Vitamins:Vital Keys to Health

BIOL 103, Chapter 9-1

Today’s Topics

• Understanding Vitamins• Fat Soluble Vitamins: A, D, E, K, and

Carotenoids

Understanding Vitamins

• Vitamins– Needed in small amounts– ____________ an energy source– Individual units– ______________ compounds essential for normal

functioning, growth, and maintenance of the body.

Understanding Vitamins

• Fat soluble vs. water-soluble– Fat-soluble: _____________________________• Absorbed with fat, with _______________________• Stored in ____________ quantities• Less vulnerable to cooking losses

– Water-soluble: ___________________________• Absorbed into the ________________________• Stored in _____________ amounts• Vulnerable to cooking losses

Understanding Vitamins

• Food preparation affections vitamin content in the foods– Factors that determine amounts:

1. _____________________________________2. Sunlight3. Moisture4. _____________________________________5. Plant’s maturity at harvest6. _____________________________________

Forms of Vitamin A

• Three active forms of Vitamin A, collectively known as Retinoids:1. ____________: the main, physiologically active

form of vitamin A 2. ____________: vision, reproduction3. ____________: cell differentiation

• Carotenoids: _____________________

Understanding Vitamins

• Vitamins in foods– Enrichment and fortification• Enriched: ___________________________________• Fortified: ____________________________________• Some is required by low

– Provitamins• ______________ forms of vitamins

Vitamin A: The Retinoids

• Functions– Vision, cell development and health, immunity

• Food sources– Preformed vitamin A: liver, milk, egg yolks– Beta-carotene: yellow/orange fruits and vegetable

Functions of Vitamin A

1. Vision: night and day– Night and color vision– Becomes part of the retina

2. Cell production and differentiation– Regulate production of _____________________

and __________________– Cell differentiation: maturation of

____________________ specific types of cells3. Skin– Required _____________________, which make up

epithelial tissues (skin, mucous membranes)

Functions of Vitamin A (cont.)

4. __________________________– Produce immune cells to fight microorganisms

5. ___________________– Keeps reproduction tracts healthy– Cell differentiation contributes to ___________

_______________ during pregnancy6. ________________– Trigger an _____________ in osteoclasts (bone cells

that break down bone); this contributes to bone “remodeling”

Vitamin A

• Dietary Recommendations– Retinol activity equivalent (RAE) = _____ retinol • Uses RAE to account for differences between retinoids

and carotenoids

• Sources of vitamin A– Animal: ______________________– Plant: ____________________________• example: beta-carotene

– Fortified foods

Vitamin A Deficiency

1. Eyes– Xerophtalmia: ___________________

2. The skin and other epithelial cells– _______________: a build up of keratin

3. ____________________– Vulnerable to infection because not enough immune

cells to fight invading microorganisms4. Other effects:– Growth retardation, bone deformities, defective

teeth, kidney stones

Vitamin A Toxicity

• Symptoms: – fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain, bone and joint pain,

loss of appetite, skin disorders, headache, blurred or double vision, and liver damage

• Teratogen– __________________: cleft palate, heart

abnormalities, brain malfunction• Discoloration of skin• Acne Treatment: – __________________(builds up in fat, may cause

birth defects)

The Carotenoids• Plant pigments (deep yellow, orange, red color)– Examples: alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-

cryptoxanthin• Can be converted to _______________– __________________ supplies the most vitamin A of

the carotenoids.• Functions:

1.____________________________• may protect eyes by inhibiting oxidative damage that

contributes to age-related blindness/macular degeneration2.____________________________

The Carotenoids

• Food sources:– ____________________

fruit and vegetables (tomatoes, apricots, carrots), dark green vegetables

– Absorb ___________ of what we eat

– Dietary fat and _______ ____________________(breaks down cell walls) increases absorption

Vitamin D

• Forms and formations– Activated in ________________________• In the skin, ______________ converts a form of

cholesterol to ______ to liver dietary and synthesized forms of vitamin D are converted to an intermediate form goes to _______________ active form: 25-hydroxyvitamin D _________________ or __________________

– Functions• Essential for ___________________

– Regulate _______________________________

Vitamin D

• Sources:– Sun exposure helps

activate an inactive form of vitamin D • _____________________

– Fortified milk– Fortified food

• Question: Why would manufacturers choose milk to be fortified with vitamin D?

Problem Set 9 Question #1

• Name at least three reasons why people around the world will not have similar levels of vitamin D.

Vitamin D• Deficiency:

– In children: • __________________________________

– In adults: • Osteomalacia or “___________________”: results in bending of the

spine, bowing of the legs, and increased risk for fractures• __________________________: bone mineral loss, increased risk of

fractures• Toxicity

– Hypercalcemia: a high concentration of ___________________ in blood excess deposit of calcium in soft tissues

• Fun Topic: Melanin and Tanning

Vitamin E

• Forms– ______ similar compounds• Essential: ______________________________

– Stored mainly in ___________________

• Functions– ________________________• Protects cell membranes from free radicals

Vitamin E

• Dietary recommendations– RDA• __________________ alpha-tocopherol for adults• __________________ for breastfeeding women

– Food sources• Nuts, seeds, vegetable oil, whole grain, wheat germ oil,

fruit, vegetables, and animal products

Vitamin E

• Deficiency– Occurs with __________________________– Rare genetic disorder

• Toxicity– Nontoxic and adverse effects have ____________

________________________– Can interfere with _________________________

Vitamin K

• Functions:– ________________________– ________________________

• Diet recommendations– Men: _____ mg/day– Women: ____ mg/day

• Food sources;– Green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, brussel

sprouts), plant oils, intestinal bacteria

Vitamin K

• Deficiency– Rare in healthy people– _______________ at risk

• Toxicity– Can interfere with

_________________________________________– Toxicity is ______________

Summary