)
Excessive intakes of retinol in pregnant sows may cause cardiac abnormalities in piglets
Vitamin D - the calciferols
All steroids qualitatively exhibiting the biological activity of cholecalciferol.
Two most important forms:
- Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D₂) -> derived from the provitamin ergosterol
- Cholecalfierol (Vitamin D₃) -> derived from the provitamin 7-dehydrocholesteral
The provitamins have no vitamin value.
- Must be converted into calciferols before it can be used in the animal
Sources of the calciferols (D)
- Sunlight on skin
- Fish (oily)
- Egg yolk
- Hay (sun dried roughages)
- Colostrum
Metabolic functions of the calciferols (D)
- Promotes Ca²⁺ absorption from digest in the gut lumen
- When blood Ca²⁺ concentrations decrease it enhances intestinal absorption of Ca²⁺
- Stimulates phosphorus uptake from gut + reabsorption of both Ca²⁺ and P from bone and kidney
Calciferol deficiencies
Rickets - soft weak deformed bones in young growing animals.
Osteomalacia in adults (weak bones)
Poor egg shell quality and weak bones in poultry
Metabolic functions of Vitamin E - ⍺-tocopherol
- Biological antioxidant
- Acts with an Se containing enzyme to protect cells from oxidative damage caused by free radicals
- Important for normal reproductive function, muscular function and capillary integrity
Sources of ⍺-tocopherol
- Little body reserve so dietary intake is important
- Greed fodder
- Cereals - but decreases rapidly during storage
⍺-tocopherol deficiencies
Nutritional myopathy
- White muscle disease (calves)
- Staff lamb diseases
Cardiac disease
- Mulberry heart disease - pigs/calves
Brain damage - crazy chick disease
Lameness + muscle stiffness
- Tying up (horses)
Vitamin K - quinones
Several forms exist e.g
- Phylloquinone
- Menaquinone
Metabolic functions of the quinones (K)
- Essential for the normal clotting of blood
- Bone + kidney function
Sources of the quinones (K)
- Green, leafy materials
- Egg yolk, liver + fish
- Gut bacteria synthesis vitK
Rapidly destroyed by heat + exposure to sunlight