Vitamin supplementation/fortification

It is thus clear that the intake of vitamin D in idiopathic hypercalcemia may be no higher than the amount recommended by the British Paediatric Association but that in many cases the intake is supraoptimal. Yet in Britain intakes of over 1000 units of vitamin D daily are the rule rather than the exception, and of the great number of infants who receive them only the minutest fraction develop idiopathic hypercalcemia. Creery and Neill (C4) have shown that in Britain 4 % of infants receive over 2000 IU daily 51 % 1000-2000 19 %, 600-1000 15 %, less than 600 units and 11 %, no vitamin D supplement or fortification of any sort. 

Food fortification and designer foods specially formulated to prevent chronic diseases are enthusiastically advocated by the vitamin industry and its proponents (16). Unrestrained vitamin fortification added to unrestrained supplementation with these substances has now in some countries led to the potential for rather high cumulative amounts of intake in some populations. There is growing concern about the safety of chronically high doses of some of these, where the therapeutic margin between deficiency and toxicity may not be all that wide (15,17-19). 

Hazardous Decomp. Prods. Heated to decomp., emits very toxic fumes of NOx and HCI Uses Dietary supplement, nutrient for pharmaceuticals and vitamin fortification of foods, beverages, infant formula antistat in... 

It is difficult to determine requirements for dietary vitamin D, as the major source is synthesis in the skin. The main criterion of adequacy is the plasma concentration of calcidiol. In elderly subjects with little sunlight exposure, a dietary intake of 10 fg of vitamin D per day results in a plasma calcidiol concentration of 20 nmol/L, the lower end of the reference range for younger adults at the end of winter. Therefore, the reference intake for the elderly is 10 Jg/day. Average intakes of vitamin D are less than 4 Jg/day, so to achieve an intake of 10 Xg/day will almost certainly require either fortification of foods or the use of vitamin D supplements. 

Since the 1930s, the incidence of rickets in the United States has declined, largely because of the addition of vitamin D supplements to breast-fed infants and of the fortification of infant formulas and fluid and evaporated milk with vitamin D. Since 1968, nonfat dry milk for use in various food programs has also been fortified with vitamin D (and vitamin A). 

Vitamins aie specific organic compounds that are essential for normal metabolism. Many participate as cofactors or coen2ymes ia mammalian biochemical reactions. The common thread for the diverse chemical stmctures of the vitamins is that they ate micronutrients. Micronutrients are compounds that are requited ia only small amounts and are not synthesized by humans, either at all or, at least, ia sufficient quantity for metaboHc needs. Vitamins are obtained from the diet or as synthetic preparations used ia food fortification or supplements. 

The name vitamin B12 indicates a group of cobalt-containing corrinoids, also described as cobala-mins. Hydroxycobalamin (HOCbl), adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl), and methylcobalamin (MeCbl) are the natural occurring forms. Instead, cyanocobalamin (Figure 19.20) is the commercially available form used for supplements and food fortification, thanks to its greater relative stability. Occasionally, sulfitocobalmin can occur in processed foods. Vitamin B,2 functions as a coenzyme and it is linked to human growth, cell development, and is involved in metabolism of certain amino acids. Vitamin B12 is present mainly in meat and diary foods, therefore a deficiency can occur in... 

Vitamin Bj or thiamine (Figure 19.21) is 3-(4-amino-2-methylpyrimidin-5-ylmethyl)-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methylthiazolium. It is isolated, synthesized, and used in food supplements and in food fortifications as a solid thiazolium salt in the form of thiamine hydrochloride or thiamine mononitrate [403]. 

Dietary supplementation with B vitamins is also highly effective in lowering homocysteine in most individuals with mild or moderate hyperhomocysteinemia. A meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials performed prior to folic acid fortification concluded that treatment with folic acid (0.5 to 5 mg daily) decreased homocysteine levels by 25%, and that the addition of... 

Food fortification has almost completely eliminated rickets in the United States. For those who cannot drink fortified milk and cannot go outside, supplements of vitamin D pills should be considered. In some elderly persons, a 400 lU supplement may not be enough to support normal calcium absorption by the gut, and daily doses of 10,000 lU per day may be needed. 

Supplements of folic acid (0.4 mg/day), or possibly less, can reduce the rate of NTDs. To achieve an extra 0.4 mg folic acid per day, using food, one would have to drink eight glasses of orange juice or eat three servings of Brussels sprouts per day (Wald and Bower, 1995). Since it is not likely that any population, as a whole, would be expected to consume folic acid supplements on a consistent, daily basis, food fortification has become an attractive option. Because neural tube formation occurs early in pregnancy, it is probably necessary for folic acid supplements (when taken) to be consumed for 2-3 weeks (every day) prior to the day of conception, and for 2-3 weeks (every day) after conception, in order for the vitamin to produce its apparent effect. 

Calvo MS. Prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in Canada and the United States importance to health status and efficacy of current food fortification and dietary supplement use. Nutrition Reviews 2003 61 107-13. 

Sea lettuces are rich in nutrients with medicinal and health-promoting effect. From a nutritional standpoint, the main properties of sea lettuces are their richness in polysaccharides, protein and amino adds, fatty adds, minerals, and vitamins. Therefore, their nutritional value makes them valuable food supplements. Further, sea lettuces may be used to fortify processed foods. Food preparations from sea lettuces worldwide maybe studied to increase sea lettuce utilization. Moreover, recognition of sea lettuces as sources of diverse bioactive principles may open medicinal potential of sea lettuces and there is a great potential to be used in pharmaceuticals. Therefore, combination between culinary use and research on bioactive compounds may revitalize the use of sea lettuces in the newly health conscious consumers. Sea lettuce products could be used for food fortification, enrichment, and multipurpose applications. 

Pantothenic add is stable at room temperature and is one of the most stable B family vitamins. It is not affected by storage at -20 °C for a month (Machlin 1991). The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standard for pantothenic add is the (7(+)-enantiomer. Commercially available standards often are in the forms of sodium or calcium salts. The calcium salt of pantothenic acid (calcium pantothenate) is often used for fortification in the food and dietary supplement industries. 

In the food industry, vitamins are used to enrich many products, by the processes of restitution and fortification (enrichment). Restitution means the return of the vitamin content to the original level found in the raw material fortification is enrichment to a higher level needed for physiological or other reasons. Some vitamins have also found use as natural dyes (riboflavin and provitamins A, in particular -carotene) and as antioxidants (provitamins A, vitamin E and vitamin C). Intake of vitamins currently significantly influences the consumption of various concentrated sources of vitamins such as dietary supplements and multivitamin preparations. Intake of vitamins in these concentrated forms may lead, in extreme cases, to hypervitaminosis. 

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