1. Vitamins Lancelot McLean, PhD lmclean@llu.edu

2. The Vitamins – An Overview
Vitamins are chemically unrelated organic compounds that cannot be synthesized in adequate quantities by humans and therefore must be supplied by the diet
Support nutritional health
Water soluble vitamins: (B complex vitamins and vitamin C)
Fat soluble vitamins: (A, D, E, K)
Vitamins do not provide the body with fuel for energy

3. Classification of Vitamins
The Vitamins – An Overview
Classification of Vitamins

4. The Vitamins – An Overview
Many of the water soluble vitamins are precursors of coenzymes
Vitamin K is the only fat soluble vitamin with a coenzyme function
Fat soluble vitamins are released, absorbed, and transported with the fat of the diet
Not readily excreted in urine
Significant quantities stored in liver and adipose tissue

5. The Vitamins – An Overview
Dose Levels and Effects

6. The Vitamins – An Overview
Easily destroyed by
B1 (Thiamine)
Heat
B2 (Riboflavin)
UV light
B5 (Pantothenic acid)
Food processing
B6 (Pyridoxine)
B9 (Folic acid))
Heat and Oxygen
B12 (Cobalamin)
Microwave
Vitamin C

7. The B Vitamins
B1: Thiamine
B2: Riboflavin
B3: Niacin
B5: Pantothenic Acid
B6: Pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine
B7: Biotin
B9: Folic Acid
B12: Cobalamin

8. B1 Thiamine

9. The B Vitamins – B1 (Thiamine)
Part of coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP)
Energy metabolism
Conversion of pyruvate to acetyl CoA
TCA cycle
Nerve activity and muscle activity
Good sources: Whole grains
Enriched or whole grain products typically make the greatest contribution to a day’s intake because of the quantities eaten

10. The B Vitamins – B1 (Thiamine)
Deficiency
Beriberi
Severe thiamine deficiency found where polished rice is the major component of the diet
Affects nervous system or cardiovascular system
Muscle wasting and edema
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
Seen primarily in association with chronic alcoholism and due to dietary insufficiency or impaired absorption of the vitamin
Apathy, loss of memory, ataxia, and a rhythmic to and fro motion of the eyeballs (nystagmus)

11. B2 Riboflavin

12. The B Vitamins – B2 (Riboflavin)
Serves as coenzyme in energy metabolism
Flavin mononucleotide (FMN)
Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)
Good sources: Milk products, whole grain and liver
Deficiency
No major disease
Dermatitis
Cheilosis (fissuring at the corners of the mouth)
Glossitis (tongue appearing smooth and purplish)

13. The B Vitamins – B2 (Riboflavin)

14. B3 Niacin

15. The B Vitamins – B3 (Niacin)
Coenzyme forms are NAD and NADP
Central in energy transfer reactions
Protects against neurological degeneration
Good sources:
Milk, eggs, meat, whole grains, nuts and all protein containing foods
Deficiency
Pellagra: disease of the skin, GI tract and CNS
Symptoms: Dermatitis, diarrhea and dementia (3Ds); and if untreated death

16. The B Vitamins – B3 (Niacin)
Pellagra

17. B5 Pantothenic Acid

18. The B Vitamins – B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Part of coenzyme A
Used in energy metabolism
Good sources:
Widespread in foods; chicken beef, potatoes, oats, tomatoes, liver, egg yolk, broccoli and whole grains
Deficiency:
Not well characterized in humans

19. B6 Pyridoxine

20. The B Vitamins – B6 (Pyridoxine)
Three forms
Pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine
Precursors of the coenzyme pyridoxal phosphate
Used in amino acid metabolism

21. The B Vitamins – B6 (Pyridoxine)
Good sources:
Meat, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, legumes, noncitrus fruits, fortified cereals, liver and soy products
Pyridoxine is the only water soluble vitamin with significant toxicity
Neurological damage
Deficiency
Scaly dermatitis, anemia, depression, confusion, convulsions

22. B7 Biotin

23. The B Vitamins – B7 (Biotin)
Part of a coenzyme used in carboxylation reactions
Used in energy metabolism
Good sources:
Widespread in foods; liver, egg yolks, soybeans, fish, whole grains; also produced by GI bacteria
Deficiency:
Rare

24. B9 Folic Acid

25. The B Vitamins – B9 (Folic Acid)
Primary coenzyme form is Tetrahydrofolate (THF)
Used in DNA synthesis and therefore important in new cell formation
Good sources:
Leafy green vegetables, fortified grains, legumes, seeds and liver
Deficiency: Probably the most common vitamin deficiency in the US particularly among pregnant women and alcoholics
Anemia
Neural tube defects: Spina bifida and anencephaly

26. The B Vitamins – B9 (Folic Acid)
Folic acid Deficiency
Spina bifida
Anencephaly

27. B12 Cobalamin

28. The B Vitamins – B12 (Cobalamin)
Used in new cell synthesis
Helps maintain nerve cells
Reforms folate coenzyme
Helps to break down some fatty acids and amino acids
Good sources: Foods of animal origin, fortified cereals
Deficiency
Pernicious anemia

29. The B Vitamins – B12 (Cobalamin)
Absorption of vitamin B12
Normally B12 binds to Intrinsic Factor (IF) in the intestine before absorption
Lack of IF prevents absorption of B12 resulting in Pernicious anemia

30. Vitamin C Ascorbic acid

31. Vitamin C – Ascorbic acid
Functions
Aids in collagen synthesis (strengthens blood vessel walls, aids wound healing, provides matrix for bone growth)
Antioxidant
Strengthens resistance to infection
Helps in iron absorption
Good sources:
Citrus fruits, cabbage type vegetables such as brussels sprouts and cauliflower), dark green vegetables (such as bell peppers and broccoli), cantaloupe, strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, papaya, and mangoes

32. Vitamin C – Ascorbic acid
Deficiency:
Scurvy:
Sore and spongy gums
Loose teeth
Fragile blood vessels
Swollen joints
Anemia
Hemorrhage and swollen
gums of a patient with
scurvy

33. Vitamin C – Deficiency

34. The Fat-Soluble Vitamins: A, D, E, and K

35. Vitamin A

36. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is often used as a collective term for several biologically active molecules
Retinoids
Retinol
Retinal
Retinoic acid
Carotenoids
Beta carotene
Functions
Vision
Reproduction
Maintenance of epithelial tissues
Bone and tooth growth

37. Vitamin A Good sources: Deficiency:
Retinoids: Kidney, cheese, cream, butter, eggs, liver
Carotenoids: Spinach and other dark leafy greens; broccoli, deep orange fruits (apricot, cantaloupe) and vegetables (squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin)
Deficiency:
Night Blindness
Xerophthalmia – dry eyes, lack of tear production
Keratomalacia – softening of the cornea

38. Vitamin D

39. Vitamin D (calciferol)
Functions
Mineralization of bone
Good sources:
Synthesized in the body with the help of sunlight.
Fatty fish, liver, egg yolk, fortified milk
Recommendations:
Adults (19-50 yr): 5 μg/day
(51-70 yr): 10 μg/day
(>70 yr): 15 μg/day

40. Vitamin D Deficiency Rickets in children
Inadequate calcification resulting in misshapen bones (bowing of leg)
Osteomalacia in adults
Poor bone mineralization
Soft, flexible, brittle and deformed bones
Osteoporosis in adults
Loss of calcium
Results in fractures

41. Vitamin D – Deficiency Symptoms

42. Vitamin E

43. Vitamin E (tocopherols)
Functions
Antioxidant
Good sources:
Vegetable oils, liver and eggs
Deficiency
Red blood cell breakage
Nerve damage

44. Vitamin K

45. Vitamin K (Phylloquinone, Menaquinone)
Functions
Synthesis of blood clotting proteins
Synthesis of bone proteins
Good sources:
Cabbage, kale, spinach, egg yolk, and liver
Also synthesized by bacteria in the gut
Deficiency
Hemorrhaging

46. Minerals

47. There are two classes of minerals
Do not yield energy
Sixteen essential minerals
Major minerals: > 100mg/day
Ca, P, K, Na, Cl, Mg, and S
Trace minerals: < 100mg/ day
Fe, I, Zn, Cr, Se, F, Mo, Cu, and Mn
Indestructible
Person may be deficient due to inability of the body to absorb them
Also can be lost during food-refining or during cooking when they leach into the water that is discarded

48. Sodium Functions Good sources: Table salt Deficiency
Maintains normal fluid and electrolyte balance
Assists in nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction
Good sources:
Table salt
Deficiency
Muscle cramps, mental apathy and loss of appetite

49. Calcium Functions Good sources:
Mineralization of bones and teeth
Muscle contraction and relaxation
Good sources:
Milk and milk products, small fish with bones, calcium-set tofu, greens (bok choy, broccoli, chard, kale), legumes
Recommendations
Adults (19-50 yr): 1000 mg/day
(> 51 yr): 1200 mg/day
Deficiency
Stunted growth in children;
Bone loss (osteoporosis) in adults

50. Phosphorus Functions Good sources: All animal tissues Recommendations
Mineralization of bones and teeth
Important in genetic material
Good sources:
All animal tissues
Recommendations
Adults: 700 mg/day
Deficiency
Muscular weakness, bone pain

51. Other Trace Minerals
95% of Americans use fluoridated toothpaste and over 60% drink fluoridated water.
Fluoride reduces dental caries by 50-70%
Iron is a part of hemoglobin
Deficiency disease is anemia
Zn, Cr and Mn and are essential for the management of sugar metabolism
Iodine is a component of thyroid hormones that help to regulate growth, development and metabolic rate
Good source is iodized table salt
Goiter may arise from lack of Iodine