What are the 3D's of Pellagra? What is the reason for this?
- dermatitis, dementia, diarrhea - results in death if untreated
- B3 deficiency; causes ETC shut down as there will be no NAD/NADH which results in widespread damage
- first things to go would be the things that require lots of energy (such as cells that regenerate often, hence dermatitis ALSO lots of energy to maintain RMP for neurons)
What is B1 sensitive to?
heat, O2, low acidity - processing causes this to die
What is the use of Riboflavin (B2)?
- used to create FAD/FADH, which are electron transporters in the ETC
- converts provitamins to vitamins
How to supplement vitamin A?
- vitamin A is toxic at extreme doses, so we supplement with B-carotene
- golden rice!
It's corn! Where do we get niacin?
- associated with diets that depend on corn (curing with acid to release niacin)
- made through tryptophan in the body
What are the symptoms and causes of Beriberi?
- symptoms: lack of energy, weakness, neuro symptoms
- causes: Thiamin (B1) deficiency, alcohol use disorder resulting in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome
How does the body get biotin (B7)? What prevents biotin absorption?
- from the diet (variety of food) and gut bacteria produce it
- avidin in raw eggs bind to biotin tightly, making it unavailable for absorption
What are uses of Pantothenic acid (B5)?
- part of coenzyme A
- used in cholesterol synthesis
What are benefits of a B6 supplement?
- link to reduced CV disease due to reduced homocysteine
- link to improved immunity in older adults
Quick! All your cells are gigantic! Why?
B9/folate deficiency causes megaloblastic anemia, where cells are unable to divide
Who is at risk for vitamin K deficiency?
- those on long-term antibiotic use
- those who do not eat enough fat in the diet
- newborns - low transfer from mother to infant during birth (since the newborn gut is free of bacteria, no vitamin K is made)
infants are injected with vitamin K within 6 hours of birth
How do you not kill vitamin C?
- no copper or iron cooking utensils
- no low acid conditions
- no O2, light, or heat
Where does cholecalciferol come from? How is it used in the body?
- cholesterol converts to cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), which is inactive
- processed in the liver and kidney to become activated (vitamin D)
- it D works with parathyroid hormone to control calcium in the body (increase calcium in blood, so it increases intestinal absorption of vit D, calcium retention in kidneys, bone breakdown)
Vitamin C may be beneficial to be supplemented. Why?
- prophylactically, it can reduce the severity and duration of colds
- has an antioxidant role; may protect against CVD and cancer
Which vitamins act as antioxidants?
- C; smokers require more
- A
- E; its antioxidant function are regenerated by vit C
Which vitamins is it rare to have a deficiency of?
- riboflavin (B2)
- biotin (B7)
- pantothenic acid (B5)
- vitamin E
- vitamin K
What forms of vitamin A are absorbed? Which is more absorbed?
- pre-formed vitamin A (retinol, a fatty acid) or provitamin B-carotene
- pre-formed is absorbed more readily (40-90%), but body can absorb B-carotene if there is not enough pre-formed vitamin
- B-carotene is easily excreted if not absorbed
-
What are uses of vitamin A?
- critical in vision and converting light into brain signals (retinol binds to opsin to create rhodopsin, which allows eyes to absorb light)
- controls gene transcription factors to regulate gene expression
- antioxidant
- **must be transported in body by retinol binding protien
Why do vegans need B12 supplements? Where does B12 come from?
-
- found exclusively in animal products since it’s made by bacteria and fungi only (animal themselves don’t make it; must be the bacteria that have colonized the animal)
- B12 is produced in the large intestine, but B12 is absorbed in small intestine in humans (so the B12 we make cannot be absorbed and must be excreted)
- B12 is inaccessible within food prior to digestion; acid and pepsin in stomach release it from protein where it binds to intrinsic factor (which came from stomach) in the small intestine, allowing absorption in the ileum
What vitamin deficiencies can cause anemia?
- B6: used for the synthesis of hemoglobin
- B12: due to the inability to regenerate folate
- B9: megaloblastic anemia; cells cannot divide
- C: poor iron absorption
Where do we obtain vitamin K? What are its sensitivites?
- vegetables and fruits, healthy fats
- bacteria from large intestine; but this is not enough for bodily needs
- sensitivities: light, high/low acid conditions
Name the uses for vitamin B6.
- AA metabolism; transanimation, deamination, carboxylation
- synthesis of hemoglobin, WBCs, neurotransmitters, myelin sheath coating
- converts tryptophan to niacin
- turns methionine into cysteine
- turns folate into methylated (so that it can regenerate B12)
Who is recommended to have vitamin D supplementation?
- breastfed infants until they get on a solid food diet (breast milk does not have enough vitamin D)
- those living in northern Canada (not enough UV radiation)
- all Canadians over 50
- those who have darker skin (require more exposure to get vitamin D from the sun)
What is the main source of vitamin E?
seeds (germ of whole grains)