Understanding Vitamins: Essential Facts and Functions

1. Basic Vitamins Water-Soluble Fat-Soluble

2. 2 Types Water-Soluble • Water-soluble vitamins are dissolved in water and transported throughout the body. • C, B1,B2,Niacin, B6,B12, Folacin • (Sponge (Demonstration) Fat-Soluble • Fat-soluble are transported throughout the body by being absorbed and stored in fat. • A,D,E,K

3. Vitamin Facts • Found in nearly all the foods on the Food Pyramid. • Do not supply energy as CHOs, fats, and proteins but works with these so E is produced. • Are essential because they regulate the body chemistry and body functions. • Use food by bringing about biochemical reactions so life can be maintained. • They are not produced by our bodies. • They must be ingested.

4. Vitamin Facts Cont. • Some believe that if small doses of vitamins are good for you, more is better. • Too few keep the body from operating at full capacity. • Too many may be damaging to your health.

5. Vitamin Facts Cont. • Just as too much water in a glass will spill over, too many vitamins will be excreted or stored, and any excess can be toxic.

6. Folacin • Also known as Folate and Folic Acid • Helps form red blood cells to prevent anemia • Aids in cell growth and division • Helps with protein metabolism • Vital that women of childbearing age get energy folic acid (especially in the first month of pregnancy) to prevent neural tube defects in the unborn baby.

7. Folacin • Helps clear the blood of excess homocysteine, an amino acid that has been liked with heart attacks, it may reduce the risk of heart attacks. • Sources: fortified breakfast cereals, liver, asparagus, spinach, and legumes

8. Antioxidants • Possible link to cancer prevention • Substances that may protect cells from the damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals. • Free radical damage may lead to cancer. • Interact with and stabilize free radicals and may prevent some of the damage free radicals might cause.

9. Antioxidants Cont. • Examples of antioxidants: • Beta-carotene • Lycopene • Vitamins C, E, and A • Abundant in fruits and vegetables, nuts, grains, some meats, poultry, and fish.

10. Functions of Vitamins Vitamin A • Vital to good vision • Prevents night blindness • Severe deficiency causes blindness • Necessary for healthy skin and hair growth • Keeps mucous membranes healthy • Keeps nerves healthy

11. Vitamin A Cont. Sources • Liver • Oranges • Pears • Yellow fruit • Yellow vegetables

12. Functions of Vitamins Cont. Vitamin D • Found in foods and obtained from the sun • Helps bones use calcium to build strong bones and teeth • Helps the body use Calcium and Phosphorus • Prevents rickets Sources • Milk • Sun

13. Functions of Vitamins Cont. • Vitamin E • Helps breakdown polyunsaturated fats • Antioxidant, protecting blood cell membranes from overexposure to oxygen • Some believe it plays a role in aging, sexual performance, or preventions of cancer and/or heart disease. • Overdoses cause blurred vision, nausea, dizziness

14. Vitamin E Cont Sources • Green leafy vegetables • Fruits • Whole grains • Liver • Apples • Oil • Fats

15. Functions of Vitamins Cont. Vitamin K • Essential for clotting of blood • Hemophiliacs lack this • Prevents hemorrhaging • Found in foods and manufactured by Vitamin K producing bacteria in the small intestines

16. Vitamin K Cont Sources • Dark green vegetables • Cabbage • Cauliflower • Liver

17. Functions of Vitamins Cont. Vitamin C –ascorbic acid • Helps form collagen or body cement • Helps in growth and repair of body tissue and blood vessels • Prevents scurvy • Can be decreased by cigarette smoking, stressful injuries and oral contraceptives • Excess doses can cause kidney stones and break down red blood cells

18. Vitamin C Cont. Sources • Citrus fruits • Cantaloupe • Strawberries • Pineapple

19. Functions of Vitamins Cont. Vitamin B Complex B1 – Thiamin • Energy metabolism • Nerve function and tissue • Helps the digestive system • Works with protein • Muscle control • Prevents beriberi

20. Vitamin B1-Thiamine Cont. Sources • Milk • Whole grains • Poultry • Fish • Dried beans

21. Vitamins Cont. B2 – Riboflavin • Involved in use of fat, protein and CHOs • Prevents premature aging • Promotes growth • Helps digestions • Works with protein

22. Vitamin B2-Riboflavin Cont. Sources • Milk • Whole grains • Dark green vegetables • Fish • Eggs

23. Functions of Vitamins Cont. Niacin • Energy metabolism • Maintain healthy nervous system • Maintain healthy skin • Prevents pellegra • Helps the digestive system

24. Niacin Cont Sources • Milk • Whole grains • Dates • Peaches • Fish • Poultry • Peanuts

25. Vitamins Cont. B6 - pyridoxine • Normal immune and nervous system • Prevents poor health • Must be replaced daily Sources • Meat • Vegetables • bananas

26. Functions of Vitamins Cont. B12 – cobalamin • Producing antiobodies • Helps folacin function • Maintenance of nerve tissue • Prevents anemia and damage to the intestinal tract

27. Vitamin B-Cobalamin Cont Sources • Milk • Eggs • Meat • Fruit • Vegetables

28. Vitamins Cont. Folacin • Synthesize DNA • Cell division • Prevents birth defects Sources • Oranges • Dark green vegetables • Whole grains • Meat • Eggs