Vitamins Nutrition and Wellness

What are Vitamins? Complex substances in food. Vitamins  Don’t supply energy by themselves.  Support many chemical reactions that go on in the body.  Team with enzymes to keep cellular activity going. - Why does your body need vitamins?

Water Soluble Vitamins Dissolve in water and pass easily into the bloodstream during digestion. The body doesn’t usually store water-soluble vitamins. Because these vitamins remain in your body for only a short time, you need them every day. Excess amounts are removed with waste products.

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) What does Vitamin C do for you?  Helps maintain healthy collagen, bones, skin, and teeth.  Helps your body heal wounds and resist infections.  It aids in the absorption of iron and works as an antioxidant. What happens if I don’t have enough?  Poor appetite, weakness, bruising, soreness, in the joints. Scurvy is the disease caused by lack of Vitamin C. What happens if I have too much?  Nausea, Cramps, Vomiting

Thiamin (Vitamin B 1 ) What does Thiamin do for you?  Helps turn carbohydrates into energy.  Needed for muscle coordination. What happens if I don’t have enough?  Nausea, apathy, and loss of appetite are early symptoms.  Can get through a variety of nutritious foods: enriched and whole-grain breads and cereals.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B 2 ) What does Riboflavin do for you?  Helps body release energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.  Contributes to body growth and red cell production. What happens if I don’t have enough?  Sensitivity to light, gritty eyes, sore tongue, mouth and lip sores, and dry, flaky skin. - Milk is sold in containers that don’t let the light enter. What is the purpose?

Niacin (Vitamin B 3 ) What does Niacin do for you?  Helps your body release energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.  Needed for a healthy nervous system and mucous membranes. What happens if I don’t have enough?  Pellagra – disease (skin lesions and mental/ digestive problems.

Folate (B 9 ) What does Folate do for you?  Helps build red blood cells.  Forms genetic material (DNA).  Helps the body use proteins and may help protect against heart disease.  Prevents birth defects that damage the brain and spinal cord.  Folic Acid while preparing for/during pregnancy. What happens if I don’t have enough?  May develop anemia, tired week, diarrhea, loss of weight.

Why is an oversupply of the water-soluble vitamins not much of a problem?

Fat-Soluble Vitamins Absorbed and transported by fat. Include Vitamins A, D, E, and K. If you take more than you need they are stored in your liver. Your body can draw on these vitamins when needed, so daily replacement isn’t essential. If large amounts of these vitamins accumulate in the body, effects can be damaging.

Vitamin A What does Vitamin A do for you?  Comes in the form of carotene (Pro-Vitamin A) or retinol (Vitamin A ready to use by the body)  Promotes good vision and help maintain tissues and skin.  Supports reproduction and growth. What happens if I don’t have enough?  Rough, scaly skin and infections in the respiratory tract.  Can cause night blindness or total blindness in children. What happens if I have to much?  Headaches, double vision, abnormal bones, and liver damage.

Vitamin D What does Vitamin D do for you?  It makes calcium available for proper bone growth.  Can be obtained in two ways: Body through sunlight or fortified milk.  “Sun-shine Vitamin” What happens if I don’t have enough?  Rickets – disease, Osteomalacia – causes weak or sometimes deformed bones.  Obtain through egg yolks and fatty fish. What happens if I have to much?  Nausea, vomiting, and hardening of soft body tissues.

Vitamin E What does Vitamin E do for you?  Protects cells from oxidation damage – in the lungs. Excesses and deficiencies are rare because it is found in many foods. The methods of storage and cooking can affect the content of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K What does Vitamin K do for you?  Helps blood clot so that wounds stop bleeding.  Bone health can be influenced by this vitamin. Deficiency and toxicity are rare with a healthy diet. Vitamin K can also be produced by your body.

Which vitamins could be toxic (poisonous) if you get too much? WHY?