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Vitamin B complex
Function: Made up of eight different vitamins, the vitamin B complex is essential for a
number of bodily functions. Almost every process in your body requires one of the
vitamins in the complex, often as an aid to enzymes, which control and speed up the
process of certain reactions. As essential nutrients, members of the vitamin B complex
can be found in a wide array of foods, both plant and animal.
Source:
Toxicity:
Deficiency:
A lack of vitamin B, especially B12, can potentially lead to anemia, which is a low
red blood cell count. Symptoms include tiredness and fatigue, breathlessness,
headaches, dizziness, pale skin, lack of appetite and weight loss.
Other symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include sore tongue, mouth ulcers,
irritability and depression.
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Vitamin A
Source: Ripe yellow fruits, carrots, oranges, paprika, squash, red peppers, leafy green
vegetables, cayenne, pumpkin, chili powder, spinach, soy milk, and sweet potatoes
Toxicity:
drowsiness
irritability
abdominal pain
nausea
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vomiting
dry, rough skin
itchy or peeling skin
cracked fingernails
Deficiency: Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in
children worldwide. An estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children become blind every year
because of vitamin A deficiency. Half of these children die within a year of losing their
sight.
In pregnant women, vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness and may contribute to
maternal mortality. Vitamin A deficiency also compromises the immune system,
increasing the chance of death from malaria, measles and diarrhea.
Vitamin D
Function: Vitamin D is one of many nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy. Among
the vitamin's main functions, it helps the body:
Absorb calcium. Vitamin D, along with calcium, helps build bones and keep
bones strong and healthy.
Block the release of parathyroid hormone. This hormone reabsorbs bone tissue,
which makes bones thin and brittle.
Vitamin D may also play a role in muscle function and the immune system. The immune
system is your body's defense system. It helps protect it against infections and other
illnesses. Taking vitamin D every day has been shown to reduce the risk of falling in
older individuals.
Beef liver.
Cheese.
Egg yolks.
Toxicity:
Deficiency:
Vitamin E
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Function: Vitamin E is an antioxidant. This means it protects body tissue from damage
caused by substances called free radicals, which can harm cells, tissues, and organs.
They are believed to play a role in certain conditions related to aging.
The body also needs vitamin E to help keep the immune system strong against viruses
and bacteria.
Vitamin E is also important in the formation of red blood cells and it helps the body
use vitamin K. It also helps widen blood vessels and keep blood from clotting inside
them.
Cells use vitamin E to interact with each other and carry out many important functions.
Whether vitamin E can prevent cancer, heart disease, dementia, liver disease, and
stroke still requires further research.
Source: The best way to get the daily requirement of vitamin E is by eating food
sources. Vitamin E is found in the following foods:
Vegetable oils (such as wheat germ, sunflower, safflower, corn, and soybean oils)
Products made from these foods, such as margarine, also contain vitamin E.
Toxicity: Eating vitamin E in foods is not risky or harmful. However, high doses of
vitamin E supplements might increase the risk for bleeding and serious bleeding in the
brain.High levels of vitamin E may also increase the risk of birth defects.
Most people are able to get enough vitamin E from a healthy diet and do not need
supplements. Always consult with a doctor before taking any supplement, especially if
you are taking medications.
Vitamin K
Function: Vitamin K is an important factor in bone health and wound healing. Vitamin
K is a fat-soluble vitamin that makes proteins for healthy bones and normal blood
clotting. vitamin K helps produce four of the 13 proteins needed for blood clotting.
Vitamin K has a positive effect on bone mineral density and decreases fracture risk.
Source:
Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach, turnip greens, collards, Swiss chard,
mustard greens, parsley, romaine, and green leaf lettuce.
Vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage.
Fish, liver, meat, eggs, and cereals (contain smaller amounts)
Easy bruising.
Oozing from nose or gums.
Excessive bleeding from wounds, punctures, and injection or surgical sites.
Heavy menstrual periods.
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Vitamin C
Function: Vitamin C is required for normal growth and health. It helps in the formation
of collagen which in turn provides strength to the connective tissues of the body and
thereby accelerating the process of wound healing. It also helps in reducing skin
pigmentation by increasing the number and capacity of fibroblasts which helps in
repairing damaged skin. Vitamin C also helps in the synthesis of carnitine, which is
involved in transportation of fat for conversion into energy in the cells.
Calcium
Function:
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Toxicity: Getting too much calcium can cause constipation. It might also interfere
with the body's ability to absorb iron and zinc, but this effect is not well established. In
adults, too much calcium (from dietary supplements but not food) might increase
the risk of kidney stones.
Deficiency: If your body doesn't get enough calcium and vitamin D to support
important functions, it takes calcium from your bones. This is called losing bone mass.
Losing bone mass makes the inside of your bones become weak and porous. This puts
you at risk for the bone disease osteoporosis.
Requirements: The Daily value for calcium is 1,000 mg for adults and children aged
4 years and older.
Phosphate
Function: The main function of phosphorus is in the formation of bones and teeth.
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It plays an important role in how the body uses carbohydrates and fats. It is also needed
for the body to make protein for the growth, maintenance, and repair of cells and
tissues. Phosphorus also helps the body make ATP, a molecule the body uses to store
energy.
Toxicity: Too much phosphate can be toxic. An excess of the mineral can cause
diarrhea, as well as a hardening of organs and soft tissue.
High levels of phosphorus can affect your body’s ability to effectively use other minerals,
such as iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. It can combine with calcium causing
mineral deposits to form in your muscles.
Requirements:
Iron
Function:
1. Iron mainly exerts its functions through the compounds in which it is present.
Hemoglobin and Myoglobin are required for the transport of oxygen and carbon di
oxide.
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2. Cytochromes and certain non-heme proteins are necessary for electron transport
chain and oxidative phosphorylation
3. Iron is associated with effective immune-competence of the body
Lean beef
Oysters
Chicken
Turkey
Deficiency: If your body doesn't have enough iron, it cannot produce enough
healthy oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Iron deficiency can cause anemia, which
means you havetoo little hemoglobin. Women in their childbearing years are at higher
risk for iron deficiency because of the loss of blood during menstruation.
Requirements:
Age Male
4–8 years 10 mg 10 mg
9–13 years 8 mg 8 mg
14–18 years 11 mg 15 mg
19–50 years 8 mg 18 mg
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Age Male
51+ years 8 mg 8 mg
Sodium
Function:
In association with chloride and bicarbonate, sodium regulates the body’s acid-base
balance
Sodium is required for the maintenance of osmotic pressure and fluid balance
It is necessary for the normal muscle irritability and cell permeability
Sodium is involved in the intestinal absorption of glucose, galactose and amino
acids
It is necessary for initiating and maintaining heart beat
Source: Sodium occurs naturally in most foods. The most common form of sodium is
sodium chloride, which is table salt.
The common table salt used in the cooking medium is the major source of sodium. The
good sources of sodium include
bread
whole grains
leafy vegetables
nuts
eggs
milk
Toxicity: The main effect of too much sodium in your body is the way the potassium
reacts. It holds onto the water in your body, increasing the volume of blood which puts
stress on your blood vessel walls. If this stress is maintained over a long period of time,
it can weaken your blood vessels. This high volume of fluid can also cause the
triglycerides in your blood, which are tiny globules of fat, to pile up which can increase
your risk of heart attack or stroke. Dealing with all of this puts a strain on your heart as it
is forced to work harder to maintain the flow of blood throughout your body, which can
encourage heart disease.
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Magnesium
Function:
Toxicity: In some people, magnesium might cause stomach upset, nausea, vomiting,
diarrhea, and other side effects. ... Large doses might cause too much magnesiumto
build up in the body, causing serious side effects including an irregular heartbeat, low
blood pressure, confusion, slowed breathing, coma, and death.
include diabetes, poor absorption, chronic diarrhea, celiac disease and hungry bone
syndrome.
Requirements: The daily requirement for magnesium intake (400-420 mg/day for
men and 310-320 mg/day for women)
Zinc
Function:
Toxicity: Zinc has many health benefits, but excessive zinc intake can be harmful.
Adverse effects of severely high zinc intake may include:
nausea
vomiting
loss of appetite
stomach pains
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headaches
diarrhea
loss of appetite
anemia
depressed growth
Requirements: The recommended intake for children 1-8 years old ranges from 3-5
milligrams, increasing as the child gets older.
Males 9-13 years old require 8 milligrams of zinc per day. After the age of 14, the
requirement increases to the 11 milligrams per day that is required for all adult males.
For females over the age of 8, the requirement stays stable at 8 milligrams per day,
except for ages 14-18, where the recommendation increases to 9 milligrams per day.
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PRE-MID ASSIGMENT 1