Study Guide 10b Vitamins and Minerals II: Nutrients and Blood Cells
Blood
Describe the functions of blood. What percent of blood volume is composed of red blood
cells?
Anemia
Define anemia and list its signs and symptoms. Describe the laboratory tests used in anemia
diagnosis. Which measure is helpful for determining if the anemia is due to a nutritional
deficiency?
Identify nutrient deficiencies that may lead to microcytic or macrocytic anemia. Why do these
changes in cell size occur?
Iron
Identify iron’s role in hemoglobin synthesis.
Where is most of the body’s iron located? Which organ stores iron? Identify the storage and
transport proteins for iron.
What role does copper have that is relevant to iron metabolism? Explain how a copper
deficiency can lead to iron-deficiency anemia. Define: ferrous iron, ferric iron
Identify food sources of heme iron and nonheme iron. Which type of iron is more
bioavailable?
Explain how these factors may affect nonheme iron bioavailability: meat content of the diet
(MFP factor), hydrochloric acid, vitamin C, phytates, oxylates, tannins, calcium supplements.
Iron deficiency: which individuals are at risk of iron deficiency, and why?
Iron toxicity: Why are young children often victims of iron toxicity?
Define and characterize hemochromatosis. How is this condition treated?
Folate and vitamin B12
List the main functions of folate and vitamin B12 and describe the consequences of nutrient
deficiency for each vitamin.
List food sources for folate and vitamin B12.
Folic acid: why are breads and cereals now enriched with folic acid? (What condition may
enrichment prevent?) Define: spina bifida
Vitamin B12: why are vegans at increased risk of deficiency?
Describe the process required for B12 absorption. Describe the roles of intrinsic factor and
the ileum in B12 absorption.
Describe pernicious anemia and identify the potential effects of the disease. What age group
most often develops this problem? Explain why high intakes of folic acid in the diet can mask
the development of pernicious anemia.
Vitamin K
Identify vitamin K's role in the body and identify the effects of deficiency. Where in the body
is some vitamin K produced? What organisms synthesize it?
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Which individuals are at highest risk of developing a vitamin K deficiency? What are
preventive measures?
Overview of Nutritional Anemias
STAGES OF IRON DEFICIENCY
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