Section 5: Nutrition and Antibiotics Flashcards
(245 cards)
Vitamins are a…
Micronutrient
Micronutrients - role
Play a vital role in human metabolism since they’re involved in almost every known biochemical reaction and pathway
Synthesising vitamins - animals
Higher animals have lost the capacity to synthesise vitamins during the course of evolution
Vitamins: Biosynthetic pathways - complexity
Can be complex, leading to the suggestion that it’s biologically more efficient to ingest vitamins than to synthesise the enzymes required to construct them from simple molecules
This efficiency comes at a cost of dependence on other organisms for chemicals essential for life
Macronutrients
Carbs, fats, proteins
In humans, the catabolism of macronutrients to supply energy is an important aspect of nutrition
Micronutrients
Vitamins and minerals
Either our bodies can’t synthesise them or they can’t synthesise them in amounts sufficient for our needs –> must obtain vitamins from dietary sources
Vitamins are necessary for…
Metabolic processes
Vitamins - amount
Required in small amounts, i.e. µg to mg
Vitamins are the building blocks for…
Larger molecules
Vitamins - energy yield
Don’t yield energy when degraded
Humans require at least __ vitamins in their diet
12
By contrast, E. Coli only require glucose and organic salts, and make everything else they need
Vitamins - groups
Water-soluble:
Vitamin B group
Vitamin C
Fat-soluble: Vitamin A Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin K
Water soluble vs fat soluble vitamins - structure
Water soluble: highly variable in structure
Fat soluble: structurally similar - all isoprenoid compounds
Water-soluble vitamins
Structural variation Functional uniformity Require modification for function - precursor molecules (except vitamin C) Carry mobile metabolic groups; - activated carriers - function as coenzymes (vit B) Readily excreted Easily degraded - don't tend to build up easily in the cell
Fat soluble vitamins
Structurally more similar
Functionally diverse - vit A and D more like hormones
Not easily absorbed from food sources - more difficult to get in sufficient quantity
Generally not activated carriers / coenzymes
Can be toxic in excess (vit A)
Almost all activated carriers are derived from _______
Vitamins
Activated carriers: ATP - group carried and vitamin precursor
Group carried: Phosphoryl
Vitamin precursor: not a vitamin precursor
Activated carriers: NADH and NADPH - group carried and vitamin precursor
Group carried: e-
Vitamin precursor: Nicotinate (niacin) - vitamin B3
Activated carriers: FADH2 - group carried and vitamin precursor
Group carried: e-
Vitamin precursor: Riboflavin - vitamin B2
Activated carriers: Coenzyme A - group carried and vitamin precursor
Group carried: acyl
Vitamin precursor: Pantothenate - vitamin B5
Activated carriers: Tetrahydrofolate - group carried and vitamin precursor
Group carried: 1C units
Vitamin precursor: Folate - vitamin B9
Many of the B vitamins are _________
Activated carriers
What is an activated carrier
A molecule that carries a group that is then transferred to other molecules/groups
B vitamins: Riboflavin (B2) - coenzyme, typical reaction type, consequences of deficiency
Coenzyme: FAD
Reaction: ox-red
Consequences: cheilosis and angular stomatitis (lesions of mouth), dermatitis