The Vitamins

The Vitamins—An Overview

• Differences between vitamins
& energy nutrients
▫ Vitamins do not yield energy--
facilitators in release of energy
▫ Needed in smaller quantities
than energy nutrients
• Contribute to sound
nutritional health
• Deficiencies can be
devastating
▫ Relationship between low
intake & chronic diseases,
including cancer & heart
disease
• Bioavailability
▫ Rate & extent to which
nutrient is absorbed &
utilized
▫ Factors influencing
availability of vitamins
 Efficiency of digestion
 Previous nutrient intake &
nutrition status
 Other foods consumed at
same time
 Method of food preparation
 Source of nutrient
(naturally-occurring,
synthetic, fortified)
• Precursors
▫ Compounds that can be
converted to active form of
vitamin (provitamins)
▫ Considered when
calculating vitamin intake
• Solubility of vitamins
▫ Fat soluble
▫ Water soluble
The Fat-Soluble Vitamins
• Occur naturally in fats & oils of foods
• Absorbed in body as lipids are absorbed
▫ Stored in liver & fatty tissue
▫ Not readily excreted—can build to toxic levels
▫ Storage capacity allows flexibility in dietary intake
• Deficiencies not likely, but conditions interfering
with fat absorption can precipitate deficiency
Vitamin A & Beta-Carotene
• 3 forms—each with specific function
▫ Retinol
▫ Retinal
▫ Retinoic acid
• Beta-carotene
▫ Vitamin A precursor produced by plants, stored
in human fat tissue
▫ Orange pigment
Roles of Vitamin A
• Role in gene expression
▫ Considerable influence on body function through regulation of
activities of genes
▫ Genes direct protein synthesis, including enzymes
 Factors that influence gene expression also affect metabolic activities
of tissues & health of body
 Retinoic acid form of vitamin A has been identified to influence
hundreds of genes
 Some dietary components, including the retinoic acid form of vitamin
A, known to help activate or deactivate certain genes—thereby
affecting production of specific proteins
Roles of Vitamin A
• Vision
▫ Helps maintain healthy
cornea
▫ Participates in light
detection at retina
▫ Deficiencies affect ability of
eye to adapt to changing
light levels
▫ Night blindness: slow
recovery of vision after
exposure to flashes of light
at night; early symptom of
deficiency
Roles of Vitamin A
• Protein synthesis & cell differentiation
▫ Works at genetic level to promote protein synthesis
▫ Cell differentiation: process allowing each type of cell to mature
so it is able to perform specific function
▫ Helps to maintain integrity of epithelial cells
• Immunity
▫ Increases resistance to infection
▫ Immune function dependent on growth, differentiation &
activation of cells that protect against infectious agents
• Reproduction, growth & development
▫ Participates in sperm development in men
▫ Promotes normal fetal growth & development
▫ Essential to development of nervous system, lungs, heart,
kidneys, skeleton, eyes, ears
Roles of Vitamin A
• Beta-carotene: antioxidant role
▫ In addition to role as vitamin A precursor
▫ Extremely effective antioxidant
 Oxygen triggers formation of free radicals
 Damage cell structures
 Impair cell functions
 Oxidative & free radical damage linked to early
stages of cancer, heart disease, other diseases
▫ No RDA for beta-carotene; food is best
source (vs. supplement)
Antioxidant
Compound that protects
others from oxygen; acts
by reacting with oxygen
Vitamin A (Retinol)
FUNCTIONS:
• Helps to form skin and mucous membranes and
keep them healthy
• increasing resistance to infections
• essential for night vision
• promotes bones and tooth development
 
• Vitamin A Deficiency
▫ Symptoms do not appear • night blindness
until stores depleted (~1 • diarrhea
year) • intestinal infections
▫ Drying & hardening of • impaired vision
cornea; may progress to • inflammation of eyes
blindness • keratinization of skin and eyes
▫ Dry, rough, scaly skin • Blindness in children
▫ Drying & hardening of
salivary glands
▫ Increased susceptibility to
infection
• Beta-carotene
conversion & toxicity
▫ Generally not converted to
vitamin A to be hazardous
▫ Can result in bright orange-
yellow cast to skin when
consumed in excess
(carotenemia)
Vitamin A Toxicity
Children most vulnerable
due to lower requirements
than adults
Teratogenic risk: causing
abnormal fetal development
& birth defects
Long-term, excessive intake
contributes to osteoporosis,
risk of hip fracture
TOXICITY:
• Nausea
• Irritability
• blurred vision
• growth retardation
• enlargement of liver and spleen
• loss of hair
• bone pain
• increased pressure in skull
• skin changes
Food Sources
• Vitamin A
▫ Found only in foods of
animal origin
▫ Liver & fish oil are best
▫ Also milk, cheese, fortified
cereals
▫ Lost from fat-free, skimmed
milk unless fortified
▫ Fast foods often tend to lack
vitamin A
• Beta-carotene
▫ Plants with deep orange
pigments
▫ Dark green vegetables
• RDA for vitamin A
▫ Men: 900 g/day
▫ Women: 700 g/day
• No RDA established for
beta-carotene
SOURCES:
• liver
• vitamin A fortified milk and dairy products: butter, whole
milk, cheese, egg yolk
• carrots
• leafy green vegetables
• sweet potatoes
• pumpkins
• winter squash
• apricots
• cantaloupe
Vitamin D
• Can be synthesized in body in
significant quantities
• Requires moderate exposure
to sun
• Metabolic conversions of
vitamin D
▫ Vitamin D precursor
manufactured in liver
▫ Migrates to skin & is converted
to a 2nd precursor
▫ Liver & kidneys convert to
active vitamin
▫ Diseases of liver or kidney
impair conversion to active
vitamin D
Actions & Roles of Vitamin D
• Classified as vitamin, but is
actually a hormone
• Target organs
▫ Small intestine
▫ Kidneys
▫ Bones
▫ Others, including brain,
pancreas, skin, reproductive
organs, some cancer cells
• Main deficiency problems
associated with impaired
calcium balance & bones
• Other deficiency diseases also
identified
• Role of vitamin D in bones
▫ Works cooperatively with other
nutrients & compounds in bone
growth & maintenance
▫ Involved in increased density &
strength of bone
▫ Maintains blood concentration
of calcium & phosphorus
▫ Assists in regulation of immune
system
Vitamin D (Cholecalciferol &
Ergocalciferol)
FUNCTIONS:
• Promotes hardening of bones
and teeth
• increases the absorption of
calcium
Actions & Roles of Vitamin D
• Vitamin D deficiency
▫ Symptoms are those of calcium
deficiency
▫ Rickets: vitamin D deficiency
disease in children
 Bones fail to calcify normally
 Weaken & bend as they support
body weight, causing bowing of
legs
 Afflicts children with inadequate
food & little exposure to sunlight
▫ Osteomalacia: adult form of
rickets
▫ Also associated as risk factor in
osteoporosis
• Vitamin D toxicity
– Enhanced calcium absorption
– High blood calcium levels
– Increased return of bone
calcium to blood
– Tends to precipitate in soft
tissue, forming stones
• Kidney stones
• Calcification of blood vessels
– Most toxic of all vitamins
• Food sources are within safe
limits
• Supplements containing
vitamin in concentrated form
are not
TOXICITY:
• nausea
• weight loss
• irritability
• mental and physical
• growth retardation
• kidney damage
• movement of calcium from bones into soft
tissues
Sources of Vitamin D
• Sunlight
▫ Natural exposure to sunlight necessary to maintain adequate
vitamin D nutrition
 No risk of toxicity (of vitamin D) from sun exposure
 Exposure of face, hands, arms for 10 minutes, few times a week will
usually maintain vitamin D nutrition
 Darker-skinned individuals require longer exposure
 Sunscreens with SPF >8 retard vitamin D synthesis; need to account
for use of sunscreen with sun exposure time
▫ Low levels of vitamin D may be found at end of winter months
▫ Greatest risk of deficiency
 Dark-skinned individuals living in smoggy northern cities
 Housebound & institutionalized individuals
 Individuals working the night shift (over years)
Sources of Vitamin D
• Foods
▫ Fortification of milk is best
▫ Only a few animal foods guarantee that children will
provide significant source meet vitamin D needs
 Eggs, liver, some fatty fish ▫ Vitamin D supplement
 Butter recommended for children &
 Fortified milk, margarine, adolescents:
cereals  If milk intake is <2 cups/day
▫ Infant formulas  Not regularly exposed to
 Fortified formulas provide sunlight
 Do not take multivitamin
adequate intake as long as containing 5 g daily
infant consumes at least 500
mL/day
 Breastfed infants (& those
consuming <500 mL of
formula) need supplement
(5 g/day)
SOURCES:
• Vitamin D-fortified dairy products
• fortified margarine
• fish oils
• egg yolk
• Synthesized by sunlight action on skin
• Sardines
• Salmon
Vitamin E
• Oxidative effects
▫ Protects other substances from oxidation—becomes oxidized
itself
 Protects lipids & other components of cell membranes
 Especially effective in preventing oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty
acids
▫ Organ cells affected
 Lung—cells exposed to high concentration of oxygen & pollutants
 Cardiac—protects against heart disease by protecting LDL from
oxidation & subsequent development of atherosclerosis
• Myths & discredited claims—does not
▫ Improve athletic skill
▫ Enhance sexual performance or cure sexual dysfunction
▫ Prevent or cure muscular dystrophy
▫ Slow or prevent processes of aging (graying hair, wrinkles,
functioning of body organs)
Vitamin E (Tocopherols)
 
FUNCTIONS:
• Protects vitamins A and C and fatty acids
• prevents damage to cell membranes
• Antioxidant
Actions & Effects of
Vitamin E
• Vitamin E deficiency
▫ Signs
 destruction of red blood cells
(hemolysis) —seen in premature
infants
 Loss of muscle coordination &
reflexes, causing impaired
movement, vision, speech
▫ Associated with diseases that cause
fat malabsorption
▫ Rarely develops without disease
 May result from prolonged &
extreme fat restriction
 Use of fat substitutes
 Diets composed of highly processed
or convenience foods
• Almost impossible to produce
without starvation
• possible anemia in low birth-
weight infants
• Vitamin E toxicity
▫ Increased incidence since
antioxidant benefits became
known
▫ Effects not as serious as
vitamin A or D toxicity
▫ Extremely high doses interfere
with actions of vitamin K—
enhancing action of
anticoagulant medications
▫ Until more is known about
effects, intakes should be kept
at lower levels
• Nausea
• digestive tract disorders
•  
Food Sources
• Widespread in foods
▫ Vegetable oils & products made
from them
 Include margarines, salad
dressings, shortenings
 Soybean oils & wheat germ oils
contain high concentrations
▫ Fruits & vegetables
▫ Fortified cereals & grain
products
▫ Meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk
products, nuts, seeds
• Readily destroyed by heat
processing & oxidation—best
sources come from fresh or
lightly processed foods
SOURCES:
• Vegetable oil
• Margarine
• Butter
• Shortening
• green and leafy vegetables
• wheat germ
• whole grain products
• nuts
• egg yolk
• liver
Vitamin K (Phylloquinone &
Menaquinone)
• Blood clotting
▫ Essential for the activation of blood-clotting proteins,
including prothrombin (precursor to thrombin)
▫ Lack of any blood-clotting factors can result in
hemorrhagic disease
• Intestinal synthesis
▫ Bacteria in intestinal tract synthesize vitamin K for
absorption in body
▫ Cannot be depended upon as sole source of vitamin
Deficiency & Toxicity
• Vitamin K deficiency
▫ Rare occurrence, but can be
fatal
▫ May arise in conditions of fat
malabsorption
▫ Interaction between
medications & synthesis of
vitamin
 Antibiotics that destroy
intestinal bacteria
 Anticoagulants that interfere
with metabolism & activity
• Excessive bleeding
• hemmorhage
•   prothrombin is low
• Vitamin K toxicity
▫ Rare occurrence
▫ No known adverse effects
▫ High doses can reduce effectiveness
of anticoagulant medications
• anemia
• Jaundice
• Vitamin K for newborns
▫ Infant is born with sterile intestinal
tract
▫ Unable to synthesize vitamin K
until intestinal bacteria are
established
▫ Plasma concentration of
▫ Single dose of vitamin K
administered at birth to prevent
hemorrhagic disease
Food Sources
• Many foods provide ample • Smaller quantities
source ▫ Other vegetables
▫ Dark green, leafy vegetables ▫ Milk (nonfat)
▫ Foods from cabbage family ▫ Meats
▫ Liver ▫ Eggs
• also made by bacteria in the ▫ Cereal
▫ Fruits
intestine
▫ Broccoli
• Vitamin K AI
▫ Men: 120 g/day
▫ Women: 90 g/day
The Water-Soluble Vitamins
• Consist of the B vitamins & vitamin C
• Found in watery compartments of foods
• Distributed into watery compartments of the
body
• Easily absorbed into bloodstream; easily
excreted
• Less likely than fat-soluble vitamins to result in
toxic levels
The B Vitamins
• Contrary to common
misconceptions—do not give
people energy
▫ Facilitate burning of fuel from
energy-yielding nutrients
▫ Each of 8 B vitamins is part of
a coenzyme
▫ Other functions in body
▫ Must be present continuously
in every cell for cellular
function
• Active forms of 5 of the B
vitamins participate in release
of energy from carbohydrate,
protein, fat
▫ Thiamin
▫ Riboflavin
▫ Niacin
▫ Pantothenic acid
▫ Biotin
• Coenzyme containing vitamin
B6 assists in amino acid
metabolism
• Vitamin B12 required for
development of coenzyme
folate; folate required for
making of new cells
 Coenzyme: small
molecule that
combines with
enzyme to make it
active
B Vitamin Deficiencies
• Deficiency of single B vitamin
seldom shows in isolation
▫ Food consumed in combinations of
nutrients
▫ If major class of food is missing
from diet, all nutrients delivered by
those foods will be lacking to some
extent
• Use & requirement of B vitamins
part of interdependent system:
different body systems depend on
B vitamins to different extents
• Only 2 instances of deficiencies
associated with single B vitamin
• Beriberi
▫ Thiamin-deficiency disease
▫ Associated with processing of rice
that involved polishing
▫ Polishing removes bran from rice
grain, resulting in removal of
thiamin
• Pellagra
▫ Niacin-deficiency disease
▫ Identified in individuals subsisting
on low-protein diet with a staple
grain of corn
▫ Diet supplied inadequate amounts
of niacin, as well as tryptophan,
amino acid precursor
B Vitamin Food Enrichment
• Deficiency of B vitamins likely if staple food of
region made from refined grain
• Fortification or enrichment is process of
addition of nutrients to staple food
• Enrichment of refined breads & cereals has
drastically reduced incidence of iron & B vitamin
deficiencies
• Foods can provide all needed nutrients—
supplements are poor 2nd choice
Thiamin
• Role
▫ Critical to all cells for energy metabolism
▫ Also critical for normal functioning of nerves & muscles
• Need
▫ Usually met in diet
 As long as adequate energy is consumed to meet energy needs &
energy is derived from nutritious foods
 Large proportion of energy from empty-kcalorie sources (i.e. sugar,
alcohol) increases risk of deficiency
▫ Abuse of alcohol leads to severe form of thiamin deficiency
 Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
 Alcohol impairs absorption of thiamin from digestive tract & hastens
excretion in urine
 Symptoms similar to alcohol abuse itself: mental confusion,
disorientation, loss of memory, jerky eye movement, staggering gait
 Responds quickly to injection of thiamin
• Thiamin in foods
▫ Occurs in small quantities in all
nutritious foods
▫ Concentrated in only a few:
pork most common; foods from
bread/cereal group should be
whole-grain or fortified
▫ Daily needs easily met when
nutritious foods predominate
in diet & empty-kcalorie foods
kept to minimum
▫ RDA
 Men: 1.2 mg/day
 Women: 1.1 mg/day
Riboflavin • Role
▫ Facilitates energy production in body
▫ Needs of infants, children & pregnant
women increase rapidly during periods
of active growth
▫ RDA
 Men: 1.3 mg/day
 Women: 1.1 mg/day
• Food sources
▫ Not distributed among all food groups
▫ Primarily obtained from milk, milk
products, meats, green vegetables
• Effects of light
▫ Destroyed by UV rays of sun or
fluorescent lamps
▫ Requires protection from light
Niacin
• Participates in energy metabolism of every cell
• Can be produced in body from protein
▫ Amino acid tryptophan converts to niacin (60 mg tryptophan
converts to 1 mg niacin)
▫ Requirements stated as niacin equivalents (NE), based on body’s
ability to convert tryptophan to niacin; RDA:
 Men: 16 mg NE/day
 Women: 14 mg NE/day
▫ Supplements may contain 10 times RDA—resulting in niacin
flush (dilation of capillaries & tingling of skin)
• Niacin as medication
▫ Diet & large doses of nicotinic acid used to lower blood
cholesterol
▫ Large doses may cause liver damage & produce symptoms of
diabetes
• Niacin in foods
▫ Meat, poultry, fish contribute
about ½ niacin in most diets
▫ Enriched breads & cereals
▫ Some vegetable sources
 Mushrooms
 Asparagus
 Green, leafy vegetables
▫ Less vulnerable to losses
during food preparation than
other water-soluble vitamins,
but does leach into cooking
water
▫ Reasonably heat-resistant
Pantothenic Acid & Biotin
• Pantothenic acid
▫ Stimulates growth
▫ Component of enzyme that
facilitates energy release from
energy nutrients
▫ Involved in synthesis of lipids,
neurotransmitters, steroid
hormones, hemoglobin
• Biotin
▫ Coenzyme that carries carbon
dioxide
▫ Participation in gene
expression, cell signaling & in
structure of DNA-binding
proteins in cell nucleus
• Food sources
▫ Both are widespread in foods
▫ Seems to be little danger of
deficiency
▫ Not necessary to supplement
• Requirements for adults
▫ Pantothenic acid: 5 mg/day
▫ Biotin: 30 g/day
• Biotin deficiency
▫ Rare, but reported in adults fed
artificially by vein without biotin
supplementation
▫ Long-term use of anticonvulsant
medications & alcohol abuse may
lead to deficiency
Vitamin B6
• Metabolic roles
▫ Stored extensively in muscle tissue (unlike other
water-soluble vitamins)
▫ Involved in protein & amino acid metabolism
▫ Aids in conversion of tryptophan to niacin
▫ Important role in synthesis of hemoglobin &
neurotransmitters
▫ Assists in releasing glucose from glycogen— aiding
regulation of blood glucose
▫ Other roles suggested in immune function, cognitive
performance, hormone response
▫ May be related to cardiovascular disease risk
Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B6 deficiency
▫ Weakened immune response
▫ General symptoms: weakness, irritability, insomnia
▫ Other symptoms: greasy, flaky dermatitis, anemia, convulsions

• Vitamin B6 toxicity
▫ Identified after large doses for 2 or more months
▫ Numbness of feet, hands
▫ Progressing to inability to walk

• Recommendations for adults

▫ Age 19-50: 1.3 mg/day
▫ Age 51->70: 1.7 mg/day
Vitamin B6
• Food sources
▫ Protein-rich meat, fish,
poultry
▫ Potatoes, some vegetables &
fruits
▫ Lost during heating
Folate
• Role & actions
▫ Active in cell division
▫ Needs increase during periods of rapid growth & cell division
 Pregnancy & adolescence
 Deficiencies likely during these times
▫ First symptoms of deficiency are anemia & GI tract deterioration
• Folate, alcohol & drugs
▫ Vulnerable to interactions with alcohol & other drugs
▫ Risk of deficiency due to impaired absorption & increased
excretion
▫ Medications affecting folate status include aspirin, oral
contraceptives, anticonvulsants
▫ Smoking has negative effect as well
Folate
• Neural tube defects (NTD)
▫ Studies have shown
importance of folate in
prevention of NTD
▫ Defect occurs during early
weeks of pregnancy
 Spina bifida
 Anencephaly
▫ Supplements taken prior to
conception & continuing
through 1st trimester can
prevent NTD
• Recommendations
▫ Women of childbearing age:
400 g/day
▫ Same recommendation for all
adults
• Food sources
▫ Since 1990s, FDA mandated
that enriched grains be
fortified with folic acid
(absorbable synthetic form of
folate)
▫ Other foods
 Liver
 Legumes
 Beets, leafy green vegetables
 Oranges, orange juice
 Cantaloupe
▫ Destroyed by oxidation & heat,
so losses occur during cooking
& storage
Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B12, folate & cell
division
▫ Assists folate in cell division
▫ Without vitamin B12, folate
trapped in inactive form,
becoming useless
▫ Deficiency of either vitamin
B12 or of folate has same
effect on rapidly growing
cells, notably blood cells
 Impairs maturation of blood
cells
 Produces anemia
• Effect on nervous system
▫ Helps maintain nerve fibers
▫ Deficiency results in
devastating, progressive
neurological symptoms
▫ Folate masks vitamin B12
deficiency
 Administration of folate in
B12 deficiency, creating
severe deterioration of
nervous system
 Requires skilled diagnosis
Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B12 absorption
▫ Requires intrinsic factor for absorption from intestinal
tract
 Intrinsic factor—manufactured in stomach
 Attaches to vitamin B12 & passes into small intestine for
absorption
▫ Loss of intrinsic factor
 Inadequate or no production
 Surgical removal of stomach
 Defective gene for intrinsic factor
 May require supply of vitamin by injection
Vitamin B12
• Food sources
▫ Almost exclusively from
foods derived from animals
▫ Intakes adequate for meat-
eaters & lacto-ovo
vegetarians
▫ Active form not found in
fermented soy products
(soybean paste, sea algae)
▫ Losses occur with
microwave heating
• Deficiency in vegans
▫ Special risk for undetected
deficiency
 Not received in diet
 Large consumption of folate
in vegetables
▫ Because of storage,
deficiency may take years to
develop in new vegetarian
▫ Deficiency can be masked
by high folate intake
▫ Breastfed infants of
vegetarian mothers at risk
for deficiency
Non-B Vitamins
• Other compounds, often
called B vitamins because
of action as coenzymes in
metabolism
• Mistaken as essential
nutrients
• Found abundantly in
foods
▫ Inositol
▫ Choline
 AI for men: 550 mg/day
 AI for women: 425 mg/day
▫ Carnitine
• Other non-B vitamins
▫ Also mistaken as essential
▫ Include
 Para-aminobenzoic acid
(PABA)
 Bioflavonoid (vitamin P or
hesperidin)
 Ubiquinone
▫ Vitamin B15: a hoax
▫ Vitamin B17: laetrile, a fake
cancer-curing drug
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Metabolic roles
▫ Collagen formation
 Matrix for bone formation
 Material of scars
 Compound that allows cells
to attach together
▫ Antioxidant
 Protects water-soluble
substances from oxidation
 Enhances iron absorption
 Protects other molecules,
including vitamins A & E,
polyunsaturated fatty acids
▫ Amino acid metabolism
▫ Stress
 Released by adrenal glands,
along with epinephrine &
norepinephrine, during stress
response
▫ Possible antihistamine
▫ Cancer prevention & treatment
 Still under investigation
 Some suggestion that high
vitamin C intake may be
associated with lower risk of
cancer
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Deficiency
▫ Latent scurvy: develops as pool of vitamin C dwindles, during low
intake of vitamin C
 Bleeding gums
 Pinpoint hemorrhages under skin RDA
▫ Overt scurvy Men: 90 mg/day
 Degeneration of muscles, including heart Women: 75 mg/day
 Skin changes: rough, brown, scaly, dry
 Poor wound healing due to lack of collagen
 Faltering bone rebuilding
 Softening, malformation & pain of long bones
 Fractures
 Loosening of teeth
 Anemia, infection
 Sudden death due to bleeding in joints & body cavities
▫ Only 10 mg/day of vitamin C required to prevent overt scurvy
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Toxicity • Special or increased needs for
vitamin C
▫ Megadoses (10-30 times RDA) ▫ Infections
have become more common ▫ Burns
▫ Symptoms & effects ▫ Surgery
 Nausea, abdominal cramps, ▫ Extremely high or low
diarrhea temperatures
 Interference with medical ▫ Toxic doses of heavy metals
regimens
 Obscure results of diabetes ▫ Chronic use of certain medications,
diagnostic tests including aspirin, barbiturates, oral
 Counteraction of effects of contraceptives
anticoagulants ▫ Smoking
▫ Increased vulnerability of • Safe limits
individuals with sickle cell ▫ Rarely is more than 100-300
anemia & gout mg/day warranted
▫ 1-3 grams/day increase risks
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
• Food sources
▫ Fruits & vegetables
 Citrus fruits
 Cantaloupe, strawberries
 Brussels sprouts, broccoli, potato
▫ Organ meats
• Effects on iron absorption
▫ Iron absorption doubles or triples when consumed at
same meal as vitamin C-rich foods
▫ Recommended for women & children with inadequate
energy intake (& subsequent low iron intake)
Nutrition in Practice—
Phytochemicals & Functional Foods
Phytochemicals
• Non-nutrient compounds found in plants
▫ Impart tastes, aromas, colors, other characteristics
▫ In the body, have profound physiological effects
 Act as antioxidants
 Mimic hormones
 Suppress disease development
▫ Include
 Flavonoids
 Carotenoids
 Lycopene
Phytochemicals
• Flavonoids • Carotenoids
▫ Large group of ▫ Another group of
phytochemicals phytochemicals
 Antioxidants, protecting ▫ Sources
 Red & yellow pigments of plants
LDL from oxidation
 Reduce stickiness of ▫ Research suggests role of
platelets, reducing blood carotenoids in lowering risk of
clots heart disease
▫ Sources ▫ Lycopene
 Red pigment with powerful
 Whole grains, vegetables, antioxidant activity
fruits  Guava, papaya, pink grapefruit
 Herbs, spices  Tomatoes, especially cooked
 Teas  Watermelon
 Red wine
Functional Foods
• Foods with physiologically active compounds that
provide health benefits beyond traditional nutrients
• Examples
▫ Cranberries: protect against urinary tract infection
▫ Lycopene: associated with lowering heart disease risk
▫ Lutein: associated with healthy eye function
• Manufactured functional foods
▫ Processed foods that are fortified or enhanced with
phytochemicals or herbs
▫ May have characteristics similar to both foods & drugs—raising
some concerns & controversy
▫ Other claims add to the dilemma