Antioxidant:

Food Sources

Deficiency
manifestations/ (RDI) to
prevent such deficiency

Vitamin A
(Fat soluble)
(anti-infective)
Liver, egg yolk, butter, whole
milk. Dark green and yellow
vegetables, carrots, sweet
potatoes, and many other
fruits
Causes of Vitamin A
Deficiency:
-inadequate intake
-poor intestinal absorption
(low fat diet, absence of bile
as in biliary obstruction, sprue
dysentery
-inadequate conversion of
provitamins A (liver disease

Vitamin C
(water soluble Vitamin)
(Ascorbic Acid, Anti-Scorbutic)
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: ex Parsley, broccoli, bell pepper,
strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale,
mustard greens, and brusel sprouts

Vitamin E
(fat soluble)
(anti-sterility *animals)
(anti-hemorrhagic)
Green plants containing considerable amounts of vegetable
oils (richest natural source), wheat germ oil (Highest
concentration)

Early Manifestation: Epistaxis (Nose Bleeding)

-increased susceptibility of RBC to hemolysis

Scurvy: Failure in the formation and maintenance of

interceullular materials:

In man: a megaloblastic type of anemia develops due to

increased hemolysis of red blood cells

Swelling of the costochondrol junctions: Scorbutic rosary

-Liver necrosis (deficiency in combination of Vitamin E +

Selenium)

Splinter hemorrhages: rupture of the nails

-Muscular dystrophy
Iron Deficiency

Eye manifestations:
-early symptoms: nyctalopia
or night blindness
-photophobia: Xerosis
conjunctivae (bitots spots,
xerosis cornea
-Xeropthalmia
-Corneal Ulcers
keratomalacia (pus and
blood) eye rupture
blindness
-Cessation of growth
-dryness and scaliness of skin,
Toad Skin
RDA: 5000ru, 525 RE/day for
adult males
450 RE/day for adult females

RDA: 100 Milligrams Daily, best utilized by the body if

taken in divided doses, preferable with each meal (3 hours
apart) other say 2,000mg 9,000 mg
-Depending on the amount of stress on the body the required
amount will increase

In animals: failure of gestation in females, testicular

degeneration in males (permanent sterility), muscular
dystrophy (degenerative changes in the muscles skeletal and
smooth muscles, leading to necrosis, edema, inflammation
and fibrosis, then weakness and paralysis), changes in nervous
tissue (degeneration of nerve cells)
RDA: 25mcg of Selenium/ 200 units of vitamin E increases
Vitamin Es potency
RDA for Canada: 6-10 mg of alpha-tocopherol
equivalents/day for adults
RDA for US: 7-13 mg on a balanced diet supplying 18003000 kcal

(additional 25 RE/day)
(1 RE= 1ug of retinal, 6 ug of
beta-carotene, and 12 ug of
other carotenoids)

Toxicity/ Adverse effects

Role in infection and

immunity

Hypervitaminosis A:
-Painful joints
-periostal thickening of long
bones
-loss of hair
-headache
-weakness
-loss of appetite
-hepatosplenomegaly
-serious liver damage
-keeps the integrity of the skin
(epithelial tissues)
-smoothness and moisture will
serve as a barrier to protect the
body
without vitamin A =
increased susceptibility to
infection of the respiratory
tract, drying and cracking of
skin allows for easy entry of
various infections and cancer
-cells of the kidney medulla
may cornify and renal calculi
forms
- atrophy of the germinal
epithelium in males (sterility)
-ducts of glands may become
blocked and the glands

When using vitamin C beyond RDA

-Stomachaches
-diarrhea
-Hindrance of metabolic activities

Short term: minimal side effects

Long term: possible increase in mortality and incidence of
heart failure

Taking of 10g of vitamin C per day to inhibit the enzyme

needed for cancer metastasis to take place, but can lead to
-Hyperacidity
-aids in preventing many types of viral and bacterial
infections (potentiates the immune system)

Effective in:
-releiving deficiency symptoms in diseases characterized by
fat malabsorption (must be given parenterally)
-hereditary blood diseases like thalassemia and sickle cell
anemia (red cell hemolysis or abnormal structure)

atrophy (fatal)

Role in cardiovascular
disease and cancer

Role in Stress, Aging and

wound Healing

-anti-cancerous vitamin

Maintenance of the integrity

of the epithelial tissues
(salivary glands, tongue,
pharynx, respiratory tract,
genitourinary tract, eyes)
-keeps the integrity of the skin
-development of bones and
teeth
-role in growth
related to the synthesis of
the mucopolysaccharides and
chondroitin sulfate
-control of cell differentiation
and turnover
regulation, growth,
development and
differentiation

-anti-cancerous
-helps lower the incidence of blood clot formation in veins
-prevents the formation of various cancer-causing substances
(nitrosamines)
*at least 1gm of vitamin C has been shown to block the
nitrosamine formation in the human body
Factors that affect vitamin C requirement: severe burns,
surgical procedures, chronic infections, bacterial toxins.
-Collagen formation
-Vitamin C involved in the reaction of the body to physiologic
stress
-Bone formation
-Prevention of Atherosclerosis
-no vitamin C = impaired wound healing

-anti-cancerous
Possibly effective in: cancer prevention, tumor prevention in
animals, retrolental fibroplasias and possibly intraventricular
hemorrhage in preterm infants on oxygen therapy
-radical (cancer causing agent) scavenger:
converts radicals
-anti-aging vitamin
the radical theory is the most accepted theory on aging
slows down aging process
-Maintains integrity of the RBC membrane
-Maintains integrity of muscles
-together with selenium, vitamin E prevents liver necrosis