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Fat Soluble Vitamins
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Fat Soluble Vitamins
VITAMIN A
❖ Essential micronutrients the body needs in small TYPES OF VITAMIN A
amounts for various roles throughout the human body ❖ Retinoids
❖ Must be a vital organic substance that is only necessary ➢ Comes from animal products; preformed
in extremely small amounts vitamin A
❖ Cannot be manufactured by the body in sufficient ➢ Retinol - can be converted to retinal (essential
quantities to sustain life, so it must be supplied by diet for vision), and retinoic acid (essential for skin
❖ Water Soluble health, teeth remineralization, and bone
➢ B-complex vitamins growth)
➢ Vitamin C ❖ Beta-carotene
❖ Fat Soluble ➢ Comes from plants; pro-vitamin A
➢ Vitamin A ➢ Precursor for vitamin A, an antioxidant
➢ Vitamin D ➢ Strongly colored red-orange pigment
➢ Vitamin E abundant in plants and fruits
➢ Vitamin K ➢ Very safe source of vitamin A (conversion of
beta-carotene decreases if the body has
enough vitamin A)
❖ Dietary Supplements
➢ Usually in the form of retinyl acetate or retinyl
palmitate (preformed vitamin A)
FUNCTIONS OF VITAMIN A
❖ Vision - needed by the retina of the yes; helps the eyes
adjust to light changes
❖ Cell differentiation - nuclear retinoid receptors bind to
DNA and cause gene expression; growth and
differentiation of epithelial (retinoic acid), nervous,
bones tissues, and in tooth development
FOOD SOURCES
❖ Retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid forms of vitamin A
are supplied primarily by foods of animal origin such as
SUPPLEMENTS
dairy products, fish and liver
❖ Synthetic or natural substances which can be purchased
❖ Sources of beta-carotene: carrots, pumpkin, winter
as pills, tablets, capsules, wafers, powders, or liquid
squash, broccoli, dark green leafy vegetables,
❖ All supplements have no therapeutic claims
cantaloupe and apricots
❖ NOTE: The more intense the color of a fruit or
ANTIOXIDANTS
vegetable, the higher the beta-carotene content
❖ Substances that fight off free radicals in our bodies
❖ Free radicals - compounds within the body that may
lead to chronic disease and/or are involved in cell
tissue damage
❖ Examples: Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Beta Carotene
*HYDROGEN PEROXIDE - constantly produced in the body
and is the culprit of chronic diseases
*PEROXISOME - balances hydrogen peroxide
STRESS & NUTRITION OF THE BODY
❖ Stress can cause the body to excrete nutrients rather DAILY REQUIREMENT
than using them to perform vital functions ❖ Growing children and adults: 5,000 units daily
❖ Stress can also cause the production of free radicals ❖ Pregnancy and lactation: 6,000-8,000 units daily
which plays a role in the development of cancer, heart ❖ Male: 900 mcg/day retinol activity equivalents
disease, and aging ❖ Female: 700 mcg/day retinol activity equivalents
CAUSES OF VITAMIN DEFICIENCY: WHEN TO INCREASE VITAMIN A REQUIREMENTS:
1. Reduced intake ❖ Hyperthyroidism, fever, infection, cold, and exposure
2. Impaired absorption to excessive amounts of sunlight
3. Impaired metabolism ❖ Those that consume excess alcohol or have renal
4. Additional requirements disease
5. Increased losses
VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY
FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS ❖ Xerophthalmia - eye fails to produce tears
➢ Xerosis: dryness of the conjunctiva
➢ Bitot’s spots: build up of keratin debris in
small opaque plaques
➢ Keratomalacia: softening and destruction of
the cornea
❖ Signs and symptoms: night blindness, very dry and
rough skin, decreased resistance to infections, faulty
tooth development, and slower bone growth
*ENAMEL HYPOPLASIA - defect of the enamel that only ❖ Abnormality of vitamin D activation. Liver and renal
occurs while teeth are still developing. Still, it can affect both diseases may retard the hydroxylation reactions
baby and permanent teeth
VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
HYPERVITAMINOSIS A ❖ Rickets
❖ Acute Phase: brought by a single administration of ➢ Softening and weakening of the bones in
1,000,000 units or more. In a matter of hours, there will children
appear: headache, nausea and vomiting and drowsiness ➢ Weight bearing bones are bent
due to increased intracranial pressure ➢ Usually because of an extreme and prolonged
❖ Chronic Phase: results from a long-time ingestion of vitamin D deficiency
100,00 units daily – causing loss of appetite (anorexia), ➢ Symptoms: delayed growth, pain in spine,
weight loss, dry itchy skin, bleeding lips, liver, muscle weakness
enlargement, and bone and joint pains. ❖ Osteomalacia
❖ Can also cause severe birth defects and may increase ➢ Softening and weakening of the bones in
the risk for hip fractures adults
➢ Symptoms: dull, aching pain affect lower
VITAMIN D back, pelvis, hips, legs, ribs. Pain may be
❖ Produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from worse at night
sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis
❖ Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol) VITAMIN E
➢ derived from ergosterol through a series of ❖ Normally occurring tocopherols
photochemical reactions by the UV rays of ❖ Alpha tocopherol: most active form
the sun ❖ Primary function: antioxidant in prevention of the
❖ Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) non-enzymatic oxidation of cell components
➢ derived from the UV radiation of
7-dehydrocholesterol FUNCTIONS OF VITAMIN E
❖ Antioxidant
➢ Helps body prevent heart diseases and cancer
➢ Helps to slow down processes that damage
cells
➢ Protects Vitamins A & C, RBC’s and essential
fatty acids from destruction
❖ Slows the aging process of the body
❖ Acts as a natural diuretic and helps maintain the skin
❖ Helps prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease, cataracts,
and reduces scarring from wounds
*To receive the full benefits of antioxidants one should consume
these compounds in the form of fruits an vegetables and not by
supplements
FOOD SOURCES
*Safest time is at 6-9 AM
❖ Vegetable oil (soybeans, corn, cottonseed, safflower)
*Harmful rays is at 10 AM - 3 PM
❖ Margarine and salad dressing
*UVA - aging
❖ Fruits and vegetables
*UVB - burning
❖ Grains and nuts (almonds and hazelnuts)
*SUNBURN - first degree burn
❖ Sunflower seeds
❖ Fortified cereals
FUNCTIONS OF VITAMIN D
❖ Promotes calcium absorption in the gut
DAILY REQUIREMENT
❖ Maintains adequate serum calcium and phosphate
❖ Male: 10mg/day
concentrations
❖ Female: 8mg/day
❖ For bone growth and remodeling
❖ Pregnancy: 10mg/day
❖ Enhances intestinal absorption of Ca, Fe, Mg, Zn
❖ Lactating: 12mg/day
FOOD SOURCES
*Consuming vitamin E in excess of the RDA does not result in
❖ Can be found in very few foods including mackerel,
any added benefits
tuna, sardines
*Vitamin E is banned in tablet form in some countries because it
❖ Sometimes added to juices and dairy products
causes hemorrhaging
*3-8 minutes for normal blood clotting
DAILY REQUIREMENT
❖ Children: 10 (400 IU) mcg/day
DEFICIENCY OF VITAMIN E
❖ Adults: 5 (200 IU) mcg/day
❖ VLBW infants: prevent hemolysis and retinopathy
❖ Pregnancy and lactation: 10 mcg/day
❖ Adults: defective lipid absorption or transport
❖ < 60: 600 IU per day
❖ Abetalipoproteinemia
➢ Caused by defect in the formation of
CAUSES FOR VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY
chylomicrons and results in poor absorption
❖ Improper exposure to sunlight - inhabitants of
of dietary fat and vitamin E
northern latitudes, in winter months, people who are
➢ Signs and symptoms: poor transmission of
bedridden for long periods, or those who cover the
nerve impulses, muscle weakness, and
whole body
degeneration of the retina that can cause
❖ Nutrient deficiency of calcium or phosphate may also
blindness
produce similar clinical picture
TOXICITY
❖ Least toxic
❖ Supplemental vitamin E is not recommended due to
the lack of evidence supporting any added health
benefits
❖ Megadoses of supplemental vitamin E may pose a
hazard to people taking blood-thinning medications
such as Coumadin (a.k.a. warfarin) and those on statin
drugs
VITAMIN K
❖ Called as a “clotting vitamin”
❖ Naturally produced by the bacteria in the large intestine
❖ The “K” comes from its German name, Koagulations
vitamin
❖ Sometimes referred to as the “forgotten vitamin”
because its major benefits are often overlooked
❖ No definite amount is considered to be excessive
FUNCTIONS OF VITAMIN K
❖ Normal blood clotting
❖ Promoting bone health
❖ helping to produce proteins for blood, bones, and
kidneys
FOOD SOURCES
❖ Green, leafy-vegetables: turnip greens, spinach,
cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli
❖ Vegetable oil (soybeans,, cottonseed, canola, olive)
❖ Animal food, in general, contain limited amounts of
vitamin K
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF VITAMIN K
❖ Helps remove spider veins, bruises, scars, stretchmarks,
and burns
❖ Used topically to treat rosacea (skin condition that
causes redness and pimples on the face)
❖ Used after surgery, to speed up skin healing and reduce
bruising and swelling