Vitamins and minerals, clinical nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplements, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants.

General nutrient information

Dietary Guidelines, food guides

RDI, DRV issues

Individual nutrients and deficiencies

Nutritional toxicology

Supplementation and fortification

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General nutrient information

Pick of the crop

Lay information on common vitamins and minerals from the US government

Hopkins Technology web site has placed on line mainly plain text information on a range of nutrients, and a little about good food sources of the nutrient. Look down the list to around publication number 29.

Vitamins and Coenzymes

Biochemically oriented notes from Dpt.Biochemistry at Indiana State University on vitamins and minerals and their functions.

Understanding Vitamins

Good balanced and referenced article on the possible benefits as well as possibile problems of vitamin supplementation, set in the context of the physiological functions of the vitamins. It is part of an alternative HIV web site and so the focus is on that area of clinical application, but by no means restricted to it. There is also a more specific page on nutritional supplementation and AIDS.

Vitamin and mineral facts: Cyberdiet

Full RDI table plus some simple lay information on food sources, physiological functions, deficiency and toxicity symptoms.

Vitamin and Mineral content of plants

From the University of Maryland, James A. Duke has put together a set of on-line phytochemical and ethnobotanical data base. This enables you to query the composition relative to a large number of constituent compounds for any of some 2,000 species, "including most of the more important foods, spices, herbs and medicinal plants". The nutrients in this data base include vitamins and minerals.

HealthLink Herbs and Supplements Database

Part of a wider site with membership options, this site provides quite detailed information on vitamins and minerals, from a supplement prescribing perspective. The most useful way to access it is to enter "vitamin" in the search engine.

• General Malnutrition
• Vitamin B12
• Folate
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E and antioxidant issues
• Calcium
• Iron
• Other minerals
• Fatty acids
• Misc.and combinations of nutrients

See also:

General nutrition, RDIs

Public health/food security

Return to main nutrient index

General Malnutrition

Pick of the crop The carotenoids page From a biochemistry group in Switzerland which specialises in carotenoid research, this site has biochemical information on the carotenoids in food (including a nice visual display of the different content and amount in various foods) and in synthesis. There is information about the group itself at its home page. Lycopene.org A site produced in partnership with HJ Heinzwith scientific information on the benefits of lycopenes, including food composition, research abstracts, articles etc. There is also an interactive site ("Team Lycopene") for lay use, including schools.

International Carotenoid Society

International group whose aims are to "promote, support and encourage all areas of carotenoid science, pure and applied, academic and commercial, research and educational." Web site has organisational and membership details , some links and meeting information.

International vitamin A Consultative Group (USAID)

"Established in 1975 by the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide support and guidance to international activities to control and eliminate vitamin A deficiency worldwide. A primary objective is to provide a forum for the exchange of new ideas, research findings, and programmatic interventions which may contribute to the eradication of vitamin A deficiency."

VERIS Research Information Service

Has various papers on antioxidants, including research alerts, which are summaries of individual research papers with very brief commentary.

Vitamin A public health: UNICEF report

UNICEF report on deficiency and fortification, supplementation progress world-wide.

 

Vitamin A consultative group

"Established in 1975 by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide support and guidance to international activities to control and eliminate vitamin A deficiency worldwide" . Site has a number of documents available on-line, such as IVACG Statement on Maternal Night Blindness: A New Indicator of Vitamin A Deficiency, Status of the Studies on Vitamin A and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, Delivery of Vitamin A Supplements with DPT/Polio and Measles Immunization, he Bioavailability of Dietary Cartenoids: Current Concepts, IVACG Statement on Safe Doses of Vitamin A During Pregnancy and Lactation, IVACG Statement on Vitamin A and Iron Interactions.

 

Vitamin A excess and pregnancy

Transcript of Australian radio show on popular science.

 

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Scurvy: radiological findings

Part of general radiological teaching files

Vitamin C and pressure sores

From the on-line journal Bandolier Evidence-based Health Care, a review of two negative trials on this subject, as well as one small suggestively positive trial.

Linus Pauling page: vitamin C and CVS disease

Lay site dedicated to explaining and defending the proposition by Linus Pauling that vitamin C supplemention prevents heart disease.

Vitamin C Foundation

"A Texas non-profit organization devoted to preserving the `lost knowledge' about ascorbic acid and its role in life. Dedicated to the memory of Linus C. Pauling". Their web site has articles for lay and health professionals.

 

Vitamin C for Optimum Health

Somewhat prosetylising site with articles and links on the importance and therapeutic value of vitamin C for health.

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Pick of the crop The Antioxidant Vitamins and Cardiovascular Disease: critical review Very detailed and extensive literature review on this subject published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (Ann Intern Med. 1995;123:860-872), from authors based at McMaster University. As one might expect given this background, this is an excellent critical review of the literature and a wonderful starting point for any consideration of this promising but still controversial topic. As it was published in 1995, it is still reasonably current.

VERIS Research Information Service

Has various papers on antioxidants, including research alerts, which are summaries of individual research papers with very brief commentary.

Concludes there is no convincing evidence in favour.

Biochemistry of Antioxidants

Non-commercial site which focuses on the chemical structures of the antioxidant vitamins, (with large gaps in the page which look like they should be filled with chemical structure graphics!), plus some general background information on food sources etc.

 

Return to nutrient deficiency index vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin E, tocopherol, antioxidant, antioxidants, vitamin D

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