GNUtrition: User's Manual | ||
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Vitamins are cofactors -- special molecules which support various biochemical reactions with in the body -- required only in very small amounts, and can be stored for extended periods. They are divided into two groups:
is used for light-detecting chemicals in the retina of the eye, and maintaining proper skin moisture and softness. In deficiency, poor night vision, hard and rough skin, and anaemia can occur. Vitamin A is also an anti-oxidant and protects against cancer.
regulates calcium. Deficiency leads to rickets (soft, malformed bones) in children. With adequate sunlight, the body can make its own vitamin D, so little or none is required by the diet. It is not included in the USDA database, and so not analysed by GNUtrition.
is a strong anti-oxidant: it destroys cancer-causing chemicals called @emph{free radicals}. No deficiency syndrome has been described.
is used by the liver to make special proteins, which circulate in the blood. When a person is injured, these proteins. help to form a clot. Intestinal bacteria can make vitamin K, however, it is also required in the diet, but in low amounts. It is not included in the database.
is used in making collagen, a tough protein that provides a ``glue'' holding cells together. Vitamin C deficiency, known as @emph{scurvy}, leads to easy bruising and bleeding, as lack of collagen weakens blood vessels. It also aids the absorption of of iron, and may be an anti-oxidant.
It is not a cure for the common cold.
is used in the biochemical processes by which cells obtain energy from sugar. Deficiency causes mental disturbance, clumsiness, and double-vision, which can occur in alcoholics, and in third-world countries.
are also important in energy utilisation by cells, by forming parts of different enzymes. Niacin deficiency causes @emph{pellagra}, characterised to dermatitis, diarrhoea, and dementia.
is used for processing of amino acids, deficiency causes a type of anaemia.
is used for the synthesis of DNA. Deficiency leads to anaemia. In pregnant women, higher intakes protects against neural tube defects in their children.
is also used for DNA synthesis, also leads to anaemia when deficient. Only available in animal sources, so strict vegans require supplementation.
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Macro nutrients | Up | Metals |