Vitamins CHP 3.1

VITAMINS
CHAPTER: 3.1
What are vitamins ?
• Nutrients that our body does

not make on its own. Thus
we must obtain them from the
foods we eat, or via vitamin
supplements.
 They are essential for providing

good health and are necessary for
many life functions.
Vitamins
• Vitamins do not supply energy
• Some vitamins available from foods in
inactive forms known as precursors
– Once inside the body, precursors are converted
into an active form of the vitamin
Vitamins
 Because vitamins are organic, they can be
destroyed and left unable to function
 Heat – keep refrigerated, don’t over cook
 Light (ultraviolet) – store in opaque containers
 Oxygen – after cut, keep airtight
 Some water soluble – cook with less water
 The body needs vitamins in small amounts

 Milligrams (mg) or micrograms (µg)
 Although needed in small amounts, vitamins are
needed on a regular basis.
– Fat-soluble vitamins – Water-soluble vitamins
• Found in fats and oils of • Found in watery parts of
foods foods
• After absorbed enter • After absorbed move
lymph, then blood directly into blood &
• Stored (fatty tissue/liver) Transported freely in blood
• Doesn’t need as regularly • Not stored
- weekly, monthly; • Needed more regularly –
because stored every 1-3 days; because not
• Deficiencies slow to stored
develop; because stored • Deficiencies fast to develop;
• Toxicities more likely; because not stored
because stored (mostly • Toxicities less likely (large
from supplements) amounts can overwhelm)
Vitamins
 The DRI is the recommended intake level
 Some vitamin DRI’s are an RDA (Recommended
Dietary Allowance) some are an AI (Adequate
Intake)
 The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the

highest amount that is likely not to cause harm
for most healthy people when consumed daily
 MUST BE CHECKED FOR FAT SOLUBLE

VITAMINS
FAT SOLUBLE
VITAMINS
Vitamin A
Retinol Beta Carotine
M: 600 4800
F: 500 4800
P/L: 800-850 6400-7600
C: 400-500 3200-4800
Vitamin A
 Functions
 Vision
 Maintenance of cornea, epithelial cells,
mucous membranes, skin
 Bone and tooth growth
 Reproduction
 Immunity.
Vitamin A
• Food Source
– Retinol: fortified milk, cheese, cream, butter,
fortified margarine, eggs, liver.
– Beta-carotene: spinach and other dark leafy
greens; broccoli, deep orange fruits (apricots,
cantaloupe) and vegetables (squash, carrots,
sweet potatoes, pumpkin)
Vitamin A
• Deficiency Disease
– Hypovitaminosis A
• Deficiency Symptoms
– Night blindness
– Corneal drying (xerosis), softening of the cornea
(keratomalacia), corneal degeneration and blindness
– Triangular gray spots on eye (Bitot’s spots)
– Impaired immunity
– Plugging hair follicies with keratin, forming white lumps
(hyperkeratosis)
Vitamin A
• Toxicity Disease
– Hypervitaminosis A
• Toxicity Symptoms
– Chronic toxicity
• Reduced bone density
• Liver abnormalities
• Birth defects
– Acute toxicity
• Blurred vision
• Nausea, vomiting, vertigo
• Headaches, increased pressure inside the skull mimicking a
brain tumor
Vitamin D
• Other Names
– Calciferol, 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D
(calcitriol)
Vitamin D
• Recommended Dietary Allowance
– VD: 10 mcg/400IU
Vitamin D
• Functions
– Mineralization of bones
– involved in calcium absorption.
Vitamin D
 Food Sources
 Synthesized in the body with the help of
sunlight
 Fortified milk, margarine, butter, cereals and
chocolate mixes
 Veal, beef, egg yolk, liver, fatty fish (herring,
salmon, sardines) and their oils
Vitamin D
• Deficiency Diseases
– Rickets
– Osteomalacia
Vitamin D
• Rickets in Children
Deficiency
Vitamin D
 Osteomalacia in
Adults Deficiency
Symptoms
 Loss of calcium resulting in
soft, flexible, brittle, and
deformed bones
 Progressive weakness
 Pain in pelvis, lower back
and legs
Vitamin D
 Toxicity Disease
 Hypervitaminosis D
 Toxicity Symptoms
 Elevated blood calcium
 Calcification of soft tissues (blood vessels, kidneys, heart, lungs,
tissues around joints)
 Frequent urination
Vitamin E
Alpha-tocopherol
•Alpha tocopherol requirements are related
directly to the levels of essential fatty acids
(linoleic and linolenic acids). The requirement of
alpha tocopherol
•suggested is 8-10 mg tocopherol /d, depending
on the edible oil used.
– Dietary deficiencies of these two vitamins (

VD & V K) are not normally encountered.
Vitamin E
 Functions
 Antioxidant (stabilization of cell membranes,
regulation of oxidation reactions, protection of
polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin A
Vitamin E
 Food Sources
 Polyunsaturated plant oils (margarine, salad
dressings, shortenings
 Leafy green vegetables
 Wheat germ and whole grains
 Liver, egg yolk, nuts and seeds
Vitamin E
 Deficiency Symptoms
 Red blood cell breakage
 Nerve damage/ neurological symptoms
 Increases the effect of anti-clotting medication
Vitamin K
Phylloquinone, menaquinone
•RDA : 55μg of vit K /d

Vitamin K
• Function
– Synthesis of blood-clotting proteins and bone
proteins
• Food Sources
– Bacterial synthesis in the digestive tract
– Milk, Liver
– Leafy green vegetables, cabbage-type
vegetables
Vitamin K
 Hemorrhaging ( not usually encountered in India)
 None known
WATER SOLUBLE
VITAMINS
Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid
•RDA
Vitamin C
 Functions
 Collagen synthesis (strengthens blood vessels walls, farms
scar tissue, provides matrix for bone growth)
 Antioxidant
 Thyroxin synthesis
 Strengthens resistance to infection
 Helps in absorption of iron
Vitamin C
• Food Sources
– Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons,
limes).
– Cabbage-type vegetables; Dark green vegetables (such as
bell peppers and broccoli)
– Strawberries and other berries, cantaloupe and other
melons, papayas, mangoes, potatoes, and tomatoes
• Destruction
– Easily destroyed by heat and oxygen
Vitamin C
 Deficiency Disease
 Scurvy
Vitamin C
• Toxicity Symptoms
– Nausea, abdominal cramps, diarrhea
– Headache, fatigue, insomnia
– Hot flashed, rashes
– Urinary tract problems, kidney stones
Thiamin/ Vitamin B1
RDA
• Men: 1.2 mg/day
• Women: 1.1 mg/day
Thiamin
 Function
 Part of coenzyme TPP (thiamin
pyrophosphate) used in energy metabolism
 Food Sources
 Whole-grain, fortified, or enriched grain
products
 Moderate amounts in all nutritious food
 Pork
 Destruction
 Easily destroyed by heat
Thiamin
 Beriberi (wet with edema; dry
with muscle wasting)
Deficiency Symptoms
 Enlarged heart, cardiac failure
 Muscular weakness
 Apathy, poor short-term
memory, confusion, irritability
 Anorexia, weight loss
Toxicity Symptoms
 None reported
Riboflavin/Vitamin B2
RDA
• RDA
• Men: 1.4 mg/day
• Women: 1.1 mg/day
Riboflavin
 Function
 used in energy metabolism
Riboflavin
 Food Sources
 Milk and dairy products (yogurt, cheese).
 Enriched or whole grains
 Liver
 Destruction
 Easily destroyed by ultraviolet light and
irradiation
Riboflavin
 Ariboflavinosis
 Deficiency
Symptoms
 Sore throat
 Cracks and redness at
corners of mouth (cheilosis)
 None reported
Folate
– Folic acid
– RDA
Folate
 Function
 used in DNA synthesis and therefore important in new cell
formation
 Activates vitamin B12
 Helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
• Food Sources
– Fortified grains
– Leafy green vegetables
– Legumes, seeds
– Liver
• Destruction
– Easily destroyed by heat and oxygen
Folate
 Deficiency
 Anemia (large-cell type)
 Smooth, red tongue (glossitis)
 Mental confusion, weakness, fatigue, irritability, headache
 Toxicity
 Mask B12 deficiency symptoms
Vitamin B12
– Cobalamin
• RDA
Vitamin B12
 Functions
 used in new cell synthesis
 Helps to maintain nerve cells
 Helps to break down some fatty acids and
amino acids
Vitamin B12
• Food Sources
– Animal products (meat, poultry, fish,
shellfish, milk, cheese, eggs)
– Fortified cereals
• Destruction
– Easily destroyed by microwave cooking
Vitamin B12
 Pernicious anemia
 Anemia
 Fatigue
 Degeneration of peripheral nerves
progressing to paralysis
 None reported
Biotin
• Adequate Intake
– Adults: 30 µg/day
• Functions
– Part of coenzyme used in energy
metabolism
– Part of coenzyme used in fat synthesis,
amino acid metabolism, and glycogen
synthesis
Biotin
 Food Sources
 Widespread in foods
 Liver, egg yolks, soybeans, fish, whole grains
 Also produced by GI bacteria
Biotin
 Depression, lethargy, hallucinations, numb or
tingling sensation in the arms and legs
 Red scaly rash around the eyes, nose, and
mouth
 Hair loss
 None reported

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VITAMINS

• Nutrients that our body does

 They are essential for providing

 The body needs vitamins in small amounts

 The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is the

 MUST BE CHECKED FOR FAT SOLUBLE

– Dietary deficiencies of these two vitamins (

•RDA : 55μg of vit K /d

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