1. VITAMINS

2. VITAMINS
• “Vita” comes from the
Latin word “Life”
- “accessory growth factors”
• Vitamins are mainly obtained from our
foods, but there are some special cases.

3. FUNCTIONS OF
VITAMINS
• It is part of important processes
throughout the body
- help release energy from food
- help keep skin and nerves healthy
- help make red blood cells
• They mainly serve as catalysts for
certain reactions in the body.

4. FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

5. GENERAL PROPERTIES
Fat Soluble Vitamins Water Soluble Vitamins
Soluble in fat and fat solvents Soluble in water
Small amount excreted in the bile Excreted in the urine
Not absolutely needed in the Must be supplied in the daily diet
daily diet
Deficiency symptoms are slowly Deficiency symptoms often
to develop develop rapidly
Have precursors or provitamins. Generally do not have precursors

6. Fat Soluble Vitamins Water Soluble Vitamins
Contain the elements carbon, Contain the
and hydrogen, and oxygen elements carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen in some cases
Some are toxic at relatively Co or only at
Toxic Sulfur
low megadose levels
levels (6-10 times the RDA) (more than 10 times
Excess stored in the body Minimal storage of
the RDA)
dietary excesses
Absorbed into the lymphatic Absorbed into the blood
system than portal vein
Needed only by complex Needed by simple and
organisms complex organisms

7. WATER SOLUBLE
VITAMIN
• Vitamin B1 • Vitamin B9
• Vitamin B2 • Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B3 • Vitamin C
• Vitamin B5 • Choline
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B7
• Vitamin B8

8. FAT SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Vitamin A (Retinol)
• OTHER NAME: “Anti-infective vitamin”
- Retinol
- Beta Carotene (pro-vitamin A)
• FUNCTIONS:
– Protects the body
– Maintains balance
– Sight
– Bone growth
– Tooth development
– Reproduction
– Cell division

9. • SOURCES:
– liver (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish)
– carrots
– Broccoli leaves- broccoli florets have much less
– sweet potatoes
– kale
– butter
– spinach
– leafy vegetables
– pumpkin
– collard greens
– cantaloupe melon
– eggs
– apricots
– papaya
– mango
– broccoli
– peas
– beetroot
– winter squash

10. • TOXICITY:
- Hypervitaminosis A
~effects: birth defects, liver abnormalities,
reduced bone mineral density that may result in osteoporosis,
and central nervous system disorders.
- Symptoms of overdose: (hydrocephalus), vomiting,
tiredness, constipation, bone pain, and severe headaches. The
skin may acquire a rough and dry appearance, with hair loss
and brittle nails.
• DEFICIENCY:
– Night blindness
– Keratomalacia
– very dry, rough skin
– decreased resistance to infections
– faulty tooth development
– slower bone growth
• ABSORPTION:
- absorbed into the intestine, and absorption remains high with
increased intake
- Vitamin A, which is fat-soluble, requires fat, as well as
minerals, to be properly absorbed.

11. Vitamin D
• OTHER NAME: "sunshine vitamin"
CALCIFEROL, antirachitic factor, calcitriol, cholecalciferol (D3),
ergocalciferol (D2)
• FUNCTION:
– The major biologic function of vitamin D is to maintain
normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.
– Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium, helping to
form and maintain strong bones.
– It promotes bone mineralization in concert with a
number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones.
– It maintains normal cellular growth and function.
– It maintains healthy immune function and preventing
excessive inflammation.
– It inhibits parathyroid hormone secretion from the
parathyroid gland.

12. • SOURCES:
– Cod liver oil
– Exposure to sunlight
– Dairy products
• Cheese
• Butter
• Cream
• Fortified milk
– Fish
• Salmon
• Mackerel
• Tuna
• Sardines
– Oysters
– Beef liver
– Fortified cereals
– Margarine
– Egg

13. • TOXICITY:
Vitamin D taken in excess can cause pathological
changes in the body. Signs of vitamin D toxicity include loss
of appetite, excessive thirst, irritability, excessive
calcification of bone, kidney stones, calcification of soft
tissue, headaches, weakness and weight loss, nausea,
vomiting, constipation, polyuria, and polydipsia.
• DEFICIENCY:
- Rickets (in children)
- Osteomalacia (in adults)
• ABSORPTION:
Vitamin D is best absorbed when ingested with lipids.
Vitamin D will be incorporated into micelles and these will be
absorbed by the intestine by passive diffusion. In the
intestinal cells, chylomicrons will be formed, and these will
enter the lymphatic system and enter the plasma. Vitamin D
will then be transported to the liver by chylomicron remnants
and to specific target with the help of carrier vitamin D binding
protein (DBP) or transcalciferin.

14. Vitamin E (Tocopherol),
antisterility factor
• FUNCTIONS:
• acts as an antioxidant, protecting vitamins A and C,
red blood cells and essential fatty acids from
destruction
• help prevent heart disease and cancer.
• Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect your cells
against the effects of free radicals, which are
potentially damaging by-products of energy
metabolism.
• have some anti-aging effects, both taken orally and
applied on the skin.
• Antioxidant (protects cells from toxic compounds,
heavy metals, radiation, and free radicals); retinal
development; protects vitamin A in eyes

15. • SOURCES:
– Sunflower Seeds
– Wheatgerm
– Sesame Seeds
– Peanuts
– Vegetable oils
– green leafy vegetables
– fortified cereals
• TOXICITY:
• Megadoses of vitamin E may produce
headaches, tiredness, double vision, and
diarrhea in humans.
• large doses of vitamin E consumed over
many weeks or months might result in
deficiencies of vitamin D, vitamin A, and
vitamin K

16. • DEFICIENCY:
– Vitamin E deficiency is usually characterized by
neurological problems associated with nerve degeneration
in hands and feet
– Severe vitamin E deficiencies are rare. People with a
genetic defect in a vitamin E transfer protein called
thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) have severe
vitamin E deficiency, characterized by low blood and tissue
levels of vitamin E and progressive nerve abnormalities.
– Severe: nausea, digestive tract disorders.
• ABSORPTION:
Approximately 20 to 60 per cent of dietary vitamin E is
absorbed and it is stored in the
• liver
• heart
• fatty tissues
• muscles
• testes
• uterus
• blood
• adrenal
• pituitary glands

17. Vitamin K
• OTHER NAME: “Clotting vitamin”, anti-
hemorrhagic vitamin/factor, coagulation factor,
phylloquinone(K1), menaquinones (K2),
menadione(K3)
• FUNCTIONS:
– plays an essential role in normal blood clotting
– helps promote bone health
– essential for the functioning of several proteins
involved in blood clotting
• SOURCES:
– found in cabbage
– cauliflower
– spinach (green leafy vegetables)
– cereals
– soybeans
– Vitamin K is also made by the bacteria that line the
gastrointestinal tract.

18. • TOXICITY:
– Prolonged consumption of megadoses of vitamin K
(menadione) results in anemia
– When large doses of menadione are given to infants,
they result in the deposit of pigments in the brain,
nerve damage, the destruction of red blood cells
(hemolysis), and death.
• DEFICIENCY:
Vitamin K deficiency is manifest as a tendency to
bleed excessively and bruising.
• ABSORPTION:
Vitamin K are absorbed into intestinal lymph along
with other lipids.