NR 228 Quiz 1 Vitamins

NR 228 Quiz 1 Vitamins Latest 2023 / 2024 Nutrition Quiz 1 – 40 points completed correctly and uploaded on time

Name: Kennedy Polk

• Why are vitamins essential nutrients? (p. 8) Vitamins are essential nutrients because they assist other nutrients (e.g. the release of energy from carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins) in completing other processes (e.g. digestion, absorption, metabolism, and excretion).

• Since vitamins aid in assisting other essential nutrients in the body,

vitamins:

have an indirect role as catalysts for the body’s use of nutrients are REQUIRED for regulating body processes- each vitamin serves a specific function r/t regulation assist in other processes by aiding growth and repair of body tissues • What are phytochemicals and why are they valuable?

• Phytochemicals are nonnutritive plant substances that have been indicated to have

possible disease-fighting properties. (p. 105)

• Phytochemicals are valuable because they may assist in preventing or treating chronic

diseases (E.g. Diabetes, CAD, cancer, HTN, osteoporosis, arthritis, neural tube defects)

• By ingesting a variety of adequate amounts of whole foods (E.g. fruits, vegetables,

processed foods), these beneficial plant substances can aid in improving overall immune function, more readily get rid of cancer-inducing substances, decrease cholesterol levels in the blood, and reduce the spread of tumor cells in the body.(p. 107)

• Phytochemicals are also valuable because they are easily accessible and are more

easily accessed than other preventative measures that can be associated with high healthcare costs and/or medications → can have an extremely valuable role in disease prevention.

• What are the water-soluble vitamins?

• Water-soluble vitamins are one of the two classes of vitamins (that are divided by

solubility- the other being fat-soluble vitamins). (p. 10)

o Water soluble vitamins include:

• B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, cobalamin [B12], pyridoxine [B6],

pantothenic acid, and biotin)

• B vitamins function as coenzymes
• Choline is a part of a neurotransmitter and lecithin)
• Vitamin C → serves as an antioxidant & has coenzyme abilities
• What differentiates water-soluble vitamins from fat-soluble vitamins is that water- 1 / 2

soluble vitamins are easily absorbed into the blood circulation

• excesses are excreted
• toxicity is less likely to occur (but could occur w/ pyridoxine and vitamin C) (p.

121)

What are some benefits of these vitamins and what are some of the problems with them?

• Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed into the blood circulation
• excesses are excreted
• toxicity is less likely to occur (but could occur w/ pyridoxine and vitamin C) (p.

121)

Thiamin (B1):

• What is the old deficiency called and what does it mean?The old deficiency was previously called beriberi. It caused those who suffered from thiamin deficiency to have muscle wasting that Thai individuals that tried to stand and were not able to would say, “Beri, beri.” which translates to, “I can’t, I can’t!” (p. 105)

• Function of the vitamin:

The main function of thiamin is to serve as a coenzyme, a substance that is able to active an enzyme, in providing energy metabolism. Thiamin also has a role in nerve function related to muscle actions. (p. 105)

• Deficiency: A Thiamin (B1) deficiency alters the nervous, muscular, GI, and cardiovascular systems.

• If it becomes severe, in the chronic, severe case of beriberi, it is characterized by

ataxia (muscle weakness and loss of coordination), pain, anorexia, mental disorientation, and tachycardia.▪ Wet beriberi can manifest as edema that can affect the cardiac function by weaking the heart muscle and vascular system.▪ Dry beriberi affects the nervous system (produces paralysis and extreme muscle wasting ▪ Marginal deficiencies may occur and produce psychological disturbances, recurrent headaches, extreme tiredness, and/or irritability.

• Thiamin deficiency may develop in chronic alcohol users because of the decreased ↓

food intake and reduced ↓ intestinal absorption, as well as an increased body demand in the liver for thiamin in order to detoxify the alcohol that is consistently consumed. (p. 105) ▪ can also develop in HIV+ individuals or individuals receiving improper glucose solutions.

• Deficiency may cause loss of memory, extreme mental confusion, and ataxia (in

individuals that are chronic alcohol users)

• / 2