MICRONUTRIENTS

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12.2 Vitamins
chapter 19
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MICRONUTRIENTS 2
Vitamins are nutritionally important organic
compounds. Often coenzymes or cofactors for
enzyme function. Vitamins form biochemically
through the life processes of the plants and
animals we eat. Plants and animals synthesize
vitamins.
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Originally it was thought these necessary
compounds were all amines. Since they were vital
to our health they became known as
vital amines, ie.
vitamines. When it was discovered that some
were not amines, ie. not ' --ines', the name was
changed to
vitamins.
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The fat - soluble vitamins are much more soluble
in fats, hydrocarbons and similar solvents than
in water Vitamins A, D,
K, E
Water- soluble vitamins are much more soluble in
water than in 'organic' solvents.
C, B complex (B1,2,3,6,12), Pantothenic
acid(B5), Biotin(B7),
Folate(B9)
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Vitamin Requirements
Name(Letter)
RDI
Water-Soluble
Thiamin (B1) Riboflavin (B2)
Niacin (B3) Pantothenic acid (B5) Pyridoxine
(B6) Biotin (B7)
Folic acid (B9) Cobalamin
(B12) Ascorbic acid (C)
1.5 mg 1.7 mg 2 mg 10 mg 2 mg 0.3 mg
0.4 mg 6 ?g 60 mg


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Vitamin Requirements
Name(Letter)
RDI
Oil-soluble
Retinol (A) Calciferol (D) Tocopherol (E)
Phylloquinone (K)
5000 IU 400 IU 30 IU 70 ?g WHAT is An IU??

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Vitamin levels in foods or supplements are
sometimes stated in Retinol Equivalents (RE's) or
in International Units (IU's). (2 sets of
Units!!) Several esters of retinol are equally
effective and thus are retinol equivalents
(REs). By definition , 1 RE of retinol 1
microgram Also by definition, one International
unit (IU) of Vitamin A .3 micrograms
retinol Thus 1 RE3.33 IUs of Vitamin A

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IUs

• Can apply to all vitamins and always 0.3
  micrograms or 0.3 x10-6 grams
• REs only apply to Vitamin A (retinol)

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2 Retinols(A) from 1 beta carotene
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Metabolism of beta carotene

• Oxidative cleavage of CC and reduction to
  alcohol
• Carrots etc. lots of beta carotene and eventually
  an excellent source of Vitamin A

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Free Radicals - the Metabolic Oxidizers
Free radical unpaired electron ?very reactive
.
OH
OH
.
OH
OH
Oxygen radicals Hydroxy (HO) / Peroxy (HOO)
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Do you smoke??

• Each puff contains 1015 OH radicals
• Also cyanides (bind to hemoglobin)
• PNAHs
• Try the blow test exhale through a kleenex and
  see the tar!

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Whats in cigarette smoke?
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An antioxidant is a chemical so easily oxidized
itself that it protects others from oxidation.
and / or
Double Bond eg. Vitamin A
Phenol Part of Vitamin E molecule
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Repel the Enemy !
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Vitamins - Some Generalities
Fat-soluble vitamins can be accumulated in
body tissue/organs, eg. liver. Often there
can be serious metabolic consequences when
ingesting 'mega- doses', ie.10 - 100X the
RDI. The water-soluble vitamins are often
destroyed by heat/water in the cooking
process also by prolonged storage. Since
they are excreted there is usually no danger
from 'overdosing' (vit B6!). Diet-related
deficiencies do occur in vegans, the elderly
and alcoholics Chirality! ie. natural (D or L)
vs. synthetic (D/L)
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Fat-Soluble Vitamins ( A D)
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Fat-Soluble Vitamins ( E K)
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Water-Soluble Vitamins ( B1 B5)
Thiamine (B1)
Pantothenic Acid (B5)
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Water-Soluble Vitamins (B2 B6)
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Water-Soluble Vitamins (B3,B7,C ?)
Biotin(B7)
Niacin(B3)
HOCH2CH2N(CH3)3
Choline
Ascorbic Acid(C)
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Natural Ascorbic Acid Synthetic
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Water-Soluble Vitamin (B9)
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Water-Soluble Vitamin(B12)
Cobalamin
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A - Retinol

• Uses vision pigment, good anti-oxidant (heart
  disease? cancer?)
• Deficiency night blindness, (infant mortality)
• Excess blurred vision, teratogenic for pregnant
  women, serious liver disease,skin
  yellowing
• Sources highly coloured vegetables, liver, egg
  yolks, fish liver oils

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D - Calciferol

• Uses regulates absorption of calcium
  phosphorus
• Deficiency rickets (bone deformation)
• Excess damage to kidneys/tissue due to Calcium
  'deposits'
• Sources eggs, liver, fish oils, fortified milk,
  sunshine

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E - Tocopherol

Uses excellent anti-oxidant (protects cell
membranes) skin care Deficiency rare
(anemia, edema in infants) Excess 2005 study
Heart attacks if overused Source vegetable
oils, green vegetables,
nuts/seeds, wheat germ, meat Vitamin E is not
recommended over and above what is in a
multivitamin as of 2005
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E the vitamin looking for a disease!

• Still no well documented evidence for any
  diseases directly due to its deficiency.
• Dont take supplements!

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K- Phylloquinone
Uses essential cofactor in blood
clotting Deficiency (bruising/bleeding in
infants-increased coagulation time) Excess
dangerous if taking anti-coagulants such as
ASA Sources green leafy vegetables (spinach,
kale) Cofactor a small molecule or atom that is
required for an enzyme to be active
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B1- Thiamin
Uses necessary for carbohydrate
metabolism Deficiency nervous system
deterioration (beriberi),
esp. in Far East because of milled rice Excess
not known Sources lean meat, legumes, whole
grains, in 'fortified' flour
since 1940s
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B2 - Riboflavin
Uses cofactor in much metabolism Deficiency
poor wound healing, breakdown of tissue in
mouth/nose Excess not likely (yellow
urine!) Sources milk, organ meats, fortified
cereals
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B3 - Niacin
Uses required for all metabolic oxidations
(needed by every cell daily!),
lowers cholesterol (in
excess) Deficiency deterioration of nervous
system skin
(pellagra) Excess not normal (dizziness, liver
damage) Sources yeasts, meats, legumes,
'enriched' flour
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B5 - Pantothenic Acid
Uses cofactor in fatty acid metabolism Deficienc
y not observed Excess not observed Sources
organ meats, egg yolks, yoghurt, legumes
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B6 - Pyridoxine
Uses cofactor in gt60 enzymes for a.a.
metabolism (the master vitamin!) Deficiency
anemia, nervous disorders (est. in
almost 50 of NA women, esp. those
on oral contraceptives) Excess
disable nervous system (present in body-
building diets) Sources green leafy
vegetables, meats, fruit
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B7 - Biotin
Uses cofactor in synthesis of fatty
acids Deficiency not observed Excess not
observed Sources liver, egg yolks, nuts,
legumes, soy
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B9 - Folic Acid
Uses cofactor for nucleic acid and heme
synthesis Deficiency some anemias, if during
pregnancy the fetus has high
probability of spina bifida
or other birth defects Excess possible danger
for hormone related
cancers Sources green leafy vegetables,
asparagus, organ meats
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B12 - Cobalamin
Uses controlling factor for pernicious
anemia Deficiency normally rare, but with
inability to absorb (gt50 and
vegans) Excess not known Sources animal
protein, organ meats, milk, eggs
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Get your Daily B Complex !
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Vegans (ovo-lacto vegetarians)

• Need Vitamin B supplements containing the
  cobalamin complex or take Brewers Yeast

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C - Ascorbic Acid
Uses cofactor for collagen production, enhances
iron absorption, excellent
anti-oxidant Deficiency scurvy Excess probably
should avoid gt1g/day (Linus Pauling advocated up
to 3g/day but no proven benefits!) Sources
citrus fruits, potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes
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Vitamin C - will it cure my cold?
gt NO, but.30 decrease in upper respiratory

tract infections

gt 1/3 of all NA ingests Vit.C tons!
gt Loses
potency when exposed to air (50 less in
your OJ after 3 weeks in fridge).
gt
Helps maintain other antioxidants
gt Smokers need twice the
RDI/USRDA By 1750 it was known that weekly
rations of citrus fruit would prevent scurvy.
This fact allowed Britain to 'rule the waves' and
for these sailors to be called "limeys". Not
isolated until 1928.
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Phytochemicals - non-nutrient compounds,
found in plant-derived foods, that have
biological activity in the body.

2009 OJ packaging phytonutrients!
Antioxidants (anti-aging/cancer/heart disease?)
- catechins (berries, green/black tea),
lycopene (tomatoes,watermelon),
bioflavanoids (citrus fruit, grapes),
coenzyme Q (nuts,oils).
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Formation of Vitamin D
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Vitamin A from ?-Carotene
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Plant Pigments Potent Antioxidants
Almost 2000 known plant pigments. gt800
flavonoids, 450 carotenoids and 150
anthocyanins. Red(lycopene) tomatoes, pink/red
grapefruit, watermelon,
guava, red peppers. Red/Blue/Purple(anthocyanins)
red/blue grapes,
blue-/straw-/raspberries, beets, cherries,
egg plant, plums, red
cabbage. Orange(carotene) squash, pumpkin,
yams, carrots, mango,
cantaloupe.
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Colour your Nutritional World !
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Plant Pigments Phytochemicals
Orange/Yellow(cryptoxanthin) peach, orange,
nectarine, papaya. Yellow/Green
(lutein, zeaxanthin
especially good for health
of eyes) corn, cucumber
skins, yellow/green
peppers, green beans/peas, spinach,
honeydew melon, kiwi, romaine lettuce,
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Red, Yellow or Green Its all a GO !
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Had your ORAC Foods Today ?
high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity foods
the top 15(for 100g/3.5oz)
prunes raisins blueberries stawberries
raspberries plums oranges red grapes cherries
5770 2830 2400 1540 1220 949 750 739 670
kale spinach sprouts broccoli beets red
pepper corn eggplant carrot
1770 1260 980 890 840 710 400 390 210
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Too Much Broccoli !
Two women with diseases characterized by
abnormal blood clotting did not improve when they
were given Warfarin. When questioned about their
diets, one woman reported that she ate at least a
pound of broccoli every day, and the other ate
broccoli soup and a broccoli salad every day.
When broccoli was removed from their diets,
warfarin became effective in preventing the
abnormal clotting of their blood. Because
broccoli is high in vitamin K, these patients had
been getting enough dietary vitamin K to compete
with the drug, thereby making the drug
ineffective.
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Vitamin O - the next miracle supplement!
Recipe Take 8oz water, add a pinch of salt,
bubble in oxygen/(air?) for 15
seconds then sell for 20(US)
shipping/handling. Or maybe you would like to
visit an 'oxygen bar'?

Get fined for US400,000 (for 'fraudulent
claims'), change the wording and keep on selling.
To-date an estimated 1 million bottles have been
sold!
Check out the Net under vitamin O
eg. first 10 entries on Yahoo or
Google
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Beware the Scam!!

• Exotic berry/fruit extracts will cure all!
• Goji Juice (from the Himalayas!)

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The Master Molecules in Goji Juice
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CBC 5th Estate Aug 31/07

• Goji juice expose!
• Cost is 50 per liter on sale for 34.95!
• Dr Earl Mindel has fake credentials
• MLM approach (Multi-layer marketing)

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Constituents of Goji Juice

• Vitamin C
• Lycopene, carotene, anthocyanine
• All good, but available from readily available
  fruits/vegs at a fraction of the price!
• Buyer beware!!

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Other exotic berries

• Now the acai berry!
• Has 10x the antioxidant properties of grapes and
  2x those of blueberries
• Used for generations by Brazilian jungle dwellers!

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21 Chief health Benefits of Acai

• Boosts energy levels, improves digestion,
  improves mental clarity, promotes sound sleep,
  provides all vital vitamins, contains important
  minerals, powerful free radical fighter, has high
  fibre levels, cleans and detoxifies the body,
  strengthens immune system, enhances sexual desire
  and performance!, fights cancerous cells, slows
  down aging, promotes healthier skin, alleviates
  diabetes!, normalizes cholesterol levels,
  maintains healthy heart function, minimizes
  inflamation, improves circulation, prevents
  atherosclerosis, enhances visual acuity
• WOW!!

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But.

• Small print none of these claims have yet been
  evaluated by the US FDA
• provides disease fighting benefits no Doctor
  wants you to know!

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Acai Berry Products

• 60 tablets for 28.95
• Labelling!

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Conclusions

• Both goji and acai no doubt are both high on the
  ORAC scale. But not miracle cures!

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The magic of cranberries

• Many people are allergic to antibiotics used to
  treat urinary infections
• Recent Harvard Study indicates that cranberries
  contain a compound that prevents E. Coli (Common
  cause of UIs) form binding to the wall of the
  bladder

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Mechanism of action

• Presently under study
• But looks like Proanthocyanodins present in
  cranberry juice are causing expression of types I
  and P Adhesin , thus preventing adhesion of E
  Coli.
• No drug reactions known with cranberry juice

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A healthy way to start the day

• Except..

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Beware the grapefruit!

• Juice/fruit inhibits the action of 2 enzymes that
  are required to break down/metabolize several
  drugs and make them effective.
• Including BC pills, cholesterol lowering statins,
  several antibiotics, Valium, Zoloft
• And possibly Viagra!

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New Fads in Drinks 2009

• Vitamin waters 2 for 591mL
• Enough Vit. C (150mg) (RDA60mg)
• Some of B complex present but not B1 (thiamine )
  and B2 (riboflavin)B3-B6OK
• 120 calories per bottle ( how much sugar??)
• non-essential ingredients water, cane sugar,
  citric acid, veg juice (for colour), natural
  flavor

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Hot Sellers in the Carleton Unicentre store!

• Many flavours and more on the way!