Pediatric Nutrition in Practice

Vitamins and Trace Elements 63

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foods, and the other two are related to the mobi-
lization of synthetic (vitamins) or isolated (trace
elements) sources for consumption. These sourc-
es are outlined in table 2.

Vitamins and Trace Elements Intrinsic to Foods
It takes a wide variety of different foods in com-
bination to obtain the entire range of necessary
micronutrients in adequate amounts [1]. Micro-
nutrients tend to be less varied, less dense and less
available in foods of plant origin than in those of
animal origin [2]. To the extent that plants are
rich sources of vitamins E, C and K and folate,
children should be encouraged to consume whole

grains and green, orange and yellow vegetables

and fruits. However, for calcium and riboflavin,

milk and dairy products are the richest sources,

and iron and vitamins A and B 12 are most dense-

ly concentrated in animal foods (meat, organ

meat and fish). Cooking, processing and storage

destroy or elute nutrients in foods.

An emerging new strategy is biofortification,

primarily for public health purposes. This in-

volves enhancing the content of specific nutrients

during the cultivation of edible plants. It can

involve nutrient-enhanced fertilization, cross-

breeding/hybridization or genetic modification

[3]. One can variously enhance the concentration

Ta b l e 1. List of vitamins and beneficial and essential trace elements

Vitamins Synopsis of role and function

Fat-soluble group

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

Retinal light receptors in vision, genetic transcription

Calcium absorption, bone mineralization, cell signaling

Cell membrane antioxidant protection, cell signaling

Blood clotting, bone matrix formation

Water-soluble group

Vitamin C

Thiamin

Riboflavin

Niacin

Vitamin B 6

Pantothenic acid

Biotin

Folate

Vitamin B 12

Antioxidant protection in regeneration of reduced vitamin E

As thiamine pyrophosphate coenzyme in metabolism

As cofactors FAD and FNM in flavoproteins

As cofactors NAD and NADP in dehydrogenases

Cofactor in transamination and carboxylation of amino acids

Component of coenzyme A for mitochondrial energy

Cofactor in carboxylases for fats, protein and carbohydrates

One-carbon transfer reactions in metabolism

Cofactor in one-carbon transfer reaction, specifically for

5-methyltetrahydrofolate

Trace elements

Iron

Zinc

Copper

Iodine

Fluoride

Selenium

Manganese

Chromium

Molybdenum

Oxygen transfer, oxygen-mediated redox reactions

Metalloenzymes, zinc-finger protein transcription factors

Diverse metalloenzymes

Thyroid hormone structure

Dental and skeletal mineralization

Glutathione peroxidase antioxidant system

Mitochondrial superoxide dismutase

Enhances the cellular action of insulin

In molybdenum cofactor in metabolism of organic acids

FAD = Flavin adenine dinucleotide; FNM = flavin mononucleotide; NAD = nicotinamide adenine

dinucleotide; NADP = nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.

Koletzko B, et al. (eds): Pediatric Nutrition in Practice. World Rev Nutr Diet. Basel, Karger, 2015, vol 113, pp 62–67
DOI: 10.1159/000367871