Chapter 7
The Vitamins,
Minerals &
Water: A
Functional
Approach
 2010 Cengage-Wadsworth
Turning Back the Clock
Many vitamin deficiency diseases
have been eliminated in the last 100
year with the discovery of vitamins.
Within the last 10 years the research
on antioxidant vitamins is a hot
subject in nutrition research.
• Scurvy: the vitamin C deficiency disease
characterized by bleeding gums, tooth loss, and even
death in severe cases.
• Rickets: a disease that occurs in children as a result
of vitamin D deficiency and that is characterized by
abnormal growth of bone, which in turn leads to bowed
legs and an outward-bowed chest.
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The Vitamins
• Vitamin: an organic
substance needed in small amounts to
help performs various bodily functions,
promote growth & reproduction and
maintain health.
 Contrary to popular belief, vitamins do not
supply calories.
 They are essential to helping the body make
use of the calories consumed via foods.
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13 Vitamins
2 Classifications
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Solubility affects how a vitamin is
absorbed, transported & stored
Water Soluble
• Absorbed directly into
the bloodstream
where they travel
freely
• Excess water soluble
vitamins are removed
by the kidneys &
excreted in urine
Fat-Soluble
• More complex
absorptive process
• Carried in the blood
by special proteins
• Stored in the liver and
in fat tissue rather
than excreted.
• Do Not need to be
eaten daily
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Water-Soluble Vitamins
• Water-soluble vitamins act as coenzymes.
 Coenzymes: enzyme helpers; small molecules that interact
with enzymes and enable them to do their work.
• Water-soluble vitamins are fragile:
 Can be washed out or destroyed during food storage,
processing and preparation.
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The Minerals
• Inorganic compounds needed in small
amounts for the regulation, growth &
maintenance of body tissues & functions
• Do not contribute calories.
• Work with enzymes to facilitate chemical
reactions.
• Occurs naturally in the earth’s crust.
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Major minerals: occur in
large quantities in the body
and are needed daily in the
diet in large amounts.
Trace mineral: occur in
minute quantities and are
needed in smaller amounts
in the daily diet.
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The Antioxidant Nutrients
• Some chemical reactions in the
body involve the use of oxygen.
• These reactions create toxic
compounds called free radicals
(unstable O2 molecule.)
 Also, Formed from sun, pollutants and cigarette smoke
• These free radicals contribute to
cell damage and the development
of chronic diseases such as cancer
and heart disease.
 2010 Cengage-Wadsworth
The Antioxidant Nutrients
• Antioxidant nutrients are the
body’s defense against free radical
damage.
• Antioxidant nutrients (Phytochemicals
found in fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes)
include:
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
beta-carotene – orange pigment
Selenium
 2010 Cengage-Wadsworth
Phytonutrients in Foods
• Phytochemicals (FIGHtoe-CHEM-icals):
physiologically active
compounds found in plants
that are not essential
nutrients but that appear to
help promote health and
reduce risk for cancer, heart
disease, and other
conditions.
• Also called phytonutrients.
 phyto = plant
Cruciferous vegetables, such as
cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels
sprouts, contain nutrients and
nonnutrients that protect against
cancer.
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Nutrients for Healthy Blood
• Folate and vitamin B12 assist with
formation of new blood cells.
• Vitamin B6, zinc, copper, and iron
are associated with hemoglobin, the
compound that carries oxygen.
Anemia: any condition in which the
blood is unable to deliver oxygen to
the cells of the body. First signs are
tired and weakness.
• Vitamin K is needed for blood
clotting.
 2010 Cengage-Wadsworth
Nutrients for Healthy Blood
Folate and Birth
Defects
• Plays a crucial role in a
healthy pregnancy.
 Reduces the risk of spina
bifida – incomplete
closing of the casing
around the spinal cord.
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Nutrients for Healthy Bones
• Healthy Bones need:
• Vitamin D, K and A
• Calcium, phosphorus, Magnesium
• When calcium intakes are low,
trabecular bone releases calcium
into the blood
Bones undergo remodeling
throughout life but peak bone mass is
reached at about 30 years of age.
Weight bearing exercise prevents lose
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Nutrients for Healthy Bone
Electron micrograph of healthy
trabecular bone
Electron micrograph of trabecular
bone affected by osteoporosis –
adult bone disease.
 2010 Cengage-Wadsworth
Nutrients for Healthy Bones
Vitamin D
• The body can synthesize
vitamin D with the help
of sunlight. Sun exposure
of face, hands and arms for
5-15 minutes several times
per week will meet needs.
• Helps to make calcium
and phosphorus available
in the blood so these
minerals can be
deposited into bone.
Vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin
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Nutrients for Healthy Bones
Calcium Recommendations
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Water, Minerals, and Fluid Balance
• Water is essential for
life and health.
• Nutrient most
needed by the body.
• A combination of
hydrogen and
oxygen atoms.
• Makes up part of
every cell, tissue,
and organ in the
body.
• Accounts for about
60% of body weight.
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Water, Minerals, and Fluid Balance
• Water performs many
tasks vital to life.
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Water, Minerals, and Fluid Balance
• Sodium, potassium, and chloride are
examples of body electrolytes
• Maintaining healthy concentrations of
electrolytes is vital to life:
 Nerve-to-nerve communication
 Heartbeat
 Muscle contraction
• Electrolytes are lost in sweat, blood and
urine.
 Fluid losses must be replaced to prevent
dehydration and heat stroke.
 2010 Cengage-Wadsworth