Vitamins

Ghina Assaf Chedid, MSc,

 Guiding questions
 What are vitamins?
 What is a co-enzyme?
 What are the sources of vitamins?
 On what does the absorption of a vitamin depend?
 Can they make you fat?
 Can you name a vitamin with a known benefit?
 Should they be taken as supplements in a healthy diet?
 What is the difference between a water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamin?
 Can vitamins be lost in cooking?
 When can vitamin supplements be recommended?
 Definition
 Organic compounds
 Do not provide energy (calories)
 Required in very small amounts (µg to mg)
 Classified on the basis of their solubility
 fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K)
 water-soluble vitamins (C and the Bs)
 Vitamins

Vitamins are necessary for specific metabolic

reactions and are very often part of enzymes
 Sources
- Diet

- Synthesized by the body (vitamin D)

- Synthesized by bacteria in the intestine (vitamin

K, biotin)
 Absorption
Efficiency of absorption depends on

- food in which it occurs

- body need for it

- presence of other compounds in the intestine

 Fat-soluble vitamins
= vitamins A, D, E and K

 Considered as lipids (soluble in organic

solvents)
 Absorption requires bile, pancreatic enzymes
and other fats
 Circulate in blood as part of lipoproteins or
bound to a carrier protein (albumin)
 Are stored in the body (except vitamin K) in
the liver and adipose tissue => not excreted
in urine
 Fat-soluble vitamins
 Symptoms of deficiency develop relatively late
(months) after inadequate intake

 Can accumulate in large doses and become toxic

(hypervitaminosis, vitamins A and D in particular)
 Vitamin A
Family of compounds referred to as “retinoids”

Functions
- role in vision: component of retina’s pigments
(responsible for capturing photons)
- role in growth: necessary for the development of
skeletal and soft tissues.
- role in maintenance of epithelia (= body’s
protective tissue: skin, cornea, digestive tract
lining...)
 Vitamin A sources

 Preformed vitamin A (usable form)

 only in foods of animal origin
 best are liver, fish liver oil and milk fat (butter, cream)
 destroyed by oxidation and very high temperatures
(stable in usual cooking methods)

 Carotenoids (provitamin A) can be converted to vitamin A

by the body e.g. ß-carotene
 Found in certain fruits and vegetables
 Amounts  upon dehydration.
 Not toxic in large amounts
 Antioxidant activity: protect from reactive oxygen-
containing free-radicals
 Vitamin A: caroteinoids

Carotenoids are pigments found in:

- orange-red vegetables and fruits (carrots, peaches,

apricots, mango, pumpkins, sweet potatoes...)

- dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, broccoli)

Vitamin A deficiency
Eye and vision troubles:

 night blindness: inability to adapt from bright

light to darkness

 xerophtalmia (= dry eye): cornea

deterioration => causes irreversible blindness
 Fat soluble vitamins
Vitamin A
Toxicity

Fetal malformation (preformed vitamin not

provitamin A)

 Intake of vitamin A megadoses for acne treatment (Retin-A or

Accutane)
 Vitamin D
 Functions as a hormone
 Maintains a proper blood calcium level =>
essential for formation and maintenance of
bones and teeth
 Vitamin D synthesis in the body

UV conversion in liver then kidney

Cholesterol -------> provitamin D ---------------------------> active
(in skin) vitamin D
 Vitamin D Sources
Major part synthesized by the body
from cholesterol

Food sources
 richest are fatty fish, e.g. sardines &
salmon
 Best dietary sources are “vitamin D -
fortified” foods (e.g. milk and cereals).

Stable to heat & oxidation

 Vitamin D deficiency
Deficient calcium deposit => bone malformation or
deterioration

1- In children
rickets: short bones that
cannot withstand stresses
(bowed legs)
 Vitamin D deficiency
2- In adults
 Osteomalacia:
deformities of the bones
(bowing of legs, bending of
spine)

 Osteoporosis: symptoms
similar to osteomalacia,
but more factors involved
( estrogens, lack of
exercise, smoking, age...)
 Vitamin D deficiency

Rickets Osteoporosis
 Vitamin D toxicity
= excessive calcification even of soft tissues
(kidneys: formation of kidney stones...)

From supplements not sunlight

 Vitamin E
Functions
 Antioxidant: collects and neutralizes O-containing free
radicals that can oxidize and thus damage cell
components, in particular membrane PUFAs

Sources
 widely available in plant and animal food
 best sources are plant seed oils (soybean oil, sunflower
oil, corn oil...). Amount  as oil ages.

Deficiency
= anemia (oxidative damage of red blood cell membranes)
 Vitamin E

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant: it prevents cell

damage by collecting and neutralizing free radicals
 Vitamin K
Not stored in significant amounts by the body

 Sources
 produced in significant amounts by bacteria in the
large intestine
 best food sources are green leafy vegetables (e.g.
spinach, broccoli)
 Vitamin K
Function

• Involved in blood
coagulation

• Necessary for formation

of blood-clotting proteins
 Vitamin K deficiency
 Leads to a hemorrhage

 Common causes:

destruction of intestinal bacteria by continued

antibiotic treatment

in newborn infants that fail to establish intestinal

bacteria that produce vitamin K
 Water-soluble vitamins
 Include vitamins of B family and vitamin C
 Absorption: directly into the blood
 Vitamin B12 needs to combine with “intrinsic
factor” (made by stomach) to be absorbed
 Are not stored in the body (except vitamins B6
and B12), are excreted in urine:
 First symptoms of deficiency develop within
days after inadequate intake
 Help enzymes in their functions
 B-vitamins
Functions:

1. Involved in energy (ATP) production reactions:

Thiamin (B1)
deficiency: beriberi= nervous and cardiovascular problems
Riboflavin (B2)
Niacin (B3)
deficiency: pellagra
Pantothenic acid (B5)
 Pellagra
= Niacin (B3) deficiency:

the “3 Ds” disease

dermatitis
dementia
diarrhea
 B-vitamins
2. Involved in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism

Pyridoxine (B6)

Biotin (B7)
 B-vitamins
3. Involved in nucleic acid synthesis

Folate (B9)

Cobalamin (B12)

deficiency: influences cell proliferation => poor growth,

anemia and intestinal disorders
Folate and B12 deficiencies
 Folate deficiency
Neural tube defects arise in first days or
weeks of pregnancy long before most
women even suspect they are pregnant
 Sources of B-vitamins
Common food sources: meat (especially
liver) and poultry, yeast, bran and germ of
cereal grains, eggs

Biotin: significant amounts produced by

intestinal bacteria

Cobalamin (B12):only in animal foods =>

strict vegetarians need supplements
 B-vitamins stability

 Leached from food by cooking and adding water

stability: excess heat & alkali (e.g. soaking
peas and beans in water + soda) destroy some
B vitamins
 Vitamin C
Functions:
 involved in collagen synthesis (protein in bones, cartilage,
skin) => important for fracture/wound healing
 promotes the immune response to infections
 stimulates iron absorption
 antioxidant activity (free-radical scavenger like vitamin E)

Vitamin C is very easily destroyed by heat and upon exposure to

air (oxidation), it is stable in acidic environments
 Vitamin C sources
 best sources: fresh fruits &
vegetables (esp. if acidic);
content during storage, esp. if
peeled, cut …

 processed and cooked foods are

poor sources
 Vitamin C deficiency
Scurvy
Symptoms include:
 swollen and inflamed gums, loose teeth
 dryness of eyes and mouth
 dry itchy skin, loss of hair
 ruptures of small blood vessels
 defect in wound healing
 frequent infections
 Vitamin C
 Too much vitamin C

 Adverse effects: nausea, abdominal cramps, excessive gas, and

diarrhea

 Kidney stones
Keeping vitamins
How to get your vitamins?
Supplements
Supplements
 Vitamin supplements
 1. Cases where recommended/needed
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Pregnancy & lactation (folate, iron)
- Newborn infants (K)
- Frequent diets
- Elderly
- AIDS & other wasting illnesses
- Drug/alcohol abuse
- Recovery from surgery, injury or illness
- Strict vegetarians (B12)
 Vitamin supplements
 Cases where risky/useless
- Conditions that increase vitamin toxicity
(kidney or liver disorders)
- To feel secure about getting one’s needs
- To get energy when feeling tired
- To cope with stress
- To build muscles faster
- To prevent /cure self-diagnosed conditions
 Water needs after Exercising
 Step on a scale before exercising.
 Exercise for an hour.
 Step back on the scale.
 You need 16 ounces (~455 ml) of water to replace every ½
kg lost in your one hour’s exercise.

 Lose ½ kg, drink 16 ounces (455 ml).