Vitamins & Minerals Cree Vickers & Jennifer Way Georgia Southern Dietetic Interns

What is a Vitamin? ○Organic substances made by plants and animals ○Helps the body perform specific functions such as growth and development and maintaining overall health

Types of Vitamins ○Fat-Soluble ○vitamins that are dissolvable in dietary fat ○Water-Soluble ○vitamins that are dissolvable in water prior to absorption

Fat-Soluble ○Vitamin A ○Vitamin D ○Vitamin E ○Vitamin K

Vitamin FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Skin Vision Yellow, orange fruits Dark leafy greens Cantaloupes, liver, carrots, fortified skim milk, apricots, sweet potatoes Night blindness, corneal damage, and/or dry, scaly skin

FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Important for calcium and phosphorus metabolism sunlight, egg yolk, fortified milk, mushrooms, salmon, tuna Rickets in children Osteomalacia in adults Vitamin

FunctionSourcesDeficiencies AntioxidantWhole Grains Green Vegetables Almonds Vegetable oils Hemolytic Anemia Vitamin

FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Helps in blood clotting and calcium metabolism Green leafy vegetables Spinach Kale Cabbage Broccoli Hemorrhages Vitamin

Water Soluble ○B12 ○Folic Acid ○Vitamin C ○B6 ○Pantothenic Acid ○Biotin ○Thiamin ○Riboflavin ○Niacin

Vitamin FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Helps in the formation of red blood cells Helps DNA regulation Liver and Kidney Meat Milk Cheese Eggs Fish Macrocytic Megaloblastic Anemia Pernicious Anemia

FunctionSourcesDeficiencies DNA synthesis Forms RBC in bone marrow Prevents neural tube defects Fortified dried cereal Liver and Kidney Green leafy vegetables Citrus fruits Lentils and beans Macrocytic Megaloblastic Anemia Diarrhea Fatigue Neural tube defects in infants

FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Collagen formation Wound healing Aids in non-heme iron absorption Promotes healthy immune system Citrus fruits Potatoes Papaya Dark green/yellow vegetables Scurvy Poor wound healing Bleeding in gums Petechiae Vitamin

What is a Mineral? ○Inorganic elements that come from the earth such as soil and water that come from the plants. ○Animals and humans absorb minerals from the plants they eat ○Helps the body perform specific functions such as growth and development and maintaining overall health

Types of Minerals ○Macrominerals ○minerals that our bodies needs in higher amounts ○Trace Minerals ○minerals that our bodies needs in smaller amounts

Macrominerals ○Calcium ○Magnesium ○Potassium ○Phosphorus ○Chloride ○Sulfur ○Sodium

Calcium FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Blood clotting, cardiac function, nerve transmission, smooth muscle contractility Dairy products Leafy vegetables Legumes Hypocalcemia leads to tenany

Magnesium FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Helps in protein and fatty acid synthesis Most food items, especially bread and milk Tremors (rare)

Potassium FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Muscle contraction Regulates fluid and mineral balance Maintain normal blood pressure Fruits and vegetables Bananas Oranges Papaya Potatoes Tomatoes Beans Carrots Hypokalaemia

Phosphorus FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Transport of fat through blood stream, bones, and teeth Meats Milk Poultry Eggs Fish Cheese Beans, lentils, nuts Rare

○Iodine ○Fluoride ○Selenium ○Manganese ○Chromium ○Cobalt ○Choline Trace Minerals ○Zinc ○Iron ○Copper

Zinc FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Increases taste acuity Enhance insulin action Meats Liver Eggs Fish Reduced immune function Poor wound healing Alopecia Hypogeusia

Iron FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Carries oxygen to various parts of the body Heme iron: animals foods, meats, fish, poultry Non-heme: cereals, vegetables Fatigue, anemia, spoon- shaped nails

Copper FunctionSourcesDeficiencies Hemoglobin synthesis and aids in iron absorption Liver Kidney Shellfish Microcytic Anemia (rare) Neutropenia Wilson’s Disease

Supplements ●If an individual maintains a healthy balanced diet, supplements are not necessary ●Supplements can be used if: ○an individual has a certain illness that inhibits absorption of certain vitamins and minerals or ○an individual is not consuming enough of a certain food group ●The use of supplements should always be followed by a doctor’s recommendations

Multivitamins ●Multivitamins ○though a multivitamin is not necessarily necessary, it will not harm you but a doctor’s recommendation should always be followed ○extremely beneficial for pregnant women ●Even if you use supplements or multivitamins, you should still follow a healthy balanced diet to receive proper nutrition

Summary ●Vitamin: organic substances made by plants and animals that helps the body perform specific functions ○Water Soluble: B vitamins, folic acid, vitamin C ○Fat Soluble: Vitamins A,D,E,K ●Mineral: inorganic elements that come from the earth that helps the body perform specific functions ○Macrominerals: calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus ○Trace minerals: zinc, copper iron ●Even if you use supplements or multivitamins, you should still follow a healthy balanced diet to receive proper nutrition

Questions?

References vitamins-and-nutrients/potassium Inman’s Review of Dietetics (2013)