Vitamins & Minerals Flashcards
What are Vitamins?
- micronutrients
- from diet
- 13 identified
- water/fat soluble
- deficiency = disease
- metabolism regulation
What are antioxidant vitamins?
ACE
a, c, e
What do antioxidants do?
prevent free radical (from exercise) accumulation
How should antioxidants be taken
through the diet not in large doses
Which vitamins are water soluble
B, C
what happens to excess vitamins
excreted because they cannot be stored
What does high heat / bright light do to vitamins
destroyers them eg fruit
Vitamins B5,6,9,12 are needed for ?
RBC production
Vitamins B1-7 are needed for?
energy release (eg coenzymes)
what do coenzymes do
make enzymes fit into useable shapes
Do athletes need more energy metabolism related Vit B’s
maybe - due to ^ turnover, mitochondria, tissue repair, macronutrient intake
Do athletes need more RBC related Vit B’s
maybe - due to ^ turnover, blood flow, and decreased transit time
why would athletes maybe not need extra Vit B’s
because they eat more so will get more micronutrients than others
Vit B1 deficiency symptoms & how to treat
Beriberi - muscle weakness, enlarged heart
eating whole grains
Vit B2 deficiency symptoms
Ariboflavinosis - sores, swollen tongue
Vit B3 deficiency symptoms
Pellagra - mental confusion, diarrhoea
How do Vit B deficiencies effect exercise performance
decrease Vo2 max, OBLA, peak & mean power
What does Vit C do?
- antioxidant
- synthesis - collagen, CCK, DNA
- AA breakdown
- iron absorption
What are Vit C sources?
citrus fruits, broccoli, tomato, potatoes
Optimal Vit C intake
10-1000 mg
too much Vit C = ?
GI distress, kidney stones
too little Vit C = ?
scurvy, poor health
What are fat soluble Vit’s
A, D, E ,K
Why is Vit A important?
stored in liver
vision, immunity, growth, skin
Vit A sources?
plant (beta carotene) - dark green veg, carrots
animal (retinol) - liver, kidney, cream
Vit A deficiency symptoms
loss of vision, skin issues
Vit A toxicity
acute - nausea, blurry vision
chronic - organ issues
Why is Vit D important
healthy bones, kidneys, intestine, calcium balance
Vit D sources
made from the sun in the skin from cholesterol
activated in kidney/liver
Vit D deficiency symptoms
Rickets, osteomalaica, osteoporosis
Vit D toxicity
hypercalcaemia, bone demineralisation
Why is Vit E important
best antioxidant, selenium metabolism
Vit E sources
nuts, seeds, veg oils
Vit E toxicity symptons
feeling ill, interferes with Vit A, K absorption
why is Vit K important
needed for clotting & bone formation
Vit K sources
synthesised by gut bacteria (reduced by antibiotics)
Vit K deficiency symptoms
bloody vomit, bleeding joints, bruising
Vit K toxicity symptoms
Anaemia, hyperbilirubinemia
How do Vit deficiencies & excessive effect sporting performance
both detrimental as they play lots of roles but can be toxic
Vit supplementation and sport performance
doesn’t improve perf if diet is balanced
excess may be harmful
Mineral examples
iron, sodium, zinc, magnesium
> 20
what are minerals
dietary element essential to life process (macro & micro
Macro & micro mineral daily doses (absorption is highly variable)
macro - >100mg Ca, Cl, Mg, K, S
micro - <100mg Zn, Cu, Fe
what happens to excess minerals
excreted through kidneys as excess can impair other absorption
what does excess Ca impair
Fe & Zn
what excess Zn impair
Cu
what does iron (Fe) do in the body (3)
oxygen transportation
energy production
immune system
what % is absorbed and where is haem iron from
25%
animal foods
What % is absorbed and where is non-haem iron from
1-20% (^ by calcium and Vit C)
plant foods
Iron RDA
M - 8-10mg
F - 18mg
How is iron stored and where
as ferritin in liver, spleen, bone marrow
more in males
What does Transferrin do?
transports ingest food to tissue
iron deficiency symptoms
most common deficiency
fatigue, infections/colds, impaired learning, lethargy
how is iron lost?
running breaks down RBC’s and sweating = ^ iron required
Sodium/salt equation
Sodium = Salt x 2.5
what does salt do in the body
maintain body fluid balance, osmotic & blood pressure
^ salt intake leads to ?
hypertension (high BP)
increase extracellular fluid volume
Salt RDA
M - 8.3g
F - 6.8g
how much zinc is found in the body and where
2g - 60% muscle 30% bone
what does zinc do in the body
energy production, metabolism, wound healing, hormones, enzymes, protein synthesis
low zinc has a link to eating disorders
how to fix?
oral zinc supplementation
what does magnesium do in the body
energy metabolism cofactor
electrical potenials
sources of magnesium
seafood, nuts, fruit, milk
Vit D 6 absorption
Fibre impairs
magnesium RDA
M - 400-420mg
F - 310-320mg
Magnesium deficiency symptons
neuromuscular abnormalities, muscle weakness, cramps, structural damage of fibres
low K, Ca
low mood
what does calcium do in the body
turnover of bones (osteoblasts/clasts)
calcium deficiency sypmtoms
osteoporosis
calcium sources
dairy, beans, dark green veg
Calcium RDA
1000-1200mg/day
Why might atheletes be at risk of low calcium
low body fat, energy intake (veggie), high PA
weighted events
young or females
why must caution be taken when looking at dietary intake
variable bioavailability of minerals
not all foods analysed for mineral composition
minerals stored in other places than plasma
Which minerals intake should increase with heavy training
Iron, Zinc, Magnesium, Sodium
