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UPPCS Biology Gap Sheet: Vitamins, Minerals and Nutrition.
UPPCS has asked all 24 of these. Read this page as a full revision list: these are the facts that come back.
First, the concept
Nutrients have different jobs: macronutrients provide fuel or building material, while vitamins and minerals support reactions. Deficiency symptoms follow the function of the missing nutrient.
Fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K; B vitamins and C are water-soluble. Water-soluble does not mean never stored: vitamin B12 can be stored for years.
✅ Already asked (24)
Vitamins and deficiency rules
- Vitamin A · Retinol supports vision; deficiency can cause night blindness and xerophthalmia.
- Vitamin B1 · Thiamine deficiency causes beriberi; polishing rice removes much thiamine.
- Vitamin B2 · Riboflavin deficiency can cause angular cheilitis and glossitis.
- Vitamin B3 · Niacin deficiency causes pellagra: dermatitis, diarrhoea and dementia.
- Vitamin B5 · Pantothenic acid is a component of coenzyme A.
- Vitamin B6 · Pyridoxine supports amino-acid metabolism and neurotransmitter synthesis.
- Vitamin B7 · Biotin assists carboxylation reactions; prolonged raw egg-white intake can impair absorption.
- Vitamin B9 · Folate supports DNA synthesis; deficiency can cause megaloblastic anaemia.
- Vitamin B12 · Cobalamin contains cobalt; deficiency can cause anaemia and nerve damage.
- Vitamin B12 absorption · Gastric intrinsic factor enables efficient B12 absorption in the terminal ileum.
- Vitamin C · Ascorbic acid supports collagen and non-haem iron absorption; deficiency causes scurvy.
- Vitamin D · Promotes calcium absorption; deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults.
- Vitamin E · Tocopherols protect cell membranes from oxidative damage.
- Vitamin K · Needed for activation of several clotting factors; deficiency can cause bleeding.
Minerals and food
- Iodine · Needed for thyroid hormones; deficiency can cause goitre and impair fetal development.
- Iron · Needed for haemoglobin; deficiency commonly causes microcytic anaemia.
- Calcium and phosphorus · Major bone and tooth minerals; ragi is a calcium-rich cereal.
- Sodium and potassium · Important for fluid balance, nerve signals and muscle function.
- Zinc · Supports enzymes, immunity and wound healing.
- Energy per gram · Fat supplies about 9 kcal; protein and digestible carbohydrate about 4 kcal each.
- Essential amino acids · Must be supplied by diet; cereals and pulses can complement each other.
- Marasmus and kwashiorkor · Severe malnutrition: wasting in marasmus; nutritional oedema in kwashiorkor.
- Golden rice · Engineered endosperm contains beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.
- Infant feeding · Exclusive breastfeeding for six months, then complementary food with continued breastfeeding.
⚠️ Colour blindness is usually inherited; night blindness can result from vitamin A deficiency.
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