NUTRI-CHART 4 lists the Nutrients Involved in BONE HEALTH.

As you can see at the top of this page, bone health depends on many factors, including

• genes
• sun exposure
• exercise
• not smoking and
• hormonal levels (estrogen/testosterone)

The macronutrient protein is also important for strong bones because crystals form around a matrix made of protein (collagen).  High protein diets (specifically animal protein) can promote calcium excretion as can the mineral sodium.  Both protein and sodium are often high in American diets, which is not a good situation for bones, especially considering the diet might also be low in calcium.

Common American diets might also be low in 2 vitamins important for bones-
vitamin D and vitamin K. (Remember that vitamin K is not the same thing as the mineral potassium, abbreviated with a K.)  Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus and vitamin K helps make osteoclacin, a protein associated with bone matrix remodeling.

TOO LITTLE vitamin D in the body may increase risk of a variety of diseases, but the primary result will be a loss of bone mass. In children too little vitamin D can lead to rickets, which is inadequate mineralization of bones. TOO MUCH vitamin D in the body can lead to calcification of soft tissues like the heart, blood vessels, lungs and kidneys.  Since there is little Vitamin D in foods, too much Vitamin D can only come from supplementation. Lately there has been a lot of attention and propaganda circulating around Vitamin D and it has been portrayed as the miracle Vitamin that may help fight many diseases beyond bone health.  To help clarify a lot of conflicting messages that have been circulating about Vitamin D, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) updated the nutrient reference values (DRIs) for both calcium and Vitamin D.  The IOM found evidence supporting a role of vitamin D and calcium in bone health, but not in other health conditions.  They also challenged the idea of "more is better," and indicate that too much of these nutrients may be harmful.  See the "Related Articles and Websites" document above week 1 in moodle for more information on Vitamin D.  Look under the heading Chapter 7, Vitamin D. Like other vitamins, whole foods is the best way to get Vitamin D.  However, it is not very prevalent in foods.  Vitamin D can be synthesized from the sunshine.  However, keep in mind most of the United States cannot synthesize Vitamin D November through February, making food choices even more important. The Linus Pauling Institute (Oregon State University's Micronutrient Research for Health) recommends that generally healthy adults take 2,000 IU (50 mcg) of supplemental vitamin D daily. Most multivitamins contain 400 IU of vitamin D, and single ingredient vitamin D supplements are available for additional supplementation. Food Sources of Vitamin D Note:  Rice and soy milk are fortified to the same levels of milk, 100 IU per cup. Looking at the above food sources do you think you get enough Vitamin D from foods?  If not, what kind of dietary changes could you make to increase your food intake of Vitamin D?  Calcium- Ca There was a document posted in moodle that lists food sources of vitamins and minerals, including those that help with bones, such as calcium.  Canned salmon is listed as a source of calcium, while fresh salmon is not listed.  This is because the high heat used in the commercial canning process pulverizes the bones so they can be eaten. Dairy and greens are some of the best sources of calcium (see image below). Milk, cheese, and yogurt are all excellent sources of calcium. Greens like kale and collard greens are also good sources and the calcium is well absorbed. Other greens like spinach, have high levels of oxalates which bind calcium and lower its ability to be absorbed. Some foods are fortified with bone-building nutrients, like the soy milk and orange juice shown below. One of the primary functions of calcium is to provide structure to our bones and teeth. Calcium also assists with acid-base balance, transmission of nerve impulses, and assists in muscle contraction. TOO MUCH calcium from foods does not lead to significant toxicity symptoms.  However, an excess intake of calcium from symptoms can interfere with absorption of other minerals, including iron, zinc and magnesium. Magnesium (Mg) is another mineral that makes up the structure of bones. It also is a cofactor (needed for an enzyme to be active) for more than 300 enzyme systems.   Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds (see image below).  In general magnesium is found in whole foods and is low in refined and processed foods.           Fluoride (F) is also a mineral that is involved in the development and maintenance of our bones and teeth. Fluoride combines with calcium and phosphorus to form fluorohydroxyapatite, which protects the teeth against cavities.  Therefore, TOO LITTLE fluoride results in dental caries.   TOO MUCH fluoride can lead to a condition called fluorosis which causes the teeth to become pitted and stained (see image below).     Fluoride can be found in many dental products.  To reduce the risk of fluorosis children should not swallow oral care products that contain fluoride and are meant for oral care only.   Also, fluoride is available in many communities who have fluoridated water.   Fluoridation is a controversial topic.  When researching the safety of Fluoride online, lots of "resources" with scary headlines can be found.  The below resource is a great blog from one of our own nutrition instructors, Alice Callahan, who blogs about the science of parenting.  In this blog post, she dissects an article titled, "Will Fluoridated Water Lower My Child's IQ?". She does a great job of guiding the reader through red flags seen in this article, and putting the article's conclusions into context. Calahan, A. (2012). Will Fluoridated Water Lower My Child's IQ? Retrieved from http://scienceofmom.com/2012/08/15/will-fluoridated-water-lower-my-childs-iq/   Since we're discussing how fluoride can help prevent cavities, below is another blog post from Callahan that might interest you on cavity prevention, it is about xylitol. Callahan, A. (2012). What the Heck is Xylitol, and Will It Save My Baby’s Teeth? Retrieved from http://scienceofmom.com/2012/05/10/what-the-heck-is-xylitol-and-will-it-save-my-babys-teeth/

NUTRI-CHART 5 lists the Nutrients Involved in ENERGY METABOLISM

Often times the B-vitamins are marketed as giving us energy (you can find them in many energy drinks).  But remember, since we don't have the enzymes to break down these vitamins we don't get energy from them directly, but indirectly they are involved in energy metabolism (generating energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins).

There are 8 B-vitamins involved in energy metabolism.  These are thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, niacin, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid and biotin.  

These B-vitamins function as part of coenzymes for cellular respiration.  This means that they activate the enzymes that bring about the reactions that release the energy from the macronutrients. 

The below chart illustrates many of the coenzymes essential for various metabolic functions, and this is just a small sample of the thousands of roles that B-vitamins serve the body.

Return to the below document that was posted in an earlier week in moodle, where by now you should have filled in most of the blank lines.

PLEASE USE YOUR TEXT TO FILL IN FOOD SOURCES, TOO MUCH, TOO LITTLE, AND JUST RIGHT COLUMNS IN YOUR NUTRI-CHARTS FOR THE B VITAMINS.

In addition to those B-vitamins, there are other vitamins and minerals involved with energy metabolism as well.  Vitamin C and iodine are both necessary for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Vitamin C helps produce thyroxin, a hormone that helps regulate the basal metabolic rate.  Someone with a low BMR would be sort of like a really wimpy fire that burned slowly.

Iodine (I), chromium (Ch), manganese (Mn), Choline, and sulfur (S) are minerals that are important for the reactions of cellular respiration to happen.  Please look at Nutri-Charts and text for more information on these nutrients.  They will not be discussed in the lecture here.

NUTRI-CHART 5 lists the Nutrients Involved in BLOOD HEALTH

Above we discussed some of the nutrients involved in energy metabolism.  Without the blood to transport nutrients and oxygen, energy metabolism would never happen, and we would not survive.  Healthy blood is vital to maintaining life as it transports virtually everything in our body, including wastes to be excreted.

Some of the MINERALS involved in blood health include iron (Fe.... that stands for ferrous), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu.... that stands for cupric).

Iron (Fe)

There are 2 major dietary forms of iron: heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is only found in foods of animal origin, within hemoglobin and myoglobin. The structure of heme iron is shown below.

Approximately 40% of iron in meat, fish, and poultry is heme-iron, and the other 60% is non-heme iron.  Non-heme iron is the mineral alone. See food sources below.

It is estimated that 25% of heme iron and 17% of non-heme iron are absorbed (however, Vitamin C and a special meat factor in meat, fish and poultry enhance the absorption on non-heme iron). Approximately 85-90% of the iron we consume is non-heme iron. In addition to getting iron from food sources, if food is cooked in cast iron cookware, a small amount of iron can be transferred to the food. The story below is an iron fish that is being used in Cambodia to increase iron intake in an area with prevalent iron deficiency.

Canadian’s lucky iron fish saves lives in Cambodia

Many breakfast cereals are also fortified with iron, as the following video shows.

Here is a link to the above video: https://youtu.be/pRK15XSqtAw


Iron is a component of numerous proteins in the body, including hemoglobin, myoglobin and enzymes. Hemoglobin contains heme that is responsible for red blood cells’ red color. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to tissues. The function of hemoglobin can be seen in following link, hemoglobin. Myoglobin is similar to hemoglobin in that it can bind oxygen. However, instead of being found in blood, it is found in muscle. There are also a number of enzymes that use iron as a cofactor.

Iron deficiency is the most common deficiency worldwide, estimated to affect 1.6 billion people. In the US, it is less common, but an estimated 10% of toddlers and women of childbearing age are deficient. Iron deficiency often results in a microcytic (small cell), hypochromic (low color) anemia, that is a result of decreased hemoglobin production. With
decreased hemoglobin, the red blood cells cannot carry as much oxygen and without decreased oxygen energy metabolism slows. A person with this anemia feels fatigued, weak, apathetic, and can experience headaches delayed cognitive development in children. Those who are particularly at risk are:

Women of childbearing age- because of losses due to menstruation
Pregnant women- because of increased blood volume
Vegetarians- because they do not consume heme iron sources
Infants- because they have low iron stores that can quickly be depleted

To give you a better understanding of these risks, it is helpful to look at how much higher the RDAs are for women of reproductive age and pregnant women compared to men.

Women of reproductive age 18 mg/day
Pregnancy 27 mg/day
Men 8 mg/day

As most things go with nutrition, more is not necessarily better. One of the most common causes of childhood poisoning is from the ingestion of way-too-many multivitamin/mineral supplements at one time.

Copper.  I won't say anything else besides what's in the NUTRI-CHART.