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The Vitamins

Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health

6th Edition - February 24, 2022

Authors: Gerald F. Combs Jr., James P. McClung

Hardback ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 0 4 7 3 - 5

eBook ISBN:

9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 1 8 2 6 - 8

The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health, Sixth Edition presents both overviews and in-depth discussions of the sources, chemistry, metabolism and functions of… Read more

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The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health, Sixth Edition presents both overviews and in-depth discussions of the sources, chemistry, metabolism and functions of these essential nutrients in physiology and health. Sections cover perspectives (history of discovery, general properties and impacts), individual Vitamins (their respective chemistries, metabolism), and their dietary sources and global needs. In addition, the inclusion and interpretation of recent clinical research findings relevant to all vitamins, particularly vitamins A, D, E, K, C, thiamin, folate and vitamin B12 is included, along with an expanded discussion on single-carbon metabolism), implications to neuropathies, and more.

Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Preface to the Sixth Edition
Part I. Perspectives on the vitamins in nutrition
Chapter 1. What is a vitamin?
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Thinking about vitamins
2. Vitamin: a revolutionary concept
3. An operating definition
4. The recognized vitamins
5. Chapter quiz
Chapter 2. Discovery of the vitamins
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Emergence of nutrition as a science
2. Processes of discovery in nutritional science
3. The empirical phase of vitamin discovery
4. The experimental phase of vitamin discovery
5. The vitamine theory
6. Elucidation of the vitamins
7. Vitamin terminology
8. Other factors sometimes called vitamins
9. Modern history of the vitamins
10. Chapter quiz
Chapter 3. General properties of vitamins
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Vitamin nomenclature
2. Chemical and physical properties of the vitamins
3. Physiological utilization of the vitamins
4. Metabolism of the vitamins
5. Metabolic functions of the vitamins
6. Vitamin bioavailability
7. Vitamin analysis
8. Chapter quiz
Chapter 4. Vitamin deficiency
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. The concept of vitamin deficiency
2. Clinical manifestations of vitamin deficiencies
3. Biochemical lesions of vitamin deficiencies
4. Diagnosing vitamin deficiencies
5. Contexts of vitamin deficiencies
6. Effective interventions
7. Chapter quiz
Part II. The individual vitamins
Chapter 5. Vitamin A
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin A
2. Properties of vitamin A
3. Sources of vitamin A
4. Vitamin A absorption
5. Vitamin A transport
6. Vitamin A metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of vitamin A
8. Biomarkers of vitamin A status
9. Vitamin A requirements
10. Vitamin A deficiency
11. Other deficiency signs in humans
12. Other roles of vitamin A in health and disease
13. Vitamin A toxicity
14. Case studies
15. Chapter quiz
Chapter 6. Vitamin D
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin D
2. Properties of vitamin D
3. Sources of vitamin D
4. Vitamin D absorption
5. Vitamin D transport
6. Vitamin D metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of vitamin D
8. Biomarkers of vitamin D status
9. Vitamin D requirements
10. Vitamin D deficiency
11. Other roles of vitamin D in health and disease
12. Vitamin D toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 7. Vitamin E
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin E
2. Properties of vitamin E
3. Sources of vitamin E
4. Vitamin E absorption
5. Vitamin E
6. Vitamin E metabolism
7. Oxidative shortening of the phytyl side chain
8. Metabolic functions of vitamin E
9. Biomarkers of vitamin E status
10. Vitamin E requirements
11. Vitamin E deficiency
12. Vitamin E deficiency signs in humans
13. Vitamin E deficiency signs in animals
14. Other roles of vitamin E in health and disease
15. Vitamin E toxicity
16. Case studies
17. Chapter quiz
Chapter 8. Vitamin K
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin K
2. Properties of vitamin K
3. Sources of vitamin K
4. Vitamin K absorption
5. Vitamin K
6. Vitamin K metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of vitamin K
8. Biomarkers of vitamin K status
9. Vitamin K requirements
10. Vitamin K deficiency
11. Other roles of vitamin K in health and disease
12. Vitamin K toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 9. Vitamin C
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin C
2. Properties of vitamin C
3. Sources of vitamin C
4. Vitamin C
5. Vitamin C
6. Vitamin C
7. Metabolic functions of vitamin C
8. Biomarkers of vitamin C status
9. Vitamin C requirements
10. Vitamin C deficiency
11. Other roles of vitamin C in health and disease
12. Vitamin C toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 10. Thiamin
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of thiamin
2. Properties of thiamin
3. Thiamin chemistry
4. Sources of thiamin
5. Thiamin absorption
6. Thiamin transport
7. Thiamin metabolism
8. Metabolic functions of thiamin
9. Biomarkers of thiamin status
10. Thiamin requirements
11. Thiamin deficiency
12. Signs in humans
13. Other roles of thiamin in health and disease
14. Thiamin toxicity
15. Case studies
16. Chapter quiz
Chapter 11. Riboflavin
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of riboflavin
2. Properties of riboflavin
3. Sources of riboflavin
4. Riboflavin absorption
5. Riboflavin transport
6. Riboflavin metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of riboflavin
8. Biomarkers of riboflavin status
9. Riboflavin requirements
10. Riboflavin deficiency
11. Other roles of riboflavin in health and disease
12. Riboflavin toxicity
13. Case study
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 12. Niacin
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of niacin
2. Properties of niacin
3. Sources of niacin
4. Niacin absorption
5. Niacin transport
6. Niacin metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of niacin
8. Biomarkers of niacin status
9. Niacin requirements
10. Niacin deficiency
11. Other roles of niacin in health and disease
12. Niacin toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 13. Vitamin B6
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin B6
2. Properties of vitamin B6
3. Sources of vitamin B6
4. Vitamin B6 absorption
5. Vitamin B6 transport
6. Vitamin B6 metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of vitamin B6
8. Biomarkers of vitamin B6 status
9. Vitamin B6 requirements
10. Vitamin B6 deficiency
11. Other roles of vitamin B6 in health and disease
12. Vitamin B6 toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 14. Biotin
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of biotin
2. Properties of biotin
3. Sources of biotin
4. Biotin absorption
5. Biotin
6. Metabolic functions of biotin
7. Biomarkers of biotin status
8. Biotin requirements
9. Biotin deficiency
10. Other roles of biotin in health and disease
11. Biotin toxicity
12. Case studies
13. Chapter quiz
Chapter 15. Pantothenic acid
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of pantothenic acid
2. Properties of pantothenic acid
3. Sources of pantothenic acid
4. Pantothenic acid absorption
5. Pantothenic acid transport
6. Pantothenic acid metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of pantothenic acid
8. Biomarkers of pantothenic acid status
9. Pantothenic acid requirements
10. Pantothenic acid deficiency
11. Other roles of pantothenic acid in health and disease
12. Pantothenic acid toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 16. Folate
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of folate
2. Properties of folate
3. Sources of folate
4. Folate absorption
5. Folate transport
6. Folate metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of folate
8. Biomarkers of folate status
9. Folate requirements
10. Folate deficiency
11. Other roles of folate in health and disease
12. Folate toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 17. Vitamin B12
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Significance of vitamin B12
2. Properties of vitamin B12
3. Sources of vitamin B12
4. Vitamin B12 absorption
5. Vitamin B12 transport
6. Vitamin B12 metabolism
7. Metabolic functions of vitamin B12
8. Biomarkers of vitamin B12 status
9. Vitamin B12 requirements
10. Vitamin B12 deficiency
11. Other roles of vitamin B12 in health and disease
12. Vitamin B12 toxicity
13. Case studies
14. Chapter quiz
Chapter 18. Quasi-vitamins
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Is the list of vitamins complete?
Conditionally essential nutrients
3. Carnitine
4. myo-Inositol
5. Ubiquinones
6. Lipoic acid
Beneficial bioactive factors
8. Flavonoids
9. Unidentified factors
10. Case studies
11. Chapter quiz
Part III. Using current knowledge of the vitamins
Chapter 19. Sources of the vitamins
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Vitamins in foods and feedstuffs
2. Vitamin bioavailability
3. Vitamin losses in foods
4. Adding vitamins to foods
5. Biofortification
6. Vitamin labeling of foods
7. Vitamins in human diets
8. Vitamin supplementation
9. Vitamins in livestock feeding
10. Case study
11. Chapter quiz
Chapter 20. Assessing vitamin status
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Nutritional assessment
2. Biomarkers of vitamin status
3. Vitamin status of human populations
4. Global undernutrition
5. Chapter quiz
Chapter 21. Vitamin needs
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Dietary standards for vitamins
2. Vitamin allowances for humans
3. Vitamin allowances for animals
4. Case study
5. Chapter quiz
Chapter 22. Vitamin safety
Anchoring concepts
Learning objectives
Vocabulary
1. Uses of vitamins above required levels
2. Safe intakes of vitamins
3. Hypervitaminoses
4. Case studies
5. Chapter quiz
Appendix A
Appendix B. Original reports used for case studies
Appendix C. A core of current vitamin literature
Appendix D. Vitamin contents of foods (units per 100 g edible portion)
Appendix E. Vitamin contents of feedstuffs (units per kg)
Appendix F. 20 Questions to examine vitamin knowledge
Index

Gerald F. Combs Jr.

Gerald F. Combs, Jr. is an internationally recognized leader in nutrition, particularly in the areas of micronutrient functions, diet and cancer prevention, and sustainable food systems. He has conducted research ranging from fundamental studies with cultured cells and animal models to human metabolic and clinical investigations, including studies in China, Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Malawi. He has lectured in some 30 countries and published more than 350 scientific papers and reviews, and 15 books, including six editions of The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health. He received his graduate training in nutritional biochemistry at Cornell University, where he later served on that faculty for 29 years before being named Director of the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center in Grand Forks ND from 2020-2015. He presently is a Senior Scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.

Affiliations and expertise

Professor, Nutrition Emeritus, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

James P. McClung

James P. McClung completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees at the University of New Hampshire, and his doctoral degree at Cornell University. He completed a National Research Council post-doctoral fellowship prior to assuming a career in Nutrition Science with the Department of Defense. Dr. McClung’s research has focused on micronutrient nutrition at both the basic and applied levels and has led to the fielding of applied solutions for the optimization of human health and performance. He is an active member of a number of professional societies, including the American Society for Nutrition. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer reviewed manuscripts, technical reports, and book chapters, and has served on the editorial boards of a number of leading international nutrition journals. Dr. McClung has co-authored the two most recent editions of The Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health.

Affiliations and expertise

Nutritional biochemist, Westborough, Massachusetts, USA