Micronutrients & Bioactive Compounds

should someone take this Vit C supplement for a cold?

-comes into body and filter a lot out in urine; tradeoffs?: money; no physical harm?

-supplements not regulated like food; x11 RDA (men); halfway to UL (so prob safe)

-dif nutrition status and time indoors w/ dif seasons

-Immune +: added Vit D

-*astrik: doesn’t mean couldn’t provide immune support, just not enough evidence

-Article Antartica Study: did or didn’t get Vit C product; Results- no dif between groups, but physical labor group’s cold was ½ day shorter (other study also not powerful)

-Own Marquette Study: baseline level? Dif length of sickness? How incentives? Determine?

Reminder of Micronutritents

-Vitamins and Minerals

-No kcals

-mg or micro grams of something/can’t see (vs macro=g and can see)

Micronutrients on Nutrition Label

-Listed required nutrients: Ca and Iron always on, Vit D and Potassium added (nutrients hard for Americans to get though diet)

• Ca, Vit D, Iron, K

-actual amounts declared (always had %)

Estimated Sources of Calories in US Diet: Micronutrient analysis

-added sugar: no micro

-refined grains: if enriched flour get B-vit, otherwise low-quality w/ regards to micro

-potatoes, whole grains, and other carbs: have micros, but thin wedges (~100 kcal for fruits and veggies?)

-protein and fat: dairy=micro

***Americans don’t have a rich diet in micronutrients

Case Study: How limiting diets restrict vitamins and minerals

-Boy was tired and a fussy eater, otherwise healthy

-test found macrocytic anemia (low O2 carrying capacity bc B12 deficiency/not bc iron) and low vit B12, but no antibodies for intrinsic factor (allows B12 absorb) or tissue transflutaminase (like celiac disease/something wrong w/ gut/bad absoprtion)

-treated with vit B12 injections and dietary advise (eat less fat, more fruits and veggies)

Results

-permanent hearing and vision loss

-he only ate the same 5 foods

-extreme levels some things, deficiency in others (expected)

Analysis

-cells still functioning, but not normal (function at dif rates)

-tired bc physiology distorted by his diet

what micronutrients are in these foods?

-squash, peppers, black beans or quinoa

-mushrooms, sour cream, wild rice or beef

-think: would it make a nice dish?

-if eat a diversity of whole foods, vitamins and minerals generally come along for the ride

*processed meats: hard to determine nutrition just by looking

micronutrients function

-Process regulators (of many things)

• regulating enzymes/their rates

  • minerals incorporated into enzymes; ex: Mg and Thiamin/B-vit in mito (decarboxylate so go to Krebs)

-structural

• bones high mineral base (Ca, iron, P, selenium)

• and repository for minerals (ex: put lot Ca in blood → osteoporosis)

elements=

minerals

Micro DRI’s

*don’t have to memorize, but have sense of what micro’s are in food groups (ex: Ca in dairy)

-most are RDA’s (vs AI)

-some change in units overtime

-Vit D RDA: what need if no sunlight (some people can just get from sun; Milwaukee in winter not enough so need from food, can store in body)

-”ND”=no upper limit; lot of water soluble vitamins (bc easily filtered into urine)

Fat Soluble Vitamins

ADEK

-better absorbed when consume fats

-can be stored

*hang out more/absorbed in fat tissue (so have more UL, but the UL are lower than water-soluble)

Water Soluble Vitamins

-Vitamin B’s (8)

*collection; # based on when discovered

-Vitamin C

-Travel freely in blood (don’t have to be bound to anything)

-Excess excreted (why lot don’t have as many UL, or the UL they have is higher than fat soluble)

*ex: 1 B-vit gives off bright color in urine

true or false: we generally absorb minerals well

false

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit A

-Vision/skin

• Vit A in rods, light sensing pigment (“eat carrots→ good night vision”)

• “heatlhy skin” (DNA regulator, medication acutane)

-yellows/oranges/reds/greens

• common in low-fat foods (fruits and veggies; B-caratine)

• sweet potato, red bell pepper, pumpkin

• leafy greens like spinach or kale (chlorpihille covers up)

-toxicity issues

• 1 nutrient of concern (especially w/ supplements; why on meds for short time; not bc of B-caratine)

• UL low for Vit-A

Beta Caratine

-Becomes Vit A in your body; body regulates how much convert (*dif compound than Vit A; Vit A harder to find in diet)

-In fruits and veggies

*supplements have Vit A itself (not B-caratine)

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit D

-Ca & immune

• acts on GI to regulated/improve Ca absorption (also promotes break down of bones to promote Ca release from bones)

  • Lot of Ca in blood promotes building up of bone, thus “need Vit D for strong bones”

• regulates/supports immune; binds with WBC and excites or quiets them

-sunlight!/seafood/fortified: dairy, products

• less pigment (lighter skin)=less time to make Vit D; further from the equator= higher rhumotoidarthritis, type I diabetes, MS, and autoimmune; thus don’t need from food

• high in Vit D (evol further from coast=ligther skin); dif levels depend on what fish eat (ex: farmed salmon lower levels)

• not a good source unless fortified; where Americans get most Vit D

*other “products”=Ken’s mushrooms, more UV light increase Vit D (but not in active form)

Vit D sources

-sunlight/UV light

-food or supplements

How does Vit D get to its active form?

1. Slap an OH onto last carbon in the liver (still not active yet…)

2. Slap another OH onto the first carbon in the kidneys → and is now active)

*thus, if kidney or liver failure, may have Vit D deficency; Vit D based on cholesterol; steps 4 and 5 in picture

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit E

-antioxidant

• added to lots of foods to preserve (so don’t go rancid)

-oils/nuts/avocado/butter

• in oily foods in general; ex: chicken oil

• supplements in gel capsule w/ oil

*aka “tocopherol”

Free Radical vs. Antioxidant

-Free Radical: unstable molecule missing an electron and looking to steal one (so the stable molecule becomes a free radical; chain reaction)

*problem: what if stable molecule becoming a free radical is in the middle of transcribing a gene? what if it alters a protein?

-Antioxidant: has an electron to donate to free radicals to stop their process

*but still want certain amounts of free radicals, just not all the time (thus diet rich in antioxidants helpful); ex: when exercise, free radicals allow adaptations and better decision making

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit K (1 and 2)

Vit K1

-blood clotting

• want to balance clotting (*slower=more easily bruise?)

-greens

• ex: spinach, cabbage, kale

Vit K2

-bone metabolism

• helps get Ca into bone

-microbiota

• fermented foods high in K2; “probiotics”(where add microbiota to the foods you eat)

• microbiota can convert K1→ K2 in body; thus leafy greens can help you get K1 and K2

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit B’s

-energy metabolism (synthesis AND catabolism)

• ex: NAD and FAD

-many

• collection; each do dif things

• from many sources (not hard to find; not a lot of UL)

what 2 vitamins work together to do DNA synthesis?

Folate (B9) and Vit B12

-deficient either= anemia= low O2 carrying capacity

*dif kinds of anemia, ex: CO poisoning, iron, B12 or folate deficient

Vitamins Function and Source: Folate

*is a B Vit (B9)

-DNA synthesis (cell growth)

• including RBC (at ends of long bones)

-leafy greens/fortified

• Law late 90’s: if grain is enriched or fortified, you have to include folate

  • bc deficiency → NTD; law decreased NTD by 33%; thus most notable vitamin in prenatal vitamins

-NTD

• spine doesn’t close around the spinal cord; CSF leaks out

• not common, but law helpful (but not everyone consumes foods with it)

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit B12

-Works in tandem with folate to do DNA synthesis (cell growth)

-found only in animal products

• unless fortified plant products

  • but “if eating whole foods, and exclusively plant based → B12 deficency”

Vitamins Function and Source: Vit C

-Antioxidant/collagen fxn

• diminishes free radical excessiveness

• involved in enzyme processing making collagen; collagen is the most prominent protein in the body

  • Vit C deficient= “Scurvy”, w/ bleeding gums a symptom

-increase iron absorption

-fruits and veggies (pretty common)

Summary photo of Vitamins various functions in the body

-antioxidants and free radicals

-B-vitamins and energy metabolism

-Vit B12 and Folate w/ RBC

Choline

-most recently added RDA (25 years ago)

-most common source= egg yolks

-choline becomes acetylcholine (neurotransmitter) by adding an acetyl group to choline

-Phosphatidylcholine= FA + FA + Phosphate + choline

• common in cell membranes (like a phospholipid); allows water and fat to interact (emulsification)

• ex “Lecithin”: in chocolate/candy coating and palm oil (so don’t melt), and mustard (so salad dressing doesn’t separate)

*side note: Ken’s pink chocolate bc fermented do dif pH

Table: how low of kcal total and still get RDA for all vitamins?

-mainly whole foods; amount= 100% RDA for all vitamins

-If eat 2000kcal/day and don’t hit the RDA, bc of empty calories

*Broccoli: Vit A and C; Maragrine: Vit E; Grape-nuts (minimally processed); Tuna: Vit D; *notice the milk is fortified

Mineral Function and Source (general)

-16+ essential minerals (unsure of trace levels)

-many functions (*not just for the skeleton)

-wide variety of sources (high in whole foods; more refined= lose minerals)

-low absorption (maybe 25%? but some absorb better than others)

Sodium

-goal <2300mg (~1tsp; most Americans eat 5000mg)

• generally recommend low Na, but some people more salt sensitive than other

• lions share from processed foods; so recommend salt shaker bc then likely cooking, and Na on surface of food and can taste it more

-hypertension

• if Na sensitive

• “DASH Diet”= low NA (if salt sensitive)

Potassium

-joining bottom of facts panel

• Americans have hard time reaching the RDA

-improves BP

• higher K= lower BP (bc of Na/K pump?)

Calcium

-osteoporosis

• Ca deficient= higher risk

• to prevent: weight bearing exercise, nutrition, lifestyle

-supplementing???

• studies find it doesn’t prevent fractures, even if taken with Vit D (actually showed moderate increase risk of CV events likely bc Ca not to bones and instead goes to arteries); funny that Vit K never even mentioned

• in academia, do research but not telling people of this risk

Iron

-RDA higher for women (18 vs 8 mg/day)

-Women RDA higher in reproductive years

-higher RDA for pre-teens and teens bc growing

*can put “iron fish” so leach iron into food while cook

study: effect of Vit D supplementation on musculoskeletal health

-does not prevent fracture or falls

-no differences between high and low doses

-little justification to use Vit D supplements

-Conclusion: this should be reflected in clinical guidelines, but takes a long time for clinicians to change their behaviors

Effects of Vitamin and Mineral Status on Physical Performance

-while know restricted effects restricted macros, limited info about impact of micronutrients

-physical active people generally meet recommendations (bc eating more, so less challenging to meet the RDA)

-when less than recommendation, some impairments occur; acute or short deprivation doesn’t impact performance; found sever deprevation folate and B12 results in anemia and decreased endurance

-iron deficiency with or without anemia (bc myoglobin in muscle and mito impacted, so Hb normal but ETC sagging) impairs muscle function and limits work capacity

-supplementation does not improve performance for those w/ adequate diets

-weight and aesthetic sports prone to nutrient deficiencies bc they restrict their intake

Individual Variation and Personalized Medicine

*think of genetic and functional variation

-Study: untrained people did single-arm bicep curls, looked to see if it increased their cross-sectional area

-Study Results: most people 15-20% increase (“hyper responders; bc more sensitive, genes turned on and off?), but some people had no change or got even smaller (“non responsive”; bc not consuming enough protein?)

-everyone is different/variation between people! think of variation to optimize health. we all react to differently to different stimulus

*Senior Center Study: exercise or not; error bars narrow suggest similar increases in exercise group that got more muscle strength, non-exercise group no change muscle strength (but still made sure to provide them w/ social component so didn’t feel left out)

Study: “Stop Wasting Money on Vitamins and Mineral Supplements”

*research doesn’t bare anything out

->50% of the US pop takes supplements

-in well-nourished (“insurance policy” /realtively healthy people) for chronic disease prevention

-nutrient status?

-increase needs? (for “normal people)

-misdirect from focus on diet? (we evolved to eat food, not supplements; supplements don’t come w/ anything else)

-Megadose? (not good); Daily? (instead randomly or on weekend? save $)

Position of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on Supplements

-Not recommended given lack of available scientific evidence

*certify’s RD’s

Study: Multi-Vitamins/Supplements “Bening Prevention or Potentially Harmful Distraction?”

-Set-up: >50% adults take supplements; lots of $

-The Appeal: people hear claims and think they will prevent chronic disease

-The Take Away: Waste money, and may be potentially harmful distractions (should focus more time on PA, cooking, “lower-risk and higher benefit activities”)

Study: Risk of mortality and supplements

-found not associated with benefits, but rather higher risk of mortality

*yet people still use; could be bc people who know they are sick take supplements to hopefully improve their status (and thus are in poorer health)

Study: Nutrients from food vs. supplements

-Nutrients from food, NOT supplements, liked to lower risks of death and cancer (getting same nutrients, so about how getting the nutrient)

-food is a complex thing w/ interactions that’s more likely to provide health benefits

Too much of a good thing? Green Tea Case Study

-16yr old girl looking to lose weight

-consumed green tea extract 3x/day

-developed ghondis (liver not clearing); acute hepatitis, no drugs or alcohol

-off tea for 48 hrs → got all better

-tea had something else in it, or was really condensed

Too much of a good thing? Antioxidants and Lung Cancer

-recruited people with higher risk of lung cancer

-gave them Vit A/E or not (Vit A also has antioxidants)

-Results: beta carotene made people 5% more likely to have cancer (beta caratine causing the cancer itself)

-what causes cancer? antioxidants?

Too much of a good thing? oxidation and cancer

-Vit E associated w/ higher prostate cancer

-mouse study: injected mouse with skin cancer cells in the HPV, and antioxidants or not; mice who got antioxidant injection more likely to have metastasis

-other studies showed same results w/ oxidative stress and pro-oxidant

*antioxidants causing cancer?

too much of a good thing? key takeaways

-don’t label food as “good” or “bad”; think more about what context it’s coming in

-where go for health? (know deficiency)

-cancer cells are unstable, have dif metabolism (do more glycolysis), and generate lots of free radicals (which target immune system to damage the cancer cell???)→ do antioxidants stabilize free radicals?

Fish vs. Fish Oil Supplements (+Inuit people)

-from fish, seems protective/beneficial

Fish Oil Supplements

-10% of the pop

-Not protective for CAD (increase risk of a-fib; bc of oxidation/rancidity?)

-might increase risk of prostate cancer

-JAMA: surprise major publications show no benefit, but this has no effect on supplementation rates

Inuit

-live near the Artic circle area

-they consume a lot of omega 3’s and don’t have much prostate cancer

• bc?: have uncommon gene mutations that down regulate omega-3 amount in blood

Case Study: acute hepatitis from common energy drink

-50 yrs old; anorexic and other health problems

-consumed 4-5 energy drinks daily for 3 weeks

-labs showed remarkable results: serum folate and Vit B12 levels exceeded quantifiable limits

*too much of a good think can be a problem!

Supplement videos

-”Doctor Show”: no evidence supplements prevent disease or common cold; influence from 1 guy/chemist (Pauling)

-Comedian: Twinkies regulated, but supplements not regulated the same

-Dr. Oz: “magic weight loss pill”, but later said need proper diet and exercise; more people wrote about supplement bill than Vietnam war

*Key Takeaways: not everybody is deficiency and thus not everybody needs supplements; healthy (not enough evidence saying healthy people should take supplements; personalized medicine) vs unhealthy; if get the RDA no deficiency; what is the optimal Vit D level? (know low Vit D= lower health, such as higher immune problems)

how are supplements regulated by the FDA?

-need to put what’s in the supplement on the label (no lieing)

-not evaluated before heading to the market

-FDA only gets involved and investigates if problems/complaints occur after

3 paragraphs: Regulating the Dietary Supplement Industry- taming of the slew (+RFK Jr)

-for over a decade there has been a call for change, bc so many people use supplements, yet still have no change

*Side note RFK Jr (head of HHS, which FDA is a part of; strong supporter of supplements)

Bioactive Compounds

-biochemical compounds from plants

-things in food, not on nutrition labels

-phytochemicals

Phytochemicals + examples

-Informally known as “nutraceuticals”; compounds active in plants

-Carotenoids: pre-cursor Vit A; antioxidant properties (megadose → cancer?)

• lycopene: red compound in tomatoes/ketchup, watermelon

-Bioflavonoids: gives colors to berries/“supper foods”; plants make for themselves for protection (from UV light, pest, etc.)

• Anthocyanin

• Resveratrol: concentrated in skin of red grapes and wine; “helpful” bc extends life, but only in simple animal models

• Phytoestrogen: in soybeans; gives subtle estrogen like effects

-Alkaloids

• caffeine: coffee, chocolate, green and black tea

• capsaicin: chili peppers; spicy/hot experience and flavor

*greens powder do have antioxidants, but evidence to be “healthy” not strong

*physiology expects these compounds vs artificial flavors/dyes (dif dose antioxidants, should expose self and let them have their effects)

Bioactive Compounds Special Topics

-epigenetic impact of cruciferous vegetables

-statins + grapefruit

-info in food from campus

-epigenetic impact of cruciferous vegetables (*if flower) on cancer prevention: regulated cell activity to minimize chance of cancer

-statins + grapefruit: 50%M and 49%F >65yrs take, lowers LDL chol; does grapefruit phytochemical turn off enzymes in the liver that are involved in detoxification? (would cause statin to circulate in higher levels bc liver can’t break it down)

-evaluating the phytochemicals for anti-cancer effects (NOT the fiber, omega-3’s, etc.)

seek diversity…

-so get a wide range of exposure, even in just 1 group

Diet Analysis of Vitamins and Minerals

-list the items in which you didn’t meet the RDA (more concerned if further away)

*look for green, “okay”, etc.

-What foods might you actually eat to improve these potential deficiencies? (eat what enjoy and have access to)

*oils: low in minerals, but high in Vit E; low fat diet=low in fat soluble vit’s? K+ common to be under RDA for (why on panel)