Vitamins - Fat Soluble Flashcards
Vitamin A:
- Vitamin A is needed for good eyesight (especially night vision), growth, a healthy immune system and skin - it’e also an antioxidant (see next page).
The main source is retinol, which is found in liver, butter, oily fish and eggs, but it can also be made from carotene (found in margarine and orange or yellow fruit and veg)
Too much over time can weaken bones, and foods containing very high levels (e.g. liver) should be avoided during pregnancy.
Too little can lead to night blindness, a weaker immune system and stunted growth.
The NHS recommends 0.7 mg of vitamin A for men and 0.6 mg for women each day.
Vitamin D:
Vitamin D helps the body absorb various minerals, including calcium,
which is important for the development of healthy bones and teeth.
It’s found in oily fish and egg yolks and is also produced when skin is exposed to sunlight.
Too much vitamin D makes you absorb too much calcium - this can lead to kidney damage.
Too little can lead to bone diseases like osteomalacia (where bones become soft), rickets and osteoporosis (where bones become brittle, see p.15).
The NHS recommends 0.01 mg of vitamin D a day, although in summer most of us should be able to get enough through natural exposure to the sun.
Vitamin E:
Vitamin E is important because it keeps skin and eyes healthy as well as improving our immune sustem - as an antioxidant it may protect us from free radicals (see next page).
It’s found in leafy greens (e.g. spinach and kale), broccoli, nuts, vegetable oils and wheat germ.
Too much can interfere with blood clotting, cause nausea and blurred vision.
Too little is rare but leads to weak muscles and problems with sight.
The NHS recommends 4 mg of vitamin E for men and 3 mg for women each day.
Vitamin K:
Vitamin K helps clot blood, heal wounds and maintain our immune system and bones.
If’s found in leafy greens, cereals and vegetable oils, plus some meats and dairy foods.
There is no ‘excessive’ level of vitamin K.
Having too little is extremely rare in adults, but it can cause uncontrolled bleeding in newborns.
The NHS recommends a daily intake 0.001 mg of vitamin K for every kg of body weight.
Vitamins A, D, E and K are Fat-Soluble:
1)Fat-soluble vitamins are found in fatty food (o.g, meat, fish, animal-based products and vegetable oils).
2) There are four fat-soluble vitamins you need to know about - meet vitamins A. D, E and K: (on other flashcards)
3) Any fat-soluble vitamins that aren’t used up by the body are stored in fat tissue for future use. This means that we don’t necessarily need to take in the same amount of each vitamin every day.
4) However, we need to be careful that we don’t build up an excess of these vitamins. This is unlikely to occur through a balanced diet - the main risk comes through multivitamin supplements (see p.66).
