Vitamins and Minerals

 

Vitamin

Function

Deficit

Water Soluble

 

 

B1 thiamine

Carbohydrate metabolism – big demand by nerve tissue; pyruvate ®acetyl CoA, oxidation of alcohol, synthesis of pentose sugars

Beriberi (polished white rice – lose bran and germ layers – we enrich rice in USA), Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

B2 riboflavin

Coenzymes FAD and FMN

Dermatitis; one of the most common vitamin deficiencies

Niacin (B3)

NAD+ and NADP; inhibits cholesterol synthesis

Pellagra after long deprivation (rare in US) 3 D’s: dementia, diarrhea, dermatitis – eventually death; excess can cause liver damage

Biotin

Coenzyme for carboxylation, decarboxylation, deamination reactions; essential for Krebs cycle reactions, formation of purines and nonessential amino acids, use of amino acids for energy, Neurotransmitter synthesis: serotonin, GABA, DOPA, norepinephrine

Dermatitis, fatigue

B6 pyridoxine

Amino acid metabolism, glycogenolysis, formation of antibodies and hemoglobin

Anemia in infants

Pantothenic acid (B5)

Coenzyme A; pyruvic acid ® acetyl CoA, fatty acid oxidation and synthesis, synthesis of steroids and heme of hemoglobin

Vague symptoms

B12

Red blood cell division in bone marrow, coenzyme in all cells

Pernicious anemia, requries intrinsic factor to be absorbed

Folate

RBC formation, amino acid synthesis, normal neural tube development

Anemia, spina bifida risk in newborns

C

Antioxidant, C.T. formation, conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, cholesterol to bile salts, enhances iron absorbtion

Scurvy, poor wound healing, poor tooth and bone growth

Fat Soluble

 

 

A

Photoreceptor pigment of rods and cones, integrity of skin and mucosa, antioxidant, resistance to bacterial infections

Night blindness, dry skin and hair, most prevalent vitamin deficiency in the world but toxic at high doses

D

Enhances calcium absorption, with PTH mobilizes calcium from bones; maintains blood calcium levels.

Rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults

E

Antioxidant

Rare/hemolytic anemia/nerve destruction

K

Formation of gamma-carboxy glutamate residues on clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X.

Easy bruising and prolonged bleeding times

 

 

Major minerals (> 100 mg daily)

Function

Calcium

Bones, teeth, muscle contraction, blood clotting

Sodium

Fluid and electrolyte balance and nerve impulse transmission

Chloride

Fluid and electrolyte balance

Potassium

Fluid and electrolyte balance and cell integrity; nerves and muscles

Phosphorus

Bones, teeth, ATP, metabolic intermediates, enzyme activation/deactivation, nucleic acids

Magnesium

Bone mineralization, muscle contraction, nerve impulses

Sulfur

Component of cysteine, makes disulfide bridges in proteins

 

 

 

Trace minerals < 100mg daily

Functions

Iron

Hemoglobin, binds oxygen, part of electron transport chain

Zinc

Cofactor of many enzymes, involved in taste, vitamin A transport, insulin action, wound healing

Iodide

Thyroxine

Copper

Oxidase enzymes (cytochrome C oxidase), electron transport chain, iron absorption and utilization

Fluoride

Increases hardness of bones and teeth

Chromium

Potentiates insulin activity, exposure to high levels of chromium dust associated with lung cancer

Selenium

Part of glutathione peroxidase, a synergistic antioxidant with vitamin E