Chapter 11 – The Fat-Soluble Vitamins: A, D, E, and K
An. Page(s)/difficulty K = knowledge-level, A = application level
Multiple Choice
01. If the diet contains precursor vitamin A, which of the following tissues can use it to form vitamin A?
a. Eyes
b. Kidneys
c. Adipose cells
d. Intestinal cells
02. Which of the following food substances can be converted to vitamin A in the body?
a. Tryptophan
b. Chlorophyll
c. Xanthophyll
d. Beta-carotene
03. Which of the following is not among the features of the fat-soluble vitamins?
a. Require bile for absorption
b. Found in the fat and oily parts of foods
c. Transported permanently to the liver and adipose tissue
d. Pose a greater risk for developing a toxicity than water-soluble vitamins
04. What is the major carrier of the fat-soluble vitamins from the intestinal epithelial cell to the circulation?
a. Albumin
b. Cholesterol
c. Chylomicrons
d. Liposoluble binding proteins
05. Which of the following is a property of the fat-soluble vitamins?
a. Most of them are synthesized by intestinal bacteria
b. Intestinal transport occurs by way of the portal circulation
c. Deficiency symptoms may take years to develop on a poor diet
d. Toxicity risk is higher for vitamins E and K than for other fat-soluble vitamins
06. Which of the following is not a fat-soluble vitamin?
a. Retinol
b. Tocopherol
c. Phylloquinone
d. Cyanocobalamin
07. How many different forms of vitamin A are active in the body?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 5
08. All of the following are forms of vitamin A except
a. retinol.
b. retinal.
c. retinoic acid.
d. retinoquinone.
09. As far as is known, vitamin A does not play an important role in which of the following processes?
a. Blood clotting
b. Growth of bones and teeth
c. Synthesis of visual pigment
d. Maintaining mucous membranes
10. Which of the following is responsible for transporting vitamin A from the liver to other tissues?
a. Albumin
b. Rhodopsin
c. Retinol-binding protein
d. Transcarotenoid protein
11. What are the known effects of raising animals on diets containing retinoic acid as the only source of vitamin A?
a. Growth is stunted
b. Blindness develops
c. Retinal synthesis is stimulated
d. Retinol synthesis is stimulated
12. Which of the following describes an association of vitamin A and vision?
a. Retinoic acid is the form required for synthesis of retinoblasts
b. Light causes retinal to shift from a cis to a trans configuration
c. Retinol is the form bound to beta-carotene in the corneal membrane
d. Pigment molecules in the retina are composed of a molecule of vitamin A bound to an omega-3 fatty acid
13. Which of the following is the name of the vitamin A compound that is active in the visual response?
a. Opsin
b. Keratin
c. Retinal
d. Carotene
14. Which of the following describes an event in the visual response process?
a. Light energy strikes the retina and excites pigments to release retinal
b. Light energy strikes the cornea and excites pigments to release retinoic acid
c. Visual pigments deep in the brain are excited by light transmitted through the retina
d. Epithelial cells on the surface of the eye respond to light energy by transmitting opsin molecules along nerve pathways to the brain
15. Approximately what percent of the body’s vitamin A stores are found in the liver?
a. 20
b. 50
c. 70
d. 90
16. What tissue contains the majority of the body’s store of vitamin A?
a. Liver
b. Adipose
c. Retinal cells
d. Intestinal mucosal cells
17. Which of the following describes the primary function of vitamin A in bone health?
a. It stimulates uptake of calcium from the intestines
b. It promotes synthesis of specific bone proteins involved in the mineralization process
c. It assists enzymes that degrade certain regions of the bone thereby allowing remodeling to occur
d. It inhibits oxidation of bone mucopolysaccharides thereby preserving bone crystal integrity and promoting growth
18. If a normal, healthy adult were to begin consuming a vitamin A-poor diet, approximately how much time would pass before the first deficiency symptoms would appear?
a. 2 weeks
b. 1 to 2 months
c. 6 months
d. 1 to 2 years
19. Greg says that he usually eats 1 medium carrot every day to ensure that he’s consuming enough vitamin A. Today he said he didn’t eat any carrots and is worried that there is not enough vitamin A in his system. What would you say to Greg to allay his fear?
a. “Take a vitamin A supplement as soon as you can!”
b. “As long as you eat some chicken tonight you will not develop chicken eyes”
c. “Well, there isn’t any vitamin A in carrots so you probably haven’t consumed vitamin A for some time now”
d. “Don’t worry; fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body. It takes a lot longer than one day to develop any adverse effects”
20. Approximately how many children worldwide have vitamin A deficiency?
a. 1 million
b. 10 million
c. 100 million
d. 500 million
21. Studies in developing countries have demonstrated that the mortality rate of children with measles can be significantly reduced by providing supplements of
a. iron.
b. vitamin A.
c. folic acid.
d. phylloquinone.
22. The effects of vitamin A deficiency are most severe in what population group?
a. Adults
b. Elderly
c. Newborns
d. Adolescents
23. Which of the following functions is shared by beta-carotene and vitamin E?
a. Inhibition of oxidation
b. Prevention of keratinization
c. Inhibition of bone calcium loss
d. Prevention of hemolytic anemia
24. Which of the following is associated with the condition known as xerosis?
a. Toxicity of vitamin A
b. Toxicity of beta-carotene
c. Deficiency of vitamin A
d. Deficiency of vitamin D
25. Vitamin A supplements are helpful in treating which of the following conditions?
a. Acne
b. Rickets
c. Osteomalacia
d. Night blindness
26. Your sister Ellen has just joined the Peace Corps and will be working on ways to improve the nutritional status of children in Indonesia. Once there, she saw that many of the children and some adults suffer from night blindness. Which of the following foods should she recommend be incorporated into the Indonesian diet to help prevent future generations from developing this condition?
a. Sweet potato
b. Orange juice
c. Peanut butter
d. Powdered skim milk
27. In Indonesia, people with a disorder termed “chicken eyes” actually suffer from
a. xerophthalmia.
b. night blindness.
c. ocular dystrophy.
d. intermittent claudication.
28. Which of the following is most likely to occur from a prolonged dietary deficiency of vitamin A?
a. Osteomalacia
b. Osteoporosis
c. Xerophthalmia
d. Prolonged blood-clotting time
29. Keratinization is the result of
a. toxicity of vitamin A.
b. toxicity of vitamin D.
c. deficiency of vitamin A.
d. deficiency of vitamin D.
30. What part of the body is affected most by keratomalacia?
a. Bone
b. Liver
c. Cornea
d. Immune cells
31. Keratinization of lung cells may result from
a. toxicity of vitamin A.
b. toxicity of beta-carotene.
c. deficiency of vitamin A.
d. deficiency of vitamin D.
32. Which of the following features are shared by Retin-A and Accutane?
a. They are teratogenic
b. They are highly toxic
c. They are usually taken orally
d. They have chemical structures similar to vitamin A
33. What population group is most vulnerable to vitamin A toxicity?
a. Children
b. Adolescents
c. Adults
d. Elderly
34. Which of the following is a feature of taking high-dose supplements of vitamin A?
a. They increase teratogenic risk
b. They are effective in treating acne
c. They lead to keratinization of tissue
d. They reduce risk for neural tube defects
35. The preferred unit of expression of vitamin A is the
a. milligram.
b. global unit.
c. international unit.
d. retinol activity equivalent.
36. Which of the following is a feature of Accutane?
a. It is effective in treating rickets
b. It is less toxic than pure vitamin A
c. It is known to be effective in treating mild but not severe acne
d. It is known to cause birth defects when used by pregnant women
37. All of the following are characteristics of excess consumption of beta-carotene except
a. overconsumption from foods is harmless.
b. overconsumption from supplements is harmless.
c. drinking alcohol worsens the adverse effects of supplements.
d. smoking cigarettes aggravates the detrimental effects of supplements.
38. Which of the following is likely to induce vitamin A toxicity in adults?
a. Eating beef liver more than once a month
b. Consuming high-dose vitamin A supplements
c. Drinking 2 quarts of vitamin A-fortified milk daily
d. Consuming large amounts of dark green and deep orange vegetables
39. How many micrograms of dietary beta-carotene are equivalent to 1 retinol activity equivalent?
a. 2
b. 4
c. 8
d. 12
40. On average, one retinol activity equivalent is equal to about how many international units?
a. 3
b. 5
c. 8
d. 10
41. Which of the following is the most likely side effect for a person who regularly consumes large quantities of carrots or carrot juice?
a. Bone pain
b. Dermatitis
c. Skin yellowing
d. Vitamin A toxicity
42. Why shouldn’t a 7-month pregnant woman be prescribed Accutane?
a. It may aggravate existing edema
b. It may lead to prolongation of labor
c. It is a teratogen and can be harmful to the baby
d. It contains high concentrations of vitamin D that can cause birth defects
43. In which of the following individuals would vitamin A toxicity be most likely to occur?
a. Adolescent women
b. Overweight adults
c. Those taking vitamin A supplements
d. Those consuming more than 100 g of carrots daily
44. To decrease risk for vitamin A toxicity-related birth defects, it is suggested that pregnant women limit vitamin A supplements to less than
a. 5,000 RAE.
b. 10,000 RAE.
c. 4 times RDA.
d. 10 times RDA.
45. The adult RDA for vitamin A is approximately
a. 400 mg.
b. 1,000 mg.
c. 800 retinol activity equivalents.
d. 5,000 retinol activity equivalents.
46. The major target organs for the action of activated vitamin D include all of the following except the
a. liver.
b. bone.
c. kidney.
d. intestine.
47. A person seeking good sources of vitamin A would select all of the following except
a. liver.
b. bananas.
c. apricots.
d. sweet potatoes.
48. Which of the following provides the least amount of precursor vitamin A?
a. Corn
b. Spinach
c. Carrots
d. Cantaloupe
49. Which of the following is a characteristic of carotenoids in foods?
a. Most carotenoids can be converted to vitamin A
b. The carotenoid with the highest conversion rate to vitamin A is lycopene
c. Carotenoid absorption efficiency from salads is higher when regular dressing is used compared with low-fat dressing
d. Carotenoid absorption is inhibited by foods rich in chlorophyll
50. Which of the following foods is a very good source of vitamin A?
a. Corn
b. Pumpkin pie
c. Baked potato
d. Whole-grain bread
51. Which of the following is a characteristic of vitamin A in foods?
a. Fast foods are generally considered good sources of vitamin A
b. A regular intake of chicken liver is known to induce toxicity in children
c. Xanthophylls in certain vegetables can be converted to active vitamin A in the liver
d. Chlorophyll in vegetables can be converted to active vitamin A in the intestinal cells
52. Which of the following is a feature of vitamin A in foods?
a. Anthocyanin in beets masks the presence of beta-carotene
b. Margarine made from corn oil is a poor source of vitamin A
c. Most carotenoids can be converted in the body to active vitamin A
d. Chlorophyll in dark green leafy vegetables masks the presence of beta-carotene
53. Which of the following compounds is known to function as a hormone?
a. Vitamin D
b. Vitamin K
c. Phylloquinone
d. Alpha-tocopherol
54. The plant version of vitamin D is known as
a. ergocalciferol.
b. foliocalciferol.
c. cholecalciferol.
d. phyllocalciferol.
55. The animal version of vitamin D is known as
a. ergocalciferol.
b. foliocalciferol.
c. cholecalciferol.
d. phyllocalciferol.
56. All of the following organs are required for the complete synthesis of activated vitamin D except
a. skin.
b. liver.
c. kidney.
d. intestines.
57. Which of the following shows the highest vitamin D activity?
a. Cholecalciferol
b. 7-Dehydrocholesterol
c. 25-Hydroxy vitamin D
d. 1,25-Dihydroxy vitamin D
58. Which of the following compounds serves as the major precursor for the body’s synthesis of vitamin D?
a. Cholesterol
b. Tryptophan
c. Beta-carotene
d. Eicosapentanoic acid
59. Which of the following can the body use to synthesize vitamin D?
a. Bone
b. Carotene
c. Tryptophan
d. Exposure to sunlight
60. In what tissue(s) must a molecule of vitamin D be chemically altered to yield a compound that is fully active?
a. Liver only
b. Kidney only
c. Liver and kidney
d. Liver and intestines
61. All of the following are other names for vitamin D except
a. calciferol.
b. calcitonin.
c. cholecalciferol.
d. dihydroxy vitamin D.
62. What is/are the main function(s) of vitamin D?
a. Promotes secretion of calcitonin
b. Promotes synthesis of 7-dehydrocholesterol
c. Promotes synthesis of carotenoids and controls absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
d. Promotes calcium and phosphorus absorption and promotes calcium mobilization from bone
63. All of the following are characteristics of vitamin D nutrition except
a. deficient intake may lead to altered bone composition.
b. excessive intake may lead to mineral deposits in the kidneys.
c. fortified milk is the major dietary source in the U.S. population.
d. the requirement is increased in most people who are exposed to the sun.
64. A child with bowed legs is likely deficient in vitamin
a. A.
b. K.