4/4/2019

The Water-Soluble
Vitamins: B
Vitamins and
Vitamin C

What Are Vitamins?

• Organic compounds
• Needed in the diet in small amounts to promote and
regulate body functions necessary for growth,
reproduction, and the maintenance of health

8-6

The Vitamins – An Overview

• Bioavailability
• Quantity provided by food
• Amount absorbed and used by body
• Factors influencing bioavailability
• Efficiency of digestion; 40-90 absorb in SI
• Method of food preparation
• Source of nutrient
• Other foods consumed at same time

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The Vitamins – An Overview

• Precursors
• Provitamins
• Converted to active form in body
• Organic nature
• Can be destroyed during storage and in
cooking

The Vitamins – An Overview

• Toxicity
• More is not necessarily better
• Excessive intakes
• Levels higher than UL

Dose Levels and Effect

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The B Vitamins

• Vitamins do not provide the body with fuel for energy

• Coenzymes
• Assist enzymes with release of energy
➢ B vitamins are all coenzymes, which are organic nonprotein
substances that bind to enzymes to promote activity. Without
coenzyme, an enzyme cannot function
➢ Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin all
serve as coenzymes for reactions that release energy
from CHO, fat, protein and alcohol.
➢ Vit B6 plays an important role in amino acid and protein
metabolism
➢ Folate and Vit B12 work together to ensure normal cell
division.

THIAMIN

Thiamin—In The Diet /RNI

❑ The first
vitamin to be
identified (B1).

❑ Widely
distributed
❑ May be
destroyed
during
cooking,
refining and
storage
8-13

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Thiamin-Deficiency Symptom –
The Edema of Beriberi

• Toxicity
• No toxicity reported
• Not enough data to
establish a UL
• Intake above
RDA/RNI does not
provide additional
health benefits

Riboflavin

Riboflavin—In the Diet

• Destroyed
by
exposure
to light

8-17

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Riboflavin-Deficiency
Symptom – ariboflavinosis

• Toxicity
• No toxicity
reported
• Not enough
data to
establish a UL
• Large doses are
not well
absorbed

Niacin

Niacin—In the Diet

• Meat and fish

are good
sources

• Can be
synthesized
from
tryptophan

8-21

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Niacin Deficiency and Toxicity

• Deficiency disease: • Toxicity

pellagra
• Niacin naturally
• Three D’s: occurring in
dermatitis, diarrhea, foods not toxic
dementia • Supplements can
be toxic
• UL: 35 mg NE

8-24

Biotin—In The Diet

• Liver, egg yolks, yogurt, and nuts

are good sources
• Fruits and meats are poor sources

8-25

Biotin Deficiency and Toxicity

• Deficiency • Toxicity
• Uncommon
• No toxicity reported
• May occur due to up to 200 mg/day
malabsorption,
disease conditions, • Not enough data to
and use of certain establish a UL
medications
• Symptoms- nausea,
thinning hair, loss of
hair color, a red skin
rash, depression,
hallucinations.
8-28

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Pantothenic Acid—In The Diet

• Wide-spread
in foods
• Susceptible
to damage
by exposure
to heat and
low- or high-
acid
conditions

8-29

Pantothenic Acid Deficiency and

Toxicity

• Deficiency • Toxicity
• Rare • No toxicity
• May occur as a reported up to 10 g
part of multiple B • Not enough data to
vitamin deficiency establish a UL
resulting from
malnutrition or
chronic alcoholism

8-32

Vitamin B6

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Vitamin B6 —In The Diet

• Wide-spread
in foods
• Easily
destroyed by
heat and light

8-33

Vitamin B6 Deficiency and

Toxicity
• Deficiency
• Toxicity
• Neurological symptoms
• No toxicity from
• Anemia
foods
• Poor growth and
impaired immune • Large doses from
function supplements
highly toxic
• Vitamin B6 status can be
affected by many drugs • UL: 100 mg/day
and alcohol

8-36

Folate
or Folic
Acid

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Folate or Folic Acid

• Folate and folacin are general terms for

compounds that have chemical structures and
nutritional properties similar to those of folic acid

➢Folic acid- the monoglutamate form of folate, which is present

in the diet in fortified foods and supplements.

➢Folate- General term for this vitamins. Found naturally in foods,

contain a string of glutamate molecules that must be removed
before it can be absorbed.

8-38

Folate—In The Diet

• Folate
glutamate is
the natural
form—50%
absorbed
• Folic acid is
the form in
supplements
and fortified
foods—easily
absorbed
8-39

Folate Deficiency

• Poor growth, problems in nerve development and

function, diarrhea, inflammation of the tongue,
Anemia

8-43

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Folate and The Risk of Neural Tube

Defects

• Neural tube defects (NTD) such as spina bifida and anencephaly

are caused by a combination of factors including low folate levels
and a genetic predisposition.
• The exact role of folate in neural tube development is not known,
but it is necessary for a step called neural tube closure. When
this does not occur normally, portions of the brain or spinal cord
are not adequately protected.

8-44

Spina Bifida – a Neural Tube

Defect

Folate Toxicity

• UL: 1000 g/day from supplements

and/or fortified foods

8-46

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Vitamin B12 — In The Diet

• Found
exclusively
in animal
products
• Can be
made by
bacteria,
fungi, and
algae, but
not plants 8-47

Vitamin B12 Toxicity

• No toxic effects have been reported up

to 100 g per day
• Not sufficient data to establish a UL
• No proven benefits of supplementation
in individuals who are not vitamin B12
deficient

8-52

Vitamin C

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Vitamin C—In the Diet

• Citrus fruits
excellent
source
• Other fruits
and
vegetables
good source
• Unstable and
destroyed by
oxygen, light,
and heat

8-53

Vitamin C – In The Body

• As a coenzyme essential for collagen formation

• Also serves as coenzyme in the reactions needed for synthesis
neurotransmitters hormones such as the thyroid and steroid
hormones, bile acids, and carnitine needed for fatty acid
breakdown.

8-54

Vitamin C functions as an antioxidant that donates electrons to

neutralize free radicals so that they are no longer damaging.

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Vitamin C-Deficiency Symptoms –

Scorbutic Gums & Pinpoint
Hemorrhages

Vitamin C Deficiency and

Toxicity
• Toxicity

• Generally considered non-toxic

• UL: 2000 mg/d
• Lack of scientific evidence to support the
claimed benefits of supplementation

8-59

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8-60

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

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Fat-Soluble Vitamins in the

Modern Diet

• Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble.

• They require dietary fat and bile for absorption.

• Excess of these vitamins can be stored in the body

and retrieved as needed.

Vitamins

Vitamin A—In The Diet

• Preformed vitamin A is found in animal foods:Retinoids
• Provitamin A forms are found in plants:Carotenoids

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Conversion of Vitamin A
Compounds

Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene –

Roles in the Body
• Retinol
• Supports reproduction
• Major transport and storage form
• Retinal
• Active in vision
• Retinoic acid
• Regulates cell differentiation, growth, and
embryonic development

Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene –

Roles in the Body
• Reproduction and growth
• Sperm development
• Normal fetal development
• Growth of children
• Bone remodeling
• Antioxidant
• Beta-carotene

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Vitamin A and Beta-Carotene –

Vitamin A Deficiency
• Infectious diseases
• Measles severity
• Malaria, lung diseases, and HIV severity
• Night blindness
• Inadequate supply of retinal to retina
• Blindness (xerophthalmia)
• Lack of vitamin A at the cornea
• Develops in stages

Vitamin A–Deficiency
Symptom – Night Blindness

• TEST YOURSELF!

Vitamin A-Deficiency Symptom –

The Rough Skin of Keratinization

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Vitamin A Toxicity

• Preformed vitamin A can be highly toxic (both

acutely and chronically)
• UL: 3000 g/day for adults
• Excess vitamin A intake during pregnancy may
contribute to birth defect
• Carotenoids are not toxic, but large dose can lead to
hypercarotenemia (large amounts of carotenoids
stored in the adipose tissue give the skin a yellow-
orange color)
• Carotenoid supplements may be harmful to cigarette
smokers – high incident of Lung cancer.
9-15

Symptom of Beta-Carotene
Excess – Discoloration of Skin

Vitamin D—In The Diet

• Only a few foods naturally contain cholecalciferol

(vitamin D3) – source of Vitamin D
• Fortified foods contain vitamin D3 and D2

9-16

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Vitamin D

• Not an essential nutrient

• Body synthesizes
• Sunlight
• Other names
• Calciferol
• 1,25-dihyroxy vitamin D (calcitriol)
• Animal version: vitamin D3 or cholecalciferol
• Plant version: vitamin D2 or ergocalciferol
• Precursor is the body’s own cholesterol

Vitamin D Deficiency and

Toxicity
• Deficiency: • Toxicity:
• Dietary calcium cannot
be absorbed • Not caused by
• Rickets In children natural foods and/or
• Osteomalacia in adults sun exposure
• Osteoporosis • Oversupplementation
• Loss of calcium from
bones
and overfortification
pose risk
• Results in
fractures • UL: 50 g for adults
• Certain populations
are particularly at high
risk
9-20

Vitamin D–Deficiency
Symptoms – Rickets

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Vitamin E—In The Diet

• Several naturally
occurring forms
are found in
foods
• Only alpha-
tocopherol can
meet human
vitamin E needs
• Synthetic -
tocopherol is
made of 8
isomers – only
half are active.
9-21

Vitamin E
• Significant sources
• Polyunsaturated plant oils
• Leafy green vegetables, wheat germ, whole
grains, liver, egg yolks, nuts, seeds

Vitamin E As an
Antioxidant

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Vitamin E Deficiency

• Rare

• Occurring in those who have fat malabsorption,

inherited abnormalities of vitamin E metabolism,
and protein-energy malnutrition

• Newborns are at higher risk; hemolytic anemia

possible

• Membrane damage and neurological problems

Vitamin E Toxicity

• Relatively nontoxic

• Lack of scientific evidence to support

health claims by supplementation
• UL: 1000 mg/day from supplemental
sources

9-28

Vitamin K—In The Diet

• Phylloquinone
found in plants is
the primary dietary
form
• A group of vit K
compound, called
Menaquinones are
found in fish oils
and meats
• Menaquinones
can be
synthesized by
bacteria, including
in human intestine.
• Menaquinones are
form found in
supplements. 9-29

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Vitamin K

• Significant
sources
• Bacterial synthesis
in the digestive
tract
• Liver
• Leafy green
vegetables,
cabbage-type
vegetables
• Milk

Vitamin K In The Body

• Acts primarily in blood clotting

• Prothrombin
• May be involved in health of bones and blood
vessels
• Research: low-dietary vit K intake is associated
with low bone-mineral density or increased
fracture.

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Vitamin K Deficiency and

Toxicity

• Deficiency • Toxicity
• Abnormal • No documented
coagulation is the side effects up to
major symptom 370 g/day
• May result from fat
malabsorption and • No UL set
long-term use of • High dose can
antibiotics interfere with
• Most common in anticoagulant drugs
newborns

9-33

Benefits and Risks of Fat-

Soluble Vitamin Supplements

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Benefits and
Risks of
water-soluble
Vitamin
Supplements

8-61

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