notes/education/nutrition/Vitamins.md
2024-11-01 15:59:27 -06:00

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Vitamins were first discovered in 1921
- Casamir Runk coined the term vitamin
- Vita = life
- Amine = a type of nitrogen containing substance
- The first discovered vitamin was thiamin
- There are 13 known vitamins, plus 5 vitamin like substances
- It is unlikely that any new vitamins will be discovered - (babies and sick people can live on synthetic liquid diet?)
- A vitamin is a complex organic compound that regulates certain metabolic processes
- Cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by the body
- Occurs naturally in foods
- Deficiency disorder occurs if substance is missing from the body
- They do not provide any energy
- Vitamins are organic, but they differ from macronutrients:
- **Not metabolized for energy**
- Present in small amounts in foods
- Required in milligram and microgram amounts
- Because vitamins are organic
- They are subject to heat degradation
- Exposure to excessive heat, alkaline substances, light, and air can destroy certain vitamins
- **Water soluble vitamins can leach out of food and dissolve in cooking water**
# Fat Soluble Vitamins
- Fat soluble vitamins are **K, A, D, E**
- Found in lipid portions of the body
- Associate with lipids in the body
- **Digested and absorbed with fats
- Stored in the body
- Can cause toxicity
# Water soluble vitamins
- Water soluble vitamins are the **B-vitamins**: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, pantothenic acid, folate, biotin, vitamin B-12, and **vitamin C**.
- They dissolve in water
- **Very limited amounts are stored** with the exception of B-12
- **Kidneys will filter out excess water soluble vitamins**
- Less likely to be toxic
# Oxidization
- An *oxidizing agent* is a substance that removes electrons from atoms or molecules
- A *free radical* is a substance (C, H, O) with an unpaired electron
- Highly reactive, damages and destroys molecules
- **Antioxidants (Vitamin E, C)** are substances that **give up electrons to free radicals to protect cells**
# Vitamin Intake
- **Bioavailability** is the amount of a vitamin available for use in the body
- Factors that affect how available a vitamin is include:
- How long it takes the vitamin to pass through the intestinal tract
- Certain health conditions that affect the absorption of facts
- By cooking with a little bit of fat, you better absorb fat soluble vitamins from