VITAMINS

Fat Soluble Vitamins

Dr. Mehak Ashfaq

MSPH-NS
Lecturer, Bs- Human Nutrition and Dietetics
FEM, HU
Lecture No. 4
Fundamentals of Human Nutrition
Essentials of Food Science and Technology
1
Date: 21/02/2020
 Review of last lecture
• Water soluble vitamins, so what are they?
• How many vitamins are in B complex
• What is the main role of B- complex vitamin
• How much do we need?
• What are the major sources of water soluble
vitamins
Summary of water soluble vitamins
 Water-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin Significant sources

Vitamin B1 Whole grain, fortified or enriched grain

(Thiamin) products; pork

Vitamin B2 Milk products, whole grain, enriched or

(Riboflavin) fortified grains, liver

Vitamin B3 (Niacin) Poultry, meat, fish, milk, eggs; fortified &

enriched grain products; nuts and all protein-
containing foods
 …Water-soluble vitamins
Vitamin Significant sources

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) Widespread in foods; chicken, beef,

potatoes, oats, tomatoes, liver, egg yolk,
broccoli, whole grains

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) Meat, fish, poultry, potatoes, and other

starchy vegetables, legumes, non- citrus
fruits, fortified cereals, liver, soy products

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) Animal products (meat, fish, poultry,

shellfish, milk, cheese, eggs), fortified
cereals
 …Water-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin Significant Food Sources
(amount needed)
Folate* Fortified cereals, leafy green
vegetables, legumes, seeds, liver
*Significant increases during
pregnancy
Biotin Widespread in foods; liver, egg yolks,
soybeans, fish, whole grains (also
produced by GI bacteria)

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) Citrus fruits, cabbage-type vegetables

(brussels sprouts and cauliflower),
dark green vegetables, cantaloupe,
strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes,
papayas, mangoes
Fat Soluble Vitamins
 Outline
➢ Introduction of Fat soluble vitamins

➢ Types of Fat soluble vitamins (Part 2)

Vitamin A, D, E, K

➢ Functions, food sources of fat soluble vitamins

➢ Deficiencies

➢ RDA &Toxicity
 Fat Soluble Vitamins
• Fat soluble vitamins include: A and carotenoids, E, K, D
• Soluble in Fat- requires bile for their absorption
• Travel through the lymphatic system within chylomicrons
before entering the blood
• Many require protein carriers for transport in the blood
• Excess are stored in the liver and adipose tissue cells
• Fat soluble vitamins are not readily excreted- Toxicity!
• Needed in periodic doses
 Vitamin A
• The first fat soluble vitamin to be recognized
• “Vitamin A” is a generic term to describe a family
of related compounds with the biological activity
of retinol
• Preformed vitamin A /retinoids is found in foods
of animal origin
• Provitamin A/ Carotenoids is found in foods of
plant origin(carotene)
– Must be converted to retinoid form
 Vitamin A
• 3 forms in the body
– retinol
– retinal
– retinoic acid
• collectively known as retinoids
– found in food derived from animals
Terminal Ends of Retinoids
 Vitamin A- Functions
• Versatile vitamin, known to influence over 500 genes
• Promoting vision
– Retinal is important for the proper functioning of theeye
• Protein synthesis & cell differentiation
– maintaining health of the epithelial tissues & skin
– gene expression in specific tissues in the body
• Reproduction & growth- retinoic acid
– Acts like a hormone in bone remodeling
• Immunity
– Regulates apoptosis that affect immune effector cells.
Virus infected cells & tumor cells
 Vitamin A- Visual Cycle
• Retinal turns visual light into nerve signals in retina
of eye
• Retinoic acid required for structural components of
eye
– Cones in the retina
• Responsible for vision under bright lights
• Translate objects to color vision
– Rods in the retina
• Responsible for vision in dim lights
• Translate objects to black and white vision
 Vitamin A
Involved in visual cycle
• Vitamin A uses 11-cis-retinal , which binds with protein opsin
to form rhodopsin
• Rhodopsin is degraded by light & converts 11-cis retinal to all-
trans retinal
• Triggers electrical signals that travel to brain via optic nerve
• Recovery involves phosphorylation of opsin & regeneration of
11-cis-retinal
Vitamin A- Visual Cycle
 Vitamin A -Functions
Maintenance of epithelial tissues
• Skin & lining of eyes, gut , lungs ,vagina & bladder
• Needed for differentiation of mucus secretingcells
• Deficiency may lead to hard, dry cells (keratinization)
•In eye produces xerophthalmia & keratomalacia
Growth
• Stimulates growth of epithelial cells
Cellular differentiation
• Retinoic Acid acts as hormone that binds to nuclearreceptors
in specific target cells & regulates gene transcription
 Vitamin A – Other Functions
• Reproduction- embryonic development
• Immune function- regulates apoptosis that affectimmune
effector cells, virus infected cells & tumor cells
• Bone development/ maintenance (deficiency reduces
osteoclast function)
• Retinoic acid & retinoids are currently used in
treatment/prevention of some cancers, including leukemia &
head/neck cancers
• New research also focusing on their potential role in obesity,
DM, & CVD
 Absorption of Vitamin A
• Retinoids
– 90% of retinoids can be absorbed
– Retinyl esters broken down to free retinol in small
intestine - requires bile, digestive enzymes, integration
into micelles (fat cells)
– Once absorbed, retinyl esters reformed in intestinal cells
• Carotenoids
– Absorbed intact, absorption rate much lower
– Intestinal cells can convert carotenoids to retinoids
 Transport, Storage & Excretion of
Vitamin A
• Liver stores 90% of vitamin A in the body
• Reserve is adequate for several months
• Transported via chylomicrons from intestinal cells
to the liver
• Transported from the liver to target tissue as
retinol via retinol-binding protein, which is bound
to transthyretin
• Not readily excreted, Some lost in urine
• Kidney disease and aging increase risk of toxicity
because excretion is impaired
 Dietary Sources of Vitamin A
Preformed Vitamin A
• Liver, Eggs, Milk & fortified foods

Pro-vitamin A /Carotenoids
• Dark leafy green, yellow-orange vegetables/fruits
• Carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, mustard greens,
spinach
• Peaches, cantaloupe, apricots, mangoes
 Deficiency of Vitamin A
Night blindness
• Deficiency of vitamin A accounts for 70% of blindness
worldwide
• Insufficient retinal for rhodopsin formation
• Reversible with repletion
• Dry, hard keratinized skin
• Dry cornea & eventual blindness
– Bitot’s spots: xeropthalmia
– Can progress to keratomalacia
Vitamin D-the Sunshine Vitamin
 Forms of Vitamin D

• A group of chemically related compounds

– Cholecalciferol (vitamin D3)
– Ergacalciferol ( vitamin D2)

• D3 originates from 7-dehydrocholesterol in

skin.
• Vitamin D2 is formed from irradiating yeast
and plant ergosterol.
Factors Influencing Vitamin D Synthesis
Cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D is affected by

▪ Geographical latitude
▪ Season
▪ Atmospheric pollution
▪ Cloud cover of sun
▪ Time of day
▪ Skin pigmentation
▪ Clothing
▪ Sunscreen
▪ Age
 Sources of Vitamin D

• Natural food sources (rare)

– Salt water & oily fish
– Egg yolk
– Liver
– Dairy Products
• Fortification- Milk products
• Endogenous Production
 Functions of Vitamin D
• Calcium Homeostasis
– Increase intestinal absorption (Calbindin-D9K, TRPV6)
– Promotes resorption by mobilizing bone calcium
– Reabsorption of calcium by renal tubules (Calbindin-
D28K)
 Vitamin D & Calcemic Role
Act as a hormone to maintain blood calcium levels at 8.5-10.5 mg/dl

Grooper, 2009; Advanced nutrition and human metabolism

 Vitamin K
• Essential for the production of the blood-clotting
protein Prothrombin
• Needed for production of several proteins
involved in the mineralization & demineralization
of bones
• Forms of Vitamin K
 Forms of Vitamin K
• K1- Phylloquinone are from Plants source
• K2- Menaquinones synthesized by bacteria & found
in animal products
• Menadione- Synthetic form- not found naturally &
must be altered by tissue co enzymes for vitamin K
activity
 Vitamin K-functions
• Essential for the production of the blood
clotting protein Prothrombin

Requires VitaminK
for formation
 Vitamin E
• Vitamin E is a family of compounds that include
tocopherols & tocotrienols
• Alpha tocopherol has the most vitamin E activity &
is found in most supplements of vitamin E
• Vitamin E was first identified as essential for
reproductive fertility
 Vitamin E-functions
• Its action is primarily as an antioxidant, working in
cell membranes, protecting them from damage by
preventing oxidation of unsaturated FA
• Protects cell membranes from free radicals
• Protect against heart disease by inhibiting LDL
oxidation & production of eicosanoids, molecules
that help lower blood pressure & reduce blood clot
formation
 Dietary Sources of Vitamin E

• Sunflower seeds
• Oils from vegetables, nuts & seeds
• Almonds & other nuts
• Leafy green vegetables
• Whole grains
• Meat, fish , eggs
• Margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings, whole milk
 Fat-soluble Vitamins
Vitamin Significant sources
Vitamin A (Retinol) Retinol: milk & milk
products
Beta-carotene: dark
green leafy and deep-
yellow/orange
vegetables

Vitamin D Synthesized in the

(Calciferol) body with help of
sunlight; fortified milk;
fatty fish
 Fat-soluble vitamins
Vitamin Significant sources

Vitamin E Vegetable oils, avocado

(Tocopherol)

Vitamin K (phylloquinone) Synthesized by bacteria in GI tract;

green leafy vegetables
 References
• “Understanding Nutrition” 11th Edition, Ellie Whitney & Sharon Rady
Rolfes

• “Contemporary Nutrition” issues and insights 4th Edition

Gordan.M.Wardlaw

• “Krause’s Food & Nutrition” 12th Edition 2008, Mahan & Escott-Stump

• Vitamin D: a D-Lightful health perspective, Nutrition Reviews Vol. 66

(Suppl. 2):S182–S194