As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of • Cover pan and cook for a short period

a short period of time.

maliciousness, but as the servants of God. - 1 Peter 2:16

• Save cooking liquid for soups, stews, and gravy.

• Store in a cool, dark place.

NUTRITION LESSON 4: VITAMINS

Vitamin A
• Organic (carbon-containing) compounds that are Preformed (retinol)
essential in small amounts for body processes.
• Active form of vitamin A

• Do not provide energy.

Carotenoids
• Enable the body to use the energy provided by fats, • Inactive form of vitamin A found in plants

carbohydrates, and proteins.

• Megadoses can be toxic.

Functions of Vitamin A
• Organic compounds that regulate body functions and • Antioxidant; protects cells from destruction by
promote growth.
oxygen.

• Each vitamin has a specific function.

• Maintains healthy eyes and skin, normal growth and
• Well-balanced diet provides sufficient vitamins to fulfill reproduction, and a healthy immune system.

body requirements.
• Helps prevent infection.

• Fat soluble (4): A, D, E, K

• Water soluble (9):

Sources of Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
Preformed vitamin A (retinol) - Fat-containing animal
• Vitamin B complex which includes: thiamin (B ), 1
foods: liver, butter, cream, whole milk, cheeses

riboflavin (B ), niacin, vitamin B , folate, vitamin B

2 6 12
Carotenoids (provitamin A or beta-carotene) - Green leafy
(cobalamin), pantothenic acid, biotin

vegetables & fruits, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash,

spinach, broccoli, mango, cantaloupe, pumpkin

Requirements
• Vitamin allowances given by weight in milligrams (mg) Vitamin A Requirements
or micrograms (mcg or μg)

Commonly listed as retinol equivalents (RE)

• Dietary reference intake (replacing recommended A retinol equivalent is 1 μg retinol or 6 μg beta-carotene

dietary allowance)

• UL–tolerable upper limits–maximum level of daily

What are the signs and symptoms you may expect to see
intake unlikely to cause adverse effects

with too much vitamin A?

…too little?
Vitamin Deficiency
Excess

People prone to vitamin deficiency

• Birth defects, hair loss, dry skin, headaches, nausea,

• Alcoholics
dryness of mucous membranes, liver damage, and
• Poor and incapacitated elderly
bone and joint pain

• Clients with serious diseases that affect appetite

Deficit

• Mentally retarded
• Night blindness; dry, rough skin; increased
• Children receiving inadequate care
susceptibility to infections; and blindness or
xerophthalmia

Deficiency of Fat-soluble Vitamins

Chronic malabsorption diseases
Vitamin D
• Cystic fibrosis
• Prohormone–converted to a hormone in the body.

• Celiac disease

• D (ergocalcifenol) is formed in plants.

2
• Crohn’s disease

• D3 (cholecalciferol) is formed in humans from

Avoiding Vitamin Loss cholesterol in the skin.

• Buy fresh, unbruised vegetables and fruits and use

them raw when possible.
Sources of Vitamin D
• Prepare fresh vegetables and fruits just before • Sunlight

serving.
• Milk, fish liver oils, egg yolk, butter, fortified
• Heat canned vegetables quickly and in their own margarine

liquid.
• Most milk in the U.S. has 10 μg of vitamin D
• Follow package directions when cooking frozen concentrate added per quart.

vegetables or fruit.

• Steam, or use as little water as possible.

Vitamin D Requirements Vitamin K

Newborns through 51 years
• Made up of several compounds essential to blood
• 5.0 μg (200 IU)
clotting.

51-70 years
• Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
1
• 10.0 μg (400 IU)

70+ years
• Vitamin K2 (menaquinone)
• 15.0 μg (600 IU)
• Synthetic Vitamin K (menadione)
Pregnant and lactating women
• Vitamin K is destroyed by light alkalis.

• 5.0 μg (200 IU)

Functions of Vitamin K
What are the signs and symptoms you may expect to see • Formation of prothrombin; clotting of blood

with too much vitamin D? • Candidates likely to receive Vitamin K

…too little? • Newborns immediately after birth

Excess
• Clients who suffer from faulty fat absorption

• Deposits of calcium and phosphorus in soft tissues, • After extensive antibiotic therapy

kidney and heart damage, and bone fragility

• Antidote for an overdose of anticoagulant

Deficit
• Clients being treated for hemorrhage

• Poor bone and tooth formation, rickets which causes

malformed bones and pain in infants
Sources of Vitamin K
• Osteomalacia (softening of bones)
• Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage,
• Osteoporosis (brittle, porous bones)
spinach, and kale.

• Dairy products such as eggs, meats, fruits, and

Vitamin E cereals.

Tocopherols • Bacteria in small intestine synthesizes some vitamin

• Alpha (most biologically active)
K but must be supplemented by dietary sources.

• Beta, delta, gamma

Tocotrienols Vitamin K Requirements

Measured in micrograms.

Functions of Vitamin E 0-6 months

• Antioxidant
• 2 μg/day

• Prevention of hemolytic anemia among premature 6-12 months

infants
• 2.5 μg/day

• Enhance immune system

Men

• Retard spoilage of commercial foods

• 120 μg/day

Women (same during pregnancy or lactation)

Sources of Vitamin E • 90 μg/day

• Vegetable oils: corn, soybean, safflower, and

cottonseed, and products made from them such as What signs and/or symptoms can result from too much
margarine
vitamin K?
• Wheat germ, nuts, green leafy vegetables
… too little?
Excess

Vitamin E Requirements • Anemia can result from excessive amounts of

Given as α-TE (alpha-tocopherol equivalents)
synthetic vitamin K

1 mg of α-TE = 1 IU
Deficit

• Defective blood coagulation, which increases clotting

Your client asks you if it is possible to take too much time and makes client prone to hemorrhage

vitamin E. How would you advise the client?

What signs and/or symptoms can result from too little Vitamin B Complex: Thiamin
vitamin E? Thiamin B
1
Excess

• Essential for nerve and muscle action, and metabolism

• Relatively nontoxic, fat-soluble vitamin. Excess of carbohydrates and some amino acids.

stored in adipose tissue. Avoid long-term

• Sources include unrefined and enriched cereals, yeast,
megadoses.

wheat germ, lean pork, organ meats, and legumes.

Deficit

• Average adult female requires 1.1 mg/day.

• Serious neurological defects can occur from

• Average adult male requires 1.2 mg/day.

malabsorption.

• Deficiency symptoms include loss of appetite, fatigue,

nervous irritability, and constipation.
• Sources include poultry, fish, liver, kidney, potatoes,
• Beriberi is a disease caused by extreme deficiency of bananas, spinach, and unrefined whole grains (oats
vitamin B .
and wheat).

1
• Deficiency symptoms include irritability, depression,
Vitamin B Complex: Riboflavin and dermatitis.

Riboflavin B
2
• Deficiency in infants can cause various neurological
• Necessary for: the metabolism of carbohydrates, symptoms and abdominal problems.

protein, and fats; tissue maintenance (especially the • Toxicity is rare; may cause temporary neurological
skin around the mouth); and healthy eyes.

• Sources include milk, meats, poultry, fish, enriched problems.

breads, cereals, broccoli, spinach, and asparagus.

• Measured in milligrams.

• Average adult female requires 1.1 mg/day.

• Average adult female requires 1.3-1.5 mg/day.

• Average adult male requires 1.3 mg/day.

• Average adult male requires 1.3-1.7 mg/day.

• Deficiency can result in cheilosis (a condition • Need increases as protein increases.

characterized by sores on the lips and cracks at the • Oral contraceptives interfere with metabolism of
corners of the mouth); glossitis (inflammation of the vitamin B and can result in a deficiency.

6
tongue); dermatitis; and eye strain in the form of
itching, burning, and eye fatigue.

Vitamin B Complex: Folate

Vitamin B Complex: Niacin • Folate, folacin, and folic acid are chemically similar
compounds, and names are used interchangeably.

• Generic name for nicotinic acid and nicotinamide.

• Needed for DNA synthesis, protein metabolism,

• A coenzyme in energy metabolism.
formation of hemoglobin.

• Sources include meats, poultry, fish, peanuts,

• Sources include cereals fortified with folate, green
legumes.

leafy vegetables, legumes, sunflower seeds, fruits

• Milk and eggs are sources of tryptophan (precursor).
such as orange juice and strawberries.

• Measured in niacin equivalents (NE).

• Measured in micrograms.

• 1 NE = 1 mg of niacin or 60 mg of tryptophan (an • Average adult female requires 400 μg/day.

amino acid that is a precursor of niacin).

• Average adult male requires 400 μg/day.

• Average adult female requires 14 mg/NE.

• Increased need during pregnancy and growth.

• Average adult male requires 16 mg/NE.

• 600 μg/day required one month before conception

• Excessive amounts of niacin may cause flushing due through first six weeks of pregnancy.

to vascular dilation, GI problems, itching, and liver

• Deficiency linked to neural tube defects in fetus such
damage.

as spina bifida (spinal cord or spinal fluid bulge

• May be used as a cholesterol-lowering agent under through the back) and anencephaly (absence of the
close supervision of a physician due to adverse side brain).

effects, which include liver damage and peptic

• Other signs include inflammation of mouth and
ulcers.

tongue, poor growth, depression and mental

• Deficiency symptoms include weakness, anorexia, confusion, problems with nerve functions,
indigestion, anxiety, and irritability.
megaloblastic anemia.

• Pellagra is an extreme deficiency causing sores on

the skin, diarrhea, anxiety, confusion, irritability, poor • Excess can mask vitamin B deficiency and
12
memory, dizziness, and untimely death.
inactivates phenytoin, an anticonvulsant drug used
by epileptics.

Vitamin B Complex: B • FDA limits amount in over-the-counter supplements

6 to:

• 100 μg for infants

• Pyridoxine, pyridoxal, pyridoxamine

• 300 μg for children

• Essential for protein metabolism and absorption, and • 400 μg for adults

aids in release of glucose from glycogen.

• Serves as catalyst in conversion of tryptophan to Vitamin B Complex: B

12
niacin; helps synthesize neurotransmitters such as
serotonin and dopamine.

• Cobalamin–contains mineral cobalt.

• Stored in body three to five years.

 • Sources include citrus fruits, melon, strawberries,

• Involved in folate metabolism, maintenance of the tomatoes, potatoes, red and green peppers,
myelin sheath, and healthy red blood cells.
cabbage, broccoli.

• To be absorbed, must bind with intrinsic factor in • Average female adult requires 75 mg/day.

stomach. Pernicious anemia may result from loss of

• Average male adult requires 90 mg/day.

• intrinsic factor.
• Stress and cigarette smoking increase need.

• Sources include animal foods, especially organ

meats, lean meat, seafood, eggs, dairy products.
What disease results from a deficiency in vitamin C?
• Average adult requires 2.4 μg/day.
What are the associated signs and/or symptoms?
• Increased need during pregnancy and lactation.
What results from excess?
• Amount absorbed will depend on current need.
• Scurvy: disease characterized by gingivitis, easy
• Deficiency is rare and may be due to congenital bruising, pinpoint hemorrhages of the skin, poor
problems of absorption or years of a vegetarian diet wound healing, sore joints and muscles, weight loss.
with no animal foods.
Extreme cases result in death.

• Symptoms inclued megaloblastic anemia, pernicious • Found in sailors who lived without fresh fruits and
anemia (if intrinsic factor absent), anorexia, glossitis, vegetables.

sore mouth, tongue, pallor, depression, dizziness, • Deficiency of Vitamin C: bleeding gums, loose teeth,
weight loss, neurological system damage.
tendency to bruise easily, poor wound healing,
scurvy.

Vitamin B Complex: Pantothenic Acid • Excess: diarrhea, nausea, cramps, excessive

absorption of food iron, rebound scurvy (when
• Involved in metabolism of carbohydrates, fats,
proteins.
megadoses are stopped abruptly) and possibly
oxalate kidney stones. Generally considered
• Essential for synthesis of neurotransmitter
nontoxic.

acetylcholine and steroid hormones.

• Sources include meats, poultry, fish, eggs, whole

grain cereals, and legumes.
Vitamin Supplementation
• Thought to be synthesized by the body.
• Balanced diet provides nutritional needs of healthy
people.

• Food and Nutrition Board has provided an estimated

intake of 5 mg a day for normal adults.
• No amount of vitamins will build muscles.

• Toxicity from excess not confirmed.

• Vitamins do not provide energy; they help to release
the energy provided by nutrients.

• Natural deficiencies unknown.

• Heart disease, cancer and the common cold cannot

• Signs include weakness, fatigue, burning sensation in
be cured by vitamin supplements.

feet (deficiencies produced experimentally).

• Vitamin B Complex: Biotin

- Discussed by Sir Aquino -

• Coenzyme in synthesis of fatty acids and amino

acids.
Copyright © 2003 Delmar Learning, a Thomson Learning
company

• Sources include liver, egg yolk, soy flour, cereals,

yeast.

• Synthesized in intestine by microorganisms, amount

available for absorption unknown.

• Food and Nutrition Board suggests adequate intake

of 30 μg for adults.

• Toxicity from excess unknown.

• Deficiency symptoms include nausea, anorexia,

depression, pallor, dermatitis, increase in serum
cholesterol.

Vitamin C
Ascorbic acid
• Has antioxidant properties and protects food from
oxidation.

• Role in formation of collagen.

• Aids in absorption of nonheme iron.

• May be involved with formation or functioning of

norepinephrine, some amino acids, folate,
leukocytes, the immune system, allergic reactions.

NUTRITION LESSON 5: MINERALS

• Hair loss and changes in blood, hormones, bones,
muscles, blood vessels, and nearly all tissues may
• Human body made up of specific chemical elements.
result.

• Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen make up • Concentrated minerals only if prescribed.

96% of body weight.

• Remaining elements, minerals, represent 4% of body Major minerals

weight.
Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride

• Minerals are essential for good health.

• Inorganic elements are necessary to build tissues, Calcium (Ca)

regulate body fluids, and assist in various body
functions.
Human body contains more calcium than any other
• Found in all body tissues.
mineral.

• Cannot provide energy by themselves.

• 99% found in skeleton and teeth

• Contribute to production of energy within the body.

• 1% found in blood

• Enriched foods are foods to which nutrients, usually

B vitamins and iron, have been added to improve Calcium: Functions

their nutritional value.
• In combination with phosphorus, gives strength and
• Megadoses of minerals are dangerous.
hardness to bones and teeth.

• Minerals are necessary to promote growth and • Bones provide storage for calcium.

regulate body processes.

• Needed for normal nerve and muscle action, blood
• Originate in soil and water and ingested via food and clotting, heart function, and cell metabolism.

drink.

• Deficiencies can result in anemia, rickets, and goiter.

Calcium: Regulation
• Excess can be toxic resulting in hair loss and • Hormonal system regulates delivery of calcium to
changes in nearly all body tissues.
cells.

• Every cell needs calcium and normal blood calcium

Classification levels are maintained even if intake is poor.

Major minerals • Parathyroid glands release a hormone telling the

• Required in amounts greater than 100 mg a day
kidneys to retrieve calcium before it is excreted when
Trace minerals blood calcium levels drop.

• Needed in amounts smaller than 100 mg a day

• This hormone, works with calcitriol causing increased
release of calcium from bones by stimulating activity
Electrolytes of osteoclasts.

Ions • Both actions increase blood calcium levels.

• Electrically charged atoms resulting from chemical • Bones become increasingly fragile as calcium is
reactions
withdrawn from them.

• Positively charged called cations

• Osteoporosis may result from years of low calcium
• Negatively charged called anions
intake.

• Must be balanced within body

• Osteoblasts increase bone mass if blood calcium
level is high until one is age 30-35 years old.

• These ions are known as electrolytes

Maintain the body’s fluid balance, contribute to electrical • Bone mass will remain stable in women until
balance, assist in transmission of nerve impulses and menopause with adequate consumption of calcium,
contraction of muscles, help regulate the body’s acid- phosphorus, and vitamin D.

base balance.

Calcium: Sources
What is the best way to receive an adequate intake of • Milk and milk products

minerals? • Dark green, leafy vegetables

A balanced diet is the only safe way of including minerals • When vegetables contain oxalic acid, as spinach and
in the amounts necessary to maintain health!
Swiss chard do, the calcium remains unavailable
because the oxalic acid binds it and prevents it from
Toxicity being absorbed

• Toxicity occurs when concentrated forms of minerals • Fiber

are taken regularly over time.

• When the intake of fiber exceeds 35g a day, calcium
will also bind with phytates (phosphorus compounds
• Excessive amount of one mineral may lead to
deficiency of another mineral.
found in some high-fiber cereal), which also limits its
absorption

Enhances absorption of calcium • Protein-rich foods such as milk, cheese, meats,

• Vitamin D
poultry, and fish.

• Calcium-to-phosphorus ratio that includes no more • Cereals, legumes, nuts, soft drinks

phosphorus than calcium

• Presence of lactose
Phosphorus: Requirements
Retards absorption Adequate Intake

• Lack of weight-bearing exercise

0-6 months 100 mg

6-12 months 275 mg

Calcium: Requirements Estimated Average Requirements

0-6 months 210 mg

1-3 years 380 mg

6-12 months 270 mg

4-8 years 405 mg

1-3 years 500 mg

9-18 years 1,055 mg

4-8 years 800 mg

19-70+ years - 580 mg

9-18 years 1,300 mg

Pregnant and lactating women - Same as for
19-50 years 1,000 mg
nonpregnant and nonlactating women

51-70+ years 1,200 mg

Pregnant women
Phosphorus: Deficiency
• 14-18 years - 1,300 mg
• Deficiency is rare.

• 19-50 years - 1,000 mg

• Excessive use of antacids affect absorption.

Lactating women same as nonlactating women of same • Symptoms of deficiency include bone
age
demineralization (loss of minerals), fatigue, and
anorexia.

Calcium: Supplements
• Calcium carbonate, form found in calcium-based Potassium (K)
antacid tablets, has highest concentration of • Found primarily in intracellular fluid.

bioavailable calcium.
• Essential for fluid balance and osmosis.

• Appear to be absorbed most efficiently when • Maintains fluid level within the cell.

consumed in doses of 500 mg.

• Necessary for transmitting nerve impulses and
• Check for USP-approved products, which are muscle contractions.

unlikely to contain lead.

Potassium: Sources
Calcium: Deficiency • Fruits–especially melons, oranges, bananas, peaches

• Rickets results in poorly formed bone structure and • Vegetables–mushrooms, brussel sprouts, potatoes,
causes bowed legs, “pigeon breast”, enlarged wrists tomatoes, winter squash, lima beans, carrots

or ankles, and stunted growth.

• “Adult rickets” (osteomalacia) causes bones to Potassium: Deficiency

become soft.
Hypokalemia

• Tetany, characterized by involuntary muscle • Caused by diarrhea, vomiting, diabetic acidosis,

movement, results from insufficient calcium in blood.
severe malnutrition, or excessive use of laxatives or
diuretics

Calcium: Excess • Symptoms of deficiency include nausea, anorexia,

Excessive intake may:
fatigue, muscle weakness, heart abnormalities

• Cause constipation

• Cause kidney stones

Potassium: Excess
• Inhibit the absorption of iron and zinc
Hyperkalemia

• Caused by dehydration, renal failure, excessive

Phosphorus (P) intake

• Constituent of all body cells.

• Cardiac failure can result

• Necessary for the formation of strong, rigid bones

and teeth; metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and Sodium
proteins; proper acid-base balance; and effective • Primary function is the control of fluid balance in the
action of several B vitamins.
body.

• Stored in bones, absorption is increased in the • Maintains acid-base balance.

presence of vitamin D.
• Participates in the transmission of nerve impulses
essential for normal muscle function.

Phosphorus: Sources
Sodium: Sources
• Table salt contains 40% sodium.
Magnesium: Requirements
• One teaspoon of table salt contains 2,000 mg of Adequate Intake

sodium.
0-6 months 30 mg

• Naturally available in animal foods.

6-12 months 75 mg

Boys and girls 1-3 years 80 mg

Sodium: Requirements 4-8 years 130 mg

0-5 months 120 mg

9-13 years 240 mg

6-11 months 200 mg

Boys 14-18 years 410 mg

1 year 225 mg
Girls 14-18 years 360 mg

2-5 years 300 mg

Men 19-30 years 400 mg

6-9 years 400 mg

Women 19-30 years 310 mg

10-18 years 500 mg

Men 31-70+ years 420 mg

> 18 years 500 mg

Women 31-70+ years 320 mg

Pregnant women 14-18 years 400 mg

Sodium: Deficiency 19-30 years 350 mg

• Caused by severe vomiting, diarrhea, and heavy 31-50 years 360 mg

perspiration.
Lactating women 14-18 years 360 mg

• Can upset the acid-base balance.

19-30 years 310 mg

• Tetany due to alkalosis may develop.

31-50 years 320 mg

Sodium: Excess Magnesium: Deficiency

• May cause edema and resulting hypertension.
• Deficiency among people on normal diets is
• Associated with hypertension and congestive heart unknown.

failure.
• Experimentally induced symptoms include nausea,
• Treatment includes sodium-restricted diets; 3-4g (no- mental, emotional, muscular disorders.

added salt, or NAS) or 1-2g sodium-restricted diet.

Diets below 1g rarely prescribed.
Sulfur (S)
• Necessary to all body tissue and is found in all body
Chloride (Cl) cells.

• Essential for maintenance of fluid, electrolyte, and • Contributes to the characteristic odor of burning hair
acid-base balance.
and tissue.

• Found in hydrochloric acid, cerebrospinal fluid, and • Necessary for metabolism.

muscle and nerve tissue.

• Component of some amino acids.

• Helps blood carry carbon dioxide to the lungs and is • Found in protein-rich foods.

necessary during immune responses when white • Neither the amount of sulfur required by the human
blood cells attack foreign cells.
body nor its deficiency is known.

• Found almost exclusively in table salt or in foods

containing sodium chloride.

Trace minerals
• Estimated minimum requirement for normal adults is Iron, Iodine, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese,
750 mg a day.
Fluoride, Chromium, Molybdenum

• Deficiency is rare.

• Can occur with severe vomiting, diarrhea, excessive Iron (Fe)

use of diuretics, and alkalosis.

• Delivers oxygen to body tissues.

• Component of hemoglobin.

Magnesium (Mg)
• Component of myoglobin, a protein compound in
• Vital to both hard and soft body tissues.
muscles that provides oxygen to cells.

• Essential for metabolism.

• Utilized by enzymes that are involved in making
• Regulates nerve and muscle function.
amino acids, hormones, and neurotransmitters.

• Plays a role in the blood-clotting process.

Iron: Sources
Magnesium: Sources • Meat, poultry, and fish are the best sources of iron.
• Found primarily in plant foods.
Animal flesh contains heme iron, which is absorbed
• Green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains, more than twice as efficiently as nonheme iron.

some fruits (avocados and bananas)

• Milk in sufficient quantities

 • Nonheme iron is found in whole grain cereals,

enriched grain products, vegetables, fruit, eggs, • RDA for adults is 150 μg a day.

meat, fish, and poultry.

• Additional amounts needed during pregnancy and
lactation.

Factors that Affect Iron Absorption • Lack of iodine results in decrease in thyroxine and
Increase
triiodothyronine.

• Acid in the stomach

• Gland grows, forming a lump on the neck called a
• Heme iron
goiter.

• High body demand for red blood cells (blood loss, • Myxedema is a condition of hypothyroidism in adults.

pregnancy)Increase
• Cretinism is low thyroid in a child; retards physical
• Low body stores of iron
and mental development.

• Meat protein factor (MPF)

• Vitamin C
Zinc (Zn)
Decrease
• Cofactor for more than 300 enzymes.

• Phytic acid (in fiber)

• Essential for growth, wound healing, taste acuity,
• Oxalic acid
glucose tolerance, and mobilization of vitamin A
• Polyphenols in tea and coffee
within the body.

• Full body stores of iron

• Sources include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products,
wheat germ, and legumes.

• Excess of other minerals (Zn, Mn, Ca)

• Some antacids
• RDA for normal adult males is 11 mg.

• RDA for normal adult females is 8 mg.

Iron: Requirements • Increased requirements during pregnancy and

lactation.

• Men lose approximately 1 mg/day.

• Symptoms of deficiency include decreased appetite,

• Women lose approximately 1.5 mg/day.

taste acuity, delayed growth, dwarfism,

• RDA for men is 10 mg, and for women age eleven hypogonadism, poor wound healing, anemia,
through childbearing is 15 mg.

acnelike rash, impaired immune response.

• RDA doubled during pregnancy; difficult to meet by

diet alone.

Selenium (Se)
• Iron supplement commonly prescribed during
pregnancy.
• Constituent of most body tissues.

• Concentrated in liver, kidneys, and heart.

• Heavy need during infancy and teens.

• Component of an enzyme that acts as an antioxidant,

thereby protecting cells against oxidation and sparing
Iron: Deficiency
vitamin E.

• Caused by insufficient intake, malabsorption, lack of

• Sources include seafood, kidney, liver, muscle meats.

stomach acid, or excessive blood loss.

• RDA for adult male is 70 μg.

• Most common nutrient deficiency worldwide is iron-

deficiency anemia.
• RDA for adult female is 55 μg.

• Selenium supplements appear to be effective in

• Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, irritability,
treating Keshan disease

shortness of breath, pale skin, and spoon-shaped

fingernails.
• High doses are toxic causing vomiting, loss of hair
and nails, and skin lesions.

Iron: Excess
Copper (Cu)
• Hemochromatosis is a condition due to an inborn
error of metabolism and causes excessive absorption • Found in all tissues; heaviest concentration in the
of iron.
liver, kidneys, muscles, and brain.

• Untreated, can damage liver, spleen, heart.

• Helps in formation of hemoglobin; aids in transport of
iron to bone marrow for the formation of red blood
• To control buildup of iron, patients with this condition
cells; and participates in energy production.

must give blood on a regular basis.

• Sources include organ meats, shellfish, legumes,
nuts, cocoa, whole grain cereals, and human milk.

Iodine (I)
• No RDA; NRC’s estimated safe intake for adults is
• Component of thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and 1.5-3 mg/day.

triiodothyronine (T3).

• Deficiency is rare.

• Necessary for the normal functioning of thyroid

gland, which determines rate of metabolism.
• People with malabsorption conditions and gross
protein deficiency such as premature infants; clients
• Sources include iodized salt, seafood, and some on long-term parenteral nutrition programs lacking
plant foods grown in soil bordering the sea.

 copper; and people taking excess zinc supplements Molybdenum (Mo)

are candidates for deficiency.
• Constituent of enzymes, and thought to play a role in
• Anemia, bone demineralization, and impaired growth metabolism.

may result.
• Sources include milk, liver, legumes, and cereals.

• Excess is highly toxic.

• Safe and adequate daily intake for adults is 45 μg.

• Single dose of 10-15 mg can cause vomiting.

• No deficiencies noted.

• Wilson’s disease is an inherited condition causing • Excess inhibits copper absorption.

damage to liver cells and neurons. Detected early,

copper-binding agents may be used to bind copper - Discussed by Sir Aquino -

in bloodstream and increase excretion.

Copyright © 2003 Delmar Learning, a Thomson Learning
company

Manganese (Mn)
• Constituent of several enzymes involved in
metabolism.

• Important in bone formation.

• Sources include whole grains, tea, vegetables, and

fruits.

• Adequate intake is 2.3 mg for men and 1.8 mg for

women.

• No deficiency/toxicity from ingestion known.

• Inhalation linked to neurological problems.

Fluoride (F)
• Increases resistance to dental caries, and may
strengthen teeth and bones.

• Sources include fluoridated water, fish and tea.

Commercially prepared foods with fluoridated water.

• Deficiency can result in increased tooth decay.

• Excess can cause discoloration or mottling of

children’s teeth.

Fluoride: Requirements
0-6 months .01 mg

6-12 months 0.5 mg

1-3 years 0.7 mg

4-8 years 1.0 mg

9-13 years 2.0 mg

Boys 14-18 years 3.1 mg

Girls 14-18 years 3.0 mg

Males 19+ years 4.0 mg

Females 19+ years 3.0 mg

Pregnant and lactating women - Same as nonpregnant

and nonlactating women of same age

Chromium (Cr)
• Associated with glucose and lipid metabolism.

• Levels decrease with age except in lungs, where

chromium accumulates.

• Sources include meat, mushrooms, nuts, yeast,

organ meats, and wheat germ.

• Safe and adequate daily intake for men is 35 μg and

women 25 μg

• Deficiency related to disturbances in glucose

metabolism.