BIOD 121 (portage) Module 4: Vitamins and Minearls Questions and Answers with complete solution

itamins - organic compounds that the body needs in small amounts, almost exclusively obtained through the diet. Function of vitamines? - help regulate and support a variety of processes related to digestion, absorption, metabolism, and body regulations. Yield no energy: - vitamines Vitamins are important for: - growth and maintenance of our bodies How many essential vitamins are there? - 13 known Essential Vitamins: - found in both plant and animal sources, and the majority cannot be synthesized by the human body. Exceptions to vitamins that do not have to be consumed by in the diet: - Vitamin K and biotin (produced from gut flora in the GI tract), and vitamin D which is synthesized in the skin through sunlight Two vitamins can be produced through precursors: - Vitamin A can be produced after we consume food containing beta carotene, and niacin can be produced when we consume foods containing the amino acid tryptophan. Organic compounds must meet 2 criteria in order to be considered a vitamin: - 1) enough of the compound must be consumed in the diet to maintain health 2) symptoms of deficiency occur in the absence of the compound, resulting in declining health, but is restored when the deficiency is corrected