Principles of Nutrition: Qui* 8

Chapter 10: The Water-Soluble Vitamins

1. The second vitamin to be discovered was designated vitamin ____. This vitamin can cure a thiamin-deficiency disorder, known as ____, that is characteri*ed by muscle weakness, loss of appetite, nerve degeneration, and sometimes edema. All the eight B-vitamins participate in ___ ____.

2. How can food be best prepared to retain the greatest amounts of vitamins B & C?

3. Why is it better to eat whole-grain products?

4. Vitamin B-1, now known as ___, functions as the coen*yme thiamin pyrophosphate or, _ _ _, in the metabolism of carbohydrates and branched-chain amino acids.

5. The classic thiamin-deficiency disease, ___, has afflicted ___-eating populations for centuries. In Sinhalese, it means “_ ___, _ ____.” This is because the disease impairs the ___, ___, ___, and ____ systems. The clinical signs of the disease can be observed in only __ days on a thiamin-free diet.

6. In Western countries, thiamin-deficiency disease is most common in ____ and is known as ___-___ ____. Ocular motor signs; ____, a staggering gait; and deranged mental functions characteri*e it. The disorientation, listlessness, memory loss, and other symptoms, including alcohol withdrawal, are due to ____ __ ___ ____.

7. Overall, ___, ____, and ___-___ products make the greatest contribution of thiamin to the diet of the U.S. adult.

8. Previously known as vitamin B-2 is ____. A deficiency of this water-soluble vitamin will cause inflammation of the tongue (___), cracking of tissue around the corners of the mouth (___), seborrheic dermatitis, inflammation of the mouth (___) and throat, various eye and nervous disorders, and confusion. This deficiency develops after about ___ months on a diet free of the vitamin. Exposure to ___ causes this vitamin to break down very rapidly.

9. Vitamin B-3 is now known as ____. This vitamin functions as a coen*yme of at least 200 reactions in cellular metabolic pathways, especially those that produce ____. A deficiency of this vitamin was first described by a Spaniard physician named Casal in 1735 and called ___ __ __ ___, or “red sickness”. A red rash appears in areas of the skin exposed to ____, especially around the neck. The disease has since been renamed ____, meaning “rough skin.” The effects of pellagra are the four Ds- ___, ___, ____, and finally ____.

10. In 1955, it was discovered that megadoses of ___ ___, one of the two forms of niacin, could reduce blood _____, slow and even reverse the progression of ______. What are the adverse effects associated with such megadoses?

11. What are the 6 main functions of Vitamin B-6 in the body?

12. What are the symptoms of Vitamin B-6 deficieny?

13. Intakes of just 2 to 6 grams of vitamin B-6 per day for ___ or more months can lead to irreversible ___ damage. This toxicity is most commonly seen in ___ ___ and women attempting to treat themselves for ____.

14. ____ is readily converted to the basic coen*yme form tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA). Because THFA is needed for ___ synthesis, folate deficiency may be induced during a common form of cancer therapy, such as the use of the drug _____. This reduction in DNA synthesis can halt the growth of cancer cells, but adversely affects normal body cells that are rapidly dividing, such as ____ cells and ___ ___ cells.

15. Folate, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 play roles in keeping ____ concentrations in the blood under control. High homocysteine concentrations are associated with high rates of ___ ___. It is believed that high homocysteine levels in the blood cause damage to blood vessels, especially veins. ____ (blood clots) form in the arteries and veins at the sites of the damage and lead to ____ and heart attacks.

16. The weakness and tiredness associated with folate deficiency are caused by ____ (or ____) anemia. Precursor cells of red blood cells (____) lack sufficient DNA for normal division. The cells remain in a large, immature form, known as ___. The ever decreasing amounts of normal red blood cells decreases the ____-carrying capacity of the blood. Because people store folate in the body, it takes _ to __ weeks of a folate-free diet for a deficiency to cause changes in red blood cell formation.

17. A maternal deficiency of folate and a genetic predisposition have been linked to the development of ___ ___ ___ in the fetus. These defects include a spinal cord or spinal fluid bulge through the back known as ___ ___. Children born with this disease exhibit ___, ____, ____, and ___ ___. The defects of folate deficiency also include the absence of a brain known as ____. All women of childbearing age should consume adequate amounts of folate because neural tube closure begins ___ days after conception and is completed by day ___, a time when many women are not aware that they are pregnant.

18. All vitamin B-12 compounds are synthesi*ed exclusively by ___, ___, and ___. The only reliable source of the vitamin for humans is ___ ___. Vitamin B-12 is essential for ___ ___ ___ formation and proper ___ function. A vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to a secondary ___ deficiency.

19. The inability to absorb sufficient vitamin B-12 can lead to ____ anemia, literally meaning “leading to death”. It is usually fatal in 2 to 5 years of initial diagnosis if not caught early. Clinically, the disease looks like a folate-deficiency anemia. Victims also experience ____ degeneration, which is eventually fatal. Neurological complications produce sensory disturbances in the legs as tingling and numbness, ___, which are worse in the lower legs. “___ ___” is affected, making walking difficult. Mental problems such as a loss of concentration & memory, disorientation, and dementia develop. Eventually, ___ and ___ control is lost.

20. Most animals are capable of synthesi*ing their own supply of vitamin C. Which animals must obtain vitamin C from dietary sources?

21. Vitamin C performs a variety of important cell functions, primarily by acting as a nonspecific ____ ____. Vitamin C will donate electrons to highly reactive compounds, in the process becoming ____.

22. Vitamin C can both donate and accept hydrogen atoms readily. It is a reducing agent, or ____, because it can reverse oxidation. Together with vitamin _, it works as a free radical scavenger.

23. From pages 395-400, list the 6 major functions of vitamin C.

24. A deficiency of vitamin C prevents the normal synthesis synthesis of collagen, causing widespread changes in connective tissues throughout the body. This disease is called _____. Within 20 to 40 days of a vitamin C-free diet, the first symptoms of ____ and _____ _____ appear. A classic sign of connective tissue failure, bleeding in the ___ and ____, then appears. Further effects include impaired ___ ___, ___ ___, ___ and _____. Psychological problems, such as ____, occur with advanced scurvy.