Vitamins and minerals

minerals

inorganic ions in the body, levels and needs vary dependent on species, age, stage, and level of production. They enable enzyme reactions for metabolism and help maintain water and acid-base tissues

macro

occur above 100 ppm in body tissue

trace

occur below 100 ppm

key macro minerals for structure and regulation

calcium and phosphorus build strong bones and magnesium helps enzyme driven reactions

key marco minerals for fluid and acid-base balance

sodium and potassium control body water distribution and chlorine helps maintain pH balance and fluid stability

key macro minerals for structural proteins

sulfur supports keratin formation

list of macro minerals

calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, sodium/chloride

key trace minerals for oxygen and metabolism

iron enables heme function, and iodine is requied to build thyroid hormone

key trace minerals for enzymes

copper and iron are electron carriers, zinc, manganese, selenium, and molybdenum

list of trace minerals

chromium, cobalt, copper, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, zinc

vitamins

classified by solubility and are organic compounds that support metabolism

fat soluble vitamins

A, D,E, and K

water soluble vitamins

B complex vitamins, choline, and vitamin C

functions of vitamins

act as metabolic enablers by acting as cofactors to run key pathways, some nutrients become vitamins after conversion in the body

Calcium and phosphorus

both are stored in the skeleton, phosphorus is stored as phosphate and they are bound together and move together

calcium can also be found

in the blood as ionized Ca or protein or lipid bound

phosphorus is built into

DNA, RNA and phospholipids

Calcium and phosphorus deficiency

rickets (in young animals, causes bent limbs, enlarged joints and lameness), osteomalacia (in adults, softening of bones) and Milk fever

calcitonin

when blood calcium rises this hormone signals the fall and pushes Ca out via urine, slows osteoclast activity

parathyriod hormone

when blood calcium falls this hormone restores the levels quickly and increases kidney Ca retention, more bond reabsoprtion and activates vitamin D for absorption

plants convert

ergosterol to vitamin D2 after UV exposure

animals convert

7-dehydrocholesterol to vitamin D3 with UV light

when producing active vitamin D in the body

the liver adds a hydroxl to make 25-hydroxy D3 the main blood form, then the kidney adds another hydroxl creating active vitamin D hormones

functions of vitamin D

active vitamin D increases intestinal uptake of Ca and P, promotes reabsorption reducing urinary loss of Ca and P, and supports osteoclast activity to release Ca and P

functions of vitamin B12

produces deoxyribonucleotides, propionate metabolism in ruminants, needed to convert methylmalonyl CoA to succinyl CoA in gluconeogenesis

vitamin B12 deficiency

causes wasting disease because without progression of propionate to glucose, animals are starved of glucose

Cobalt

vitamin B12 is synthesized by the rumen microbes and contains cobalt, adequate dietary cobalt helps microbes produce enough B12

Vitamin E

a fat-soluble vitamin in the tocopherol family, it shields polyunsaturated membrane fats from oxidation and embeds in membranes

vitamin E deficiency

impairs reproduction, triggers muscle myopathies, embryonic loss, white muscle disease

selenium

required for glutathione peroxidase which is an enzyme that converts hydrogen peroxide into safer products

selenium deficiency

similar to vitamin E deficiency

selenium toxicity

can damage the liver, kidneys, hair and hooves

vitamin A

cannot be found active in plants; instead they provide caroteniods and animals must convert provitamins for vitamin A

beta-carotene

is most common provitamin A from green forages

carotenoids and vitamin A

are absorbed with dietary lipids in small intestines about 90% in the liver

vitamin A functions

forming retinal for rhodopsin enabling dim-light vision, retionic acid acts to drive growth and differentiations and critical for epithelial integrity in skin and GI lining, also supports bone development and embryonic patterning signals

vitamin A deficiency

night blindness, epithelial breakdown shown as diarrhea and roughy scaly skin, kidney or bladder stones, poor fetal and neonatal bone development

vitamin A toxicity

skeletal malformations, spontaneous fractures, internal hemorrhages, and systemic illness

B vitamins

enable enzyme steps that release energy from nutrients, multiple often support one pathway and become active coenzymes

B vitamin metabolic theme

oxidative decarboxylation turns carb fragments into cellular energy and connects glycolysis products to citric acid cycle, releases CO2 and reducing power is captured as NADH

pantothenic acid (B5)

built from a butyrate-related piece plus beta-alanine, absorbed in the intestine and travels in plasma as free acid, forms coenzyme A enabling high traffic metabolism and aids in the formation of hormones and nerve system metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbs

Coenzyme A

the cells main acyl group carrier that keeps carbon fragments moving and is required for pyruvate dehydrogenase to form acetyl-CoA and supports fatty acid synthesis and propionyl-CoA carboxylase

pantothenate deficiency

slower growth, reduced performance, skin irritation in chicks, fat accumulates in liver, nervous system problems, and nerve degeneration in pigs

Niacin

builds NAD and NADP which help dehydrogenase enzymes

some niacin can be

made from tryptophan but inefficiently

niacin deficiency

poor appetite, slow growth, diarrhea, vomitting, dermatitis, and intestinal irriation

thiamin

turn on decarboxylation, essential for metabolism, promotes normal appetite, and plays a role in muscle contraction and conduction of nerve signals

in the liver thiamin is converted to

TPP which supports pyruvate dehydrogenase helping form acetyl- CoA for energy

thiamin deficiency

fuel use falters, heart function slows, polyneuritis in chicks

riboflavin

moves hydrogen and is the precursor of FMN and FAD coenzymes that shuttle hydrogen in oxidation reactions feeding NAD/NADH cycling, helps energy metabolism, growth and development, electron carrier

riboflavin deficiency

slow growth, curled-toe paralysis in poultry, mouth lesions, reduced appetite

B vitamins in adult ruminantes

built in supply, the rumen microbes synthesize b vitamins

b vitamins in nonruminants

depend more on dietary B vitamin availability