Vitamins

Roles, Deficiencies, and Sources

By: Olivia Reuter
Two Classes of Vitamins
Water-Soluble

Absorbed directly into
the bloodstream, where
they travel freely.
Excesses are excreted in
the urine. Risk of
immediate toxicity are
not great.

Fat-Soluble

Mostly absorbed into the
lymph, and they travel in
the blood in association
with protein carriers. Can
be stored in the liver. Can
build up to toxic
concentrations.
Solubility- how they are absorbed into and transported around by the
bloodstream, whether they can be stored in the body, and how easily
they are lost from the body.
The Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A: Roles/Deficiency
Eyesight: plays a role in the process of light perception at the retina,
and maintains a healthy, clear cornea.
- If Vitamin A supply runs low, eyes have a hard time seeing after flash
of bright light at night. This is referred to as night blindness.
- A more sever disorder occurs when keratin clouds over the outer
Vitamin A on the cornea of the eye. If this is not fixed it can lead to:
Xerosis: the drying of your cornea.
Xerophthalmia: the hardening of the cornea.
Vitamin A: Roles/Deficiency
cont..
Cell Differentiation: the process by which immature cells are stimulated
to mature and gain the ability to perform functions characteristic of their
cell type.
- If Vitamin A is deficient, cell differentiation is impaired, and goblet
cells do not mature, fail to create mucus, and die off.
- Goblet cells that die off are replaced by keratin which
eventually leads to the beginning of Xerosis, and then
Xerophthalmia. It also effects the lungs and urinary tract,
leading to infections.
Vitamin A Sources
Liver
Fish oil
Milk
Fruits and
veggies (beta-
carotene)
Eggs
Butter
Vitamin D: Roles/Deficiency
Prevents rickets: physician linked sunlight exposure to the prevention
and cure of rickets.
We get a lot of our Vitamin D
from the sunlight. When UV
rays reach the cholesterol
compound in skin, it is turned
into a Vitamin D precursor and
absorbed into the blood.
Vitamin D Sources
Sunlight
Milk
Egg yolks
Cream
Butter
Vitamin E:Roles/Deficiency
Vitamin E is an antioxidant, so it protects against oxidative
damage.
This is extremely important in the lungs, where membranes
are sensitive and extremely important.
Vitamin E deficiency and toxicity is rarely seen in healthy human
beings. If they are present, it is most likely due to a low-fat diet.
Vitamin E Sources
Vegetable oils
Margarine
Salad dressings
Wheat germ oil
Vitamin K: Roles/Deficiency
The main role of Vitamin K is to help activate proteins that help
clot the blood. It is also needed for the synthesis of key bone
proteins.
Very few people experience Vitamin K deficiencies
since the vitamin can be obtained from a non food
source; the intestinal bacteria.
A toxic dose of synthetic Vitamin K can
lead to the liver releasing the blood
cell pigment bilirubin into the blood,
leading to jaundice.
Vitamin K Sources
Dark green leafy
vegetables
Canola oil
Liver
The Water-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin C: Roles/Deficiency
Antioxidant: Vitamin C protects substances found in food and in
the body from oxidation by being oxidized itself.
- In the intestines, it protects iron from oxidation so it
promotes its absorption.
- Once in the blood, it reduces inflammation, and
maintains Vitamin E supply.
Vitamin C cant necessarily cure the common cold, but it can act
to reduce blood histamine, mimicking a weak antihistamine drug.
Vitamin C: Roles/ Deficiency
cont..
Scurvy: attributed to the breakdown of collagen in the absence of
Vitamin C. Causes loss of appetite, growth cessation, tenderness to
touch, weakness, bleeding gums, loose teeth, swollen ankles and
wrists, and tiny red spots on the skin.
-People taking anticlotting medication may reverse affects with
high doses of Vitamin C.
- Symptoms of large amounts of Vitamin C are mild; nausea,
stomach cramps, excessive gas, and diarrhea.
Vitamin C Sources
Citrus fruits
Salad
Potatoes
Most fruits and
vegetables
The Vitamin Bs : Roles/
Deficiency
Thiamin: a B vitamin involved in the bodys use of fuels.
- Nerve processes and their responding tissues, the muscles,
depending heavily on thiamin.
Beriberi: thiamin deficiency characterized by loss of sensation in the
hands and feet, muscular weakness, advancing paralysis, and
abnormal heart rate. Beriberi is rare in the United States because
most foods are now vitamin enriched.
Sources:
Ham & pork Sunflower seeds
Legumes
The Vitamin Bs: Roles/
Deficiency
Riboflavin: a B vitamin active in the bodys energy-releasing mechanisms.
-Riboflavin deficiencies have been found in children whose diet
lacks milk products, and meat.
Sources:
Enriched bread
Cereal
Pasta
The Vitamin Bs: Roles/
Deficiency
Niacin: a vitamin B needed in energy metabolism. Can be eaten,
preformed, or made in the body from tryptophan, one of the amino
acids.
- Pellagra: a niacin-deficiency disease. Symptoms include the 4
Ds, dermatitis, dementia, diarrhea, and ultimately death.
- A person eating adequate protein will not be deficient in
niacin.
Sources:
Cottage cheese
Mushrooms
Yogurt
The Vitamin Bs: Roles/
Deficiency
Folate: a B vitamin that acts as part of a coenzyme important in the
manufacture of new cells.
- Deficiencies of folate cause anemia, diminished immunity,
and abnormal digestive function.
- Of all the vitamins, folate is the most likely to interact
with medications.
Sources:
Green leafy vegetables
Uncooked fruits
Eggs
- High doses of folic acid might cause abdominal cramps,
diarrhea, rash, sleep disorders, irritability,etc.

The Vitamin Bs: Roles/
Deficiency
B12: A B vitamin that helps to convert folate to its active form and also
helps maintain the sheath around nerve cells.
- Without sufficient B12 nerves become damaged and folate
fails to do its blood-building work.
Pernicious anemia: A B12 deficiency disease, caused by lack of
intrinsic factor and characterized by large, immature red blood cells
and damage to the nervous system.
Sources:
Sirloin steak
Sardines
Swiss cheese
The Vitamin Bs: Roles/
Deficiency
B6: participates in more that 100 reactions in the body tissues. Needed in
protein metabolism. Plays an important role in synthesis of hemoglobin and
neurotransmitters, the communication molecules of the brain.
- Vitamin B6 deficiency is shown in general symptoms, such as,
weakness, psychological depression, confusion, irritability, and
insomnia.
Sources:
Bananas
Chicken breast
Spinach
Multivitamins?
At least half the population takes some kind
of dietary supplements.
Multi-vitamins have become increasingly more popular.
We believe that the case is closed -- supplementing the diet of
well-nourished adults with (most) mineral or vitamin
supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful,
concluded the authors of the editorial summarizing the new
research papers, published Dec. 16 in the Annals of Internal
Medicine. These vitamins should not be used for chronic
disease prevention. Enough is enough. (CBS)
Outside Sources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000339.ht
m
http://www.rxlist.com/folic_acid-
page2/supplements.htm#SafetyConcerns
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/multivitamin-researchers-say-
case-is-closed-supplements-dont-boost-health/