VITAMINS: Factors Affecting Food Value

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VITAMINS Factors Affecting Food Value

• There is no perfect food
• some vitamins in foods are NOT the actual vitamin
  
• ?but are precursors changed into the active
  form of the vitamin
• vitamins do NOT have any calories No energy
• Most vitmains are obtained through food

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Vitamins

• What determines the quantity of vitamin NEEDED to
  be functional in the body
• the amount of food eaten,
• how the food is processed
• how often a food is eaten

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Supplements are essential when

• only in certain circumstances
• Elderly (Vit. B12, C, D, Fe)
• Those who have a reduced food intake
• Allergies or intolerance
• Pregnancy
• Smokers
• Vegetarians or Illnesses

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Vitamins are classified as

• Fat soluble Water soluble
• Define
• specific substances that perform specific
  functions in the body
• they are essential nutrients because the body
  cannot produce them

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1. Fat-Soluble D,E,K,A

• Vitamin A
• referred to as Retinol, or Provitamin A
• Functions
• important in bone teeth formation
• Needed to adapt to dim light visiongtnight
  blindness
• important in reproduction
• cancer protection
• imp. for healthy skin mucous membranes

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Vitamin A

• Hypervitasminosis A
• Too much vit. A can cause
• hair loss, bone pain damage, soreness, liver
  damage, nausea vomiting
• Carotene
• Carotene is converted to Vit.A in
• our body, is called a PRECURSOR
• Sources yellow veg
• Carrots, squash, apricots, peaches, cantaloupe,
  sw-potato, yams

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Vitamin D the sunshine vitamin

• Functions
• necessary for the absorption utilization of Ca.
• If lacking
• rickets develops in children
• osteomalacia develops in adults
• (soft bones)

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Hypervitaminosis D

• Too much Vitamin D can cause
• thirst, vomiting, fatigue, confusion, can lead
  to Ca deposits in the
• heart kidneys fatal condition
• Vit. D is the most toxic vitamin, if consumed in
  excess amounts
• Sources fortified milk,
• butter, eggs, liver, fish

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Vitamin E

• Functions
• works as an anti-oxidant gt protects cell
  membranes
• used in treatment of burns
• there is NO evidence to suggest that
• Vit. E supplements are beneficial
• deficiencies of this vitamin are uncommon

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Vitamin E

• Vitamin E does NOT prevent
• balding, wrinkles, ageing,
• sterility heart disease
• Some studies indicate that high levels can
  actually increase risks of cancer
• Vitamin K
• Functions
• aids with the absorption of Ca into bones
• necessary for blood clotting

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Fat-Soluble Vitamins ?Additional Info

• are usually stable in cooking
• transported in circulation by lipoproteins
• excessive intakes are stored in the liver other
  organs
• Vit. A D can be toxic
• Vit. E K are less toxic
• Fat-sol. vit. are NOT needed every day

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Water Soluble Vitamins

• Vitamin C
• gt also known as Ascorbic Acid
• Functions
• aids with the absorption of iron
• necessary for formation of connective
• tissue, blood vessels, cartilage
• helps with healing process

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Vitamin C

• strengthens resistance to infections helps
  fight them
• has anti-oxidant properties
• Deficiency disease called Scurvy
• uncommon today

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Anti-oxidants

• Define
• a compound that combines with oxygen
• so that oxygen is not available to destroy
  important substances in the body
• important anti-oxidant vitamins in the body
  include
• Beta carotene, Vit.E
• Vit. C, Selenium

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Anti-Vitamins

• any substance that interferes with
• the action of a vitamin
• an anti-vitamin could be
• a natural food
• or a drug ie chemotherapy

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Folacin aka Folic Acid or Folate

• Functions
• (referred to as the pregnancy vitamin)
• necessary for the formation
• of red blood cells
• necessary for enzymes to produce DNA

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Deficiency of Folacin

• Macrocytic anemia
• immature red blood cells
• It can also cause
• Neural tube defects
• a defect of the brain/spinal cord caused by
  the neural tube not closing in pregnancy
• Spina bifida

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Vitamin B12 Cobolamine

• Functions
• necessary for the formation of
• red blood cells
• helps maintain nerve cells
• to be used in the body be absorbed
• B12 needs the intrinsic factor
• found in our gastric juice

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Deficiency of B12

• it can result in Pernicious anemia
• this can be fatal
• a concern for Vegetarians!
• Sources
• plant foods do not contain B12
• All meat poultry, eggs, fish, shellfish
• milk, cheese

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Vitamin B Complex

• All of these are important in the
• release of energy into the body
• Thiamin (B1) Riboflavin (B2)
• Niacin (B3) Pantothenic Acid

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B1 Thiamin

• Functions
• necessary to release energy from CHO
• metabolism of fat protein
• Deficiency of thiamin results in
• Beriberi mental confusion, muscle
  wasting, enlarged heart

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B2 Riboflavin

• Functions
• necessary to release energy from CHO,
  
• from fat protein
• Deficiency
• Cheilosis burning mouth tongue
• sources are sensitive to light alkaline
  substances.

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B3 Niacin

• Functions
• helps to release energy from CHO,
• fat protein
• maybe used to lower cholesterol
• levels in blood
• has a precursor
• an amino acid Tryptophan

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Niacin

• Deficiency
• Pellagra dermatitis, diarrhea,
• dementia, tremors,
• sore tongue
• Sources
• all protein foods are good

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B6 Vitamin (Pyridoxine)

• Functions
• necessary to release energy from
• protein fat
• important in producing niacin from protein
• from the essential amino acid,
• tryptophan
• Deficiency quite rare

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Water Soluble Vitamins Additional Info

• components of essential enzyme systems
• are necessary in small amounts every day
• are NOT stored in the body
• include the B complex (10) Vit. C
• B1, B2, B3, pantothenic acid are important in
  the release of energy
• a mega dose of a vitamin is defined
• as more than 10 times ones DRIs.

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Use of Vitamin Mineral Supplements

• check the label to ensure contents
• take supplements with meals
• supplements are NOT meal substitutes
• most preferable multi vitamin w Fe
• or vitamins with minerals
• store away from children (as if it was
  medication)
• Make sure vitamins are approved by Health Canada

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What to Avoid

• Vitamins that are
• natural, organic, stress vitamins,
• time-release, high potency,
• tonics, vitality,
• also be wary of new improved