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Vitamins and Minerals

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The Nature of Vitamins

Vitamins are organic (carbon) compounds needed for normal function, growth and maintenance.

Vitamins are cofactors, they don’t do anything by themselves.

They are not a source of calories.

Vitamin Requirements Daily Values (DV): standard nutrient intake values

developed by FDA– Disease prevention– Best met through a consumption of a wide

variety of foods

Dietary Supplements $6 Billion Market

They are classified as “Nutritional Supplements” They are not foods, and not drugs.*

Supplements are “Product intended to supplement the diet and contains vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and their extracts.”

NOT consumed as a food replacement Loosely regulated, “not evaluated by FDA”

By definition a “drug” is used to “prevent, treat or cure” disease. These terms cannot be used with supplements.

Use of some supplements is backed by scientific data.

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Fat Soluble Vitamins

A – orange, helps vision, antioxidant- used as color and antioxidant

D – we make it with sunlight, deficiency causes rickets, in milk, regulates Calcium:Potassium ratios

E – antioxidants, role in preventing stroke, cancer, heart disease- used as antioxidant

K – contributes to blood clotting factor

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Vitamin A

Antioxidant Stored in liver Important for sight

– Deficiency causes ~500,000 cases of “night blindness” worldwide

Genetically engineered rice with high Vitamin A can prevent night blindness

Carrotenosis: more vitamin A than needed, orange cast to skin

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Vitamin D

Also known as calciferol due to its role in calcium absorption

Main role is to maintain calcium and potassium levels

It is the only fat soluble vitamin that we can make- in the presence of sunlight

Can be made from cholesterol

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Vitamin D

Elderly and shut ins are at risk- not enough sunlight

We get vitamin D form fortified milk and cereal Toxicity is very dangerous

– Occurs only from excess supplementation– Can lead to calcium deposits in kidneys, heart

and blood vessels

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Vitamin D

Rickets can be caused by lack of sunlight, but also from insufficient

calcium. Vitamin D linked to calcium absorption.

(Rickets reported in NYC.)

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Vitamin E

A family of eight naturally occurring compounds

Deficiencies are not well understood

Role is stroke, cancer, heart, and immune response

Americans spend $300 million per year on vitamin E supplements

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Vitamin K

Contributes to synthesis of seven blood clotting factors

Can be reactivated to continue biological action

Works as a cofactor for an enzyme that makes two bone proteins

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Water Soluble Vitamins

Relatively cheap to add to food

Only Vitamin C is used for its functionality

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Water Soluble Vitamins

B1, thiamine B2, riboflavin B6, pyridoxamine B12

Biotin Panothenic acid Niacin Folacin Vitamin C

Water Soluble Vitamins Vitamin B1

– Thiamine– Involved in carbohydrate metabolism– Helps body metabolize glucose, affects central

nervous system– Deficiency causes Beri beri

B2- riboflavin– Energy metabolism

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Water Soluble Vitamins

B6 - Pyridoxamine– Neurotransmitter, co-enzyme in over 100

reactions

B12 – – Development of red blood cells– Lack of it makes one anemic– Hard for vegans to get (found in meat)

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Water Soluble Vitamins

Biotin – – Involved in fatty acid synthesis– Deficiency causes skin disease and hair loss

Panthothenic acid– Found in many foods– Essential for metabolism of carbohydrates,

protein, alcohol and fat

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Water Soluble Vitamins

Choline– A major component of cell

membranes– Folacin = Folate = Folic

acid– Deficiency causes neural

tube defects – in mother’s uterus

– Took Rutgers Professor 20 years to for FDA approval as enrichment Why?

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Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid Very inexpensive to add to food, marketing

tool. Antioxidant Deficiency leads to bleeding gums,

hemorrhages High in citrus fruits, limes, (Limeys)

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Vitamin C - Scurvy

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Niacin (B3)

Energy metabolism Disease – pellagra – The Four D’s

– Dermatitis– Diarrhea– Dementia– Death

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Minerals

Issues– Absorption– Bioavailability

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Minerals

Percent of Body weight– Calcium

2%– Phosphorus 1%– Potassium 0.3%– Sulfur 0.2%– Sodium 0.1%– Chloride

0.1%– Magnesium 0.05%– Iron 0.04%

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Minerals

Calcium– 99% is structural– ~25% absorption– Vitamin D aids absorption– 75% is obtained from 75% is obtained from

dairy productsdairy products– Many products are

fortified with it– Built in youth, lost in

maturity Very hard for vegans to get enough calcium

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Calcium

Osteoporosis – a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences

National Osteoporosis Foundation www.nof.org

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Calcium

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Minerals

Phosphorus – Easily absorbed by the body– Enhanced by Vitamin D– Deficiency are rare– Soda, phosphoric acid

Potassium– A primary electrolyte in blood– Associated with lower blood pressure– Athletes

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Minerals

Sodium and Chloride– Added during processing– Enhances flavor– Excess Sodium can lead to hypertension

High blood pressureSalt sensitivity – genetics and race

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Minerals

Sulfur– Necessary for collagen formation

Magnesium– Abundant in plants

Minerals Iron

– Most common and easily preventable deficiency– oxygen absorption– Poor absorption from plant sources– anemia, especially in menstruating women

Toxicity6 – 12 vitamins with 100% iron content will kill a

small child

(The dose makes the poison.)

Fortification vs Enrichment Fortification - restores lost nutrients due to processing

Enrichment – adds nutritional value to meet a specific standard

 

                                       

                        

Old London Restaurant Style Croutons. Seasoned Sourdough.

Enriched Bread, [Enriched Flour (Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid),Water,Yeast,Sugar,Salt,Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil ,Vinegar,Ascorbic Acid] Bean Oil with BHT added as a Dextrin

“Enriched UraniumEnriched Uranium

Your Work!

Look up one of your favorite foods online. Find a nutrition label or the nutrition facts for that food. Answer the following questions about that food:

– What vitamins and minerals are listed on the labels?– When a label lists vitamins and minerals, does this mean the food is good for

you?– Can you tell if the vitamins and minerals listed on the label are naturally in the

food or if they have been added?– What does it mean when a food has been “fortified?”– Why are some foods fortified?

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