VITAMINS

VITAMINS• “Vita” comes from the

Latin word “Life”- “accessory growth factors”• Vitamins are mainly obtained from our

foods, but there are some special cases.

FUNCTIONS OF VITAMINS

• It is part of important processes throughout the body

- help release energy from food

- help keep skin and nerves healthy

- help make red blood cells

• They mainly serve as catalysts for certain reactions in the body.

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS

• Vitamin A• Vitamin D• Vitamin E• Vitamin K

GENERAL PROPERTIES

Fat Soluble Vitamins Water Soluble Vitamins

Soluble in fat and fat solvents Soluble in water

Small amount excreted in the bile Excreted in the urine Not absolutely needed in the Must be supplied in the daily diet daily diet Deficiency symptoms are slowly Deficiency symptoms often to develop develop rapidly Have precursors or provitamins. Generally do not have precursors

Contain the elements carbon, and hydrogen, and oxygen

Some are toxic at relatively lowlevels (6-10 times the RDA)

Contain theelements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen in some cases Co or Sulfur

Toxic only at megadose levels (more than 10 times the RDA)Excess stored in the body

Minimal storage of dietary excesses Absorbed into the

lymphatic system Absorbed into the blood than portal vein

Needed only by complex organisms

Needed by simple and complex organisms

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Water Soluble Vitamins

WATER SOLUBLE VITAMIN

• Vitamin B1• Vitamin B2• Vitamin B3• Vitamin B5• Vitamin B6• Vitamin B7• Vitamin B8

• Vitamin B9• Vitamin

B12• Vitamin C• Choline

FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINSVitamin A (Retinol)• OTHER NAME: “Anti-infective vitamin”

- Retinol- Beta Carotene (pro-vitamin A)

• FUNCTIONS: – Protects the body– Maintains balance– Sight– Bone growth– Tooth development– Reproduction– Cell division

• SOURCES:– liver (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish) – carrots– Broccoli leaves- broccoli florets have much less – sweet potatoes – kale – butter – spinach – leafy vegetables – pumpkin – collard greens – cantaloupe melon – eggs – apricots – papaya – mango– broccoli– peas– beetroot– winter squash

• TOXICITY:

- Hypervitaminosis A~effects: birth defects, liver abnormalities,

reduced bone mineral density that may result in osteoporosis, and central nervous system disorders.

- Symptoms of overdose: (hydrocephalus), vomiting, tiredness, constipation, bone pain, and severe headaches. The skin may acquire a rough and dry appearance, with hair loss and brittle nails.

• DEFICIENCY:– Night blindness– Keratomalacia– very dry, rough skin– decreased resistance to infections– faulty tooth development– slower bone growth

• ABSORPTION:- absorbed into the intestine, and absorption remains high with increased intake- Vitamin A, which is fat-soluble, requires fat, as well as minerals, to be properly absorbed.

Vitamin D• OTHER NAME: "sunshine vitamin"CALCIFEROL, antirachitic factor, calcitriol, cholecalciferol

(D3), ergocalciferol (D2)

• FUNCTION:– The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain

normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.– Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to

form and maintain strong bones.– It promotes bone mineralization in concert with a

number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones.– It maintains normal cellular growth and function.– It maintains healthy immune function and preventing

excessive inflammation.– It inhibits parathyroid hormone secretion from the

parathyroid gland.

• SOURCES:– Cod liver oil– Exposure to sunlight – Dairy products

• Cheese • Butter • Cream • Fortified milk

– Fish • Salmon • Mackerel• Tuna• Sardines

– Oysters – Beef liver– Fortified cereals – Margarine– Egg

• TOXICITY:Vitamin D taken in excess can cause pathological

changes in the body. Signs of vitamin D toxicity include loss of appetite, excessive thirst, irritability, excessive calcification of bone, kidney stones, calcification of soft tissue, headaches, weakness and weight loss, nausea, vomiting, constipation, polyuria, and polydipsia.

• DEFICIENCY:- Rickets (in children) - Osteomalacia (in adults)

• ABSORPTION:Vitamin D is best absorbed when ingested with lipids.

Vitamin D will be incorporated into micelles and these will be absorbed by the intestine by passive diffusion. In the intestinal cells, chylomicrons will be formed, and these will enter the lymphatic system and enter the plasma. Vitamin D will then be transported to the liver by chylomicron remnants and to specific target with the help of carrier vitamin D binding protein (DBP) or transcalciferin.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol), antisterility factor

• FUNCTIONS: • acts as an antioxidant, protecting vitamins A and C,

red blood cells and essential fatty acids from destruction

• help prevent heart disease and cancer.• Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells

against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of energy metabolism.

• have some anti-aging effects, both taken orally and applied on the skin.

• Antioxidant (protects cells from toxic compounds, heavy metals, radiation, and free radicals); retinal development; protects vitamin A in eyes

• SOURCES:– Sunflower Seeds – Wheatgerm – Sesame Seeds – Peanuts– Vegetable oils– green leafy vegetables– fortified cereals

• TOXICITY:• Megadoses of vitamin E may produce

headaches, tiredness, double vision, and diarrhea in humans.

• large doses of vitamin E consumed over many weeks or months might result in deficiencies of vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin K

• DEFICIENCY:– Vitamin E deficiency is usually characterized by

neurological problems associated with nerve degeneration in hands and feet

– Severe vitamin E deficiencies are rare. People with a genetic defect in a vitamin E transfer protein called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) have severe vitamin E deficiency, characterized by low blood and tissue levels of vitamin E and progressive nerve abnormalities.

– Severe: nausea, digestive tract disorders.

• ABSORPTION:Approximately 20 to 60 per cent of dietary vitamin E is

absorbed and it is stored in the • liver• heart • fatty tissues• muscles• testes• uterus • blood • adrenal• pituitary glands

Vitamin K• OTHER NAME: “Clotting vitamin”, anti-

hemorrhagic vitamin/factor, coagulation factor, phylloquinone(K1), menaquinones (K2), menadione(K3)

• FUNCTIONS:– plays an essential role in normal blood clotting – helps promote bone health– essential for the functioning of several proteins

involved in blood clotting• SOURCES:

– found in cabbage– cauliflower– spinach (green leafy vegetables)– cereals– soybeans – Vitamin K is also made by the bacteria that line the

gastrointestinal tract.

• TOXICITY:– Prolonged consumption of megadoses of vitamin K

(menadione) results in anemia– When large doses of menadione are given to infants,

they result in the deposit of pigments in the brain, nerve damage, the destruction of red blood cells (hemolysis), and death.

• DEFICIENCY:

Vitamin K deficiency is manifest as a tendency to bleed excessively and bruising.

• ABSORPTION:

Vitamin K are absorbed into intestinal lymph along with other lipids.