Study Guide 10b Vitamins and Minerals continued: Nutrients and Blood Cell
Production, Vitamin A, and Iodine
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?
1
Which individuals are at highest risk of developing a vitamin K deficiency? What are
preventive measures?
Overview of Nutritional Anemias
STAGES OF IRON DEFICIENCY
Global Malnutrition
Name three micronutrient deficiencies that often contribute to severe malnutrition worldwide.
.
-carotene and vitamin A
Contrast the usual food sources and potential toxicity of beta-carotene and vitamin A. Which
plant foods are the best sources of beta-carotene? What nontoxic effect might a high intake
of beta-carotene have on the body?
2
Describe vitamin A’s roles in the body (to the extent described in lecture) and identify some
notable effects of vitamin A deficiency. Explain why total blindness may result in advanced
vitamin A deficiency.
Define: retinol, rhodopsin, keratinization, carotenoids, lycopene, lutein, xerophthalmia
Iodine
Identify iodine’s role in the body. What processes are regulated by thyroid hormones?
Define: thyroxine
Identify the disorders that may result from iodine deficiency. What public health measure has
reduced the incidence of goiter in the United States?
List major dietary sources of iodine. Is sea salt a good source?
3