22 Questions
What is the primary function of Vitamin C in the body?
Essential for proper collagen formation
What is the primary cause of Kwashiorkor?
Deficiency of proteins in diet
What is a characteristic symptom of scurvy?
Bleeding in mucus membranes
What is the definition of malnutrition?
A disorder due to lack of adequate balanced diet
What is Marasmus?
A chronic deficiency in total energy intake
What is an example of secondary malnutrition?
A decrease in absorption of nutrients
What is the primary cause of obesity?
Excessive energy intake
What is the name of the disease caused by a lack of Vitamin B12?
Pernicious anemia
What is the primary function of vitamin A in the body?
Vision in dim light
What is the consequence of vitamin D deficiency in infants?
Rickets
Which of the following is a characteristic of fat-soluble vitamins?
They can be stored in the body
What is the primary source of vitamin E in the diet?
Vegetable oils
What is the consequence of vitamin A deficiency in the eyes?
Xerophthalmia
Which of the following vitamins is an antioxidant?
Vitamin E
What is the role of vitamin K in the body?
Promoting clotting and maintaining prothrombin level
What is the primary source of vitamin B1 (thiamine)?
Whole grain cereals
What is the result of a severe deficiency of vitamin B1?
Beriberi, characterized by loss of attention and cardiac symptoms
What is the function of vitamin B2 (riboflavin)?
Functioning in both carbohydrate and protein metabolism
What is the primary source of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)?
Liver, meat, fish, and cereal
What is the result of a severe deficiency of vitamin B6?
Convulsion and irritation
What is the role of intestinal bacteria in vitamin K synthesis?
They synthesize vitamin K in the intestinal tract
What is the name of the disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin K?
Hypoprothrombinaemia
Study Notes
Water Soluble Vitamins
- Vit B12 (cyanocobalamine) has a growth-stimulating effect and is found in whole grain cereals, liver, and produced by some microorganisms.
- Vit B3 (niacin) acts as a coenzyme and is found in whole grain cereals, excluding maize; its deficiency leads to pellagra (glossitis, gastrointestinal disturbance, and skin lesions).
- Vit C (ascorbic acid) is a constituent of all cells, essential for proper collagen formation, and required for normal wound healing; its deficiency leads to scurvy (bleeding in mucus membranes, bone and teeth).
Malnutrition
- Malnutrition is a disorder due to lack of adequate balanced diet; it can be primary (failure to eat a normal diet) or secondary (increased diet requirements, decreased absorption, or metabolic abnormality).
- Protein or energy malnutrition can lead to Kwashiorkor (protein deficiency) or Marasmus (chronic deficiency in total energy intake).
Kwashiorkor
- Symptoms include edema (moon face), ascites, and enlarged liver.
Marasmus
- Chronic deficiency in total energy intake results in starvation and underweight.
Vitamins
- Vitamins are organic compounds necessary for correct growth and health.
- They are divided into two groups: fat-soluble (A, D, E, and K) and water-soluble (B group and C).
Fat Soluble Vitamins
- Vit A is necessary for vision in dim light and is found in animal fats, liver, eggs, fish-liver oils, and yellow plants; its deficiency leads to night blindness, xerophthalmia, and hyperkeratosis.
- Vit D controls the deposition of calcium and phosphorus in bones and is found in exposure to direct sunlight, cod-liver oils, and synthesized by bacteria in the intestinal tract; its deficiency leads to rickets in infants and osteomalacia in adults.
- Vit E is an antioxidant, necessary for fertility, and is found in vegetable oils; its deficiency leads to habitual abortion, sterility, and menstrual disorders.
- Vit K is necessary for maintaining prothrombin levels and promoting clotting; it is synthesized by bacteria in the intestinal tract and found in many vegetables; its deficiency leads to hypoprothrombinaemia in newborns.
This quiz covers the functions and sources of water-soluble vitamins B12 and B3, including their effects on health and deficiency diseases.
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