(Download PDF) Nutrition Concepts and Controversies 13th Edition Sizer Solutions Manual Full Chapter
(Download PDF) Nutrition Concepts and Controversies 13th Edition Sizer Solutions Manual Full Chapter
(Download PDF) Nutrition Concepts and Controversies 13th Edition Sizer Solutions Manual Full Chapter
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-13th-edition-sizer-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-14th-edition-sizer-solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-canadian-4th-edition-sizer-solutions-manual/
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-2nd-edition-sizer-test-bank/
Nutrition Concepts and Controversies 3rd Edition Sizer
Test Bank
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-3rd-edition-sizer-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-14th-edition-sizer-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/nutrition-concepts-and-
controversies-canadian-4th-edition-sizer-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/statistics-concepts-and-
controversies-9th-edition-moore-test-bank/
https://testbankfan.com/product/aging-concepts-and-
controversies-8th-edition-moody-test-bank/
132
• Class preparation resources: learning objectives/key points, suggested activities and projects, lecture outline
• Assignment materials: Related LO
• Critical thinking questions (with answer key) ................................................................ 7.3, 7.4, 7.6, 7.8, 7.10
• Discussion questions (with answers) for Controversy 7 ............................................................................. 7.12
• Worksheet 7-1: Label Analysis—Vitamins .................................................................................... 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
• Worksheet 7-2: Intake Analysis—Vitamins ............................................................................................... 7.11
• Worksheet 7-3: Factors that Destroy Vitamins1 ............................................................................. 7.1, 7.7, 7.8
• Worksheet 7-4: Comparing Supplements Label to Label2 ......................................................................... 7.12
• New! Worksheet 7-5: Chapter 7 Review Crossword Puzzle
• Enrichment materials: Handout 7-1: Vitamins Do More Than Treat Deficiency Diseases ........7.3-7.5, 7.8, 7.10
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
133
Vitamin K is necessary for blood to clot. Vitamin K deficiency causes uncontrolled bleeding. Excess vitamin
K can cause harm. The bacterial inhabitants of the digestive tract produce vitamin K.
7.7 Describe some characteristics of the water-soluble vitamins.
Water-soluble vitamins are easily absorbed and excreted from the body, and foods that supply them must be
consumed frequently. Water-soluble vitamins are easily lost or destroyed during food preparation and
processing.
7.8 Summarize the physiological roles of vitamin C, name the consequences of deficiencies and toxicities,
and list its major food sources.
Vitamin C maintains collagen, protects against infection, acts as an antioxidant, and aids iron absorption.
Ample vitamin C can be easily obtained from foods.
7.9 Describe some of the shared roles of B-vitamins in body systems.
As part of coenzymes, the B vitamins help enzymes in every cell do numerous jobs. B vitamins help
metabolize carbohydrate, fat, and protein.
7.10 List and summarize the physiological roles of individual B vitamins in the body, name the consequences
of deficiencies, and list their most important food sources.
Thiamin works in energy metabolism and in nerve cells. Its deficiency disease is beriberi. Many foods supply
small amounts of thiamin. Riboflavin works in energy metabolism. Riboflavin is destroyed by ordinary light.
Niacin deficiency causes the disease pellagra, which can be prevented by adequate niacin intake or adequate
dietary protein. The amino acid tryptophan can be converted to niacin in the body. Low intakes of folate cause
anemia, digestive problems, and birth defects in infants of folate-deficient mothers. High intakes can mask the
blood symptom of a vitamin B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12 occurs only in animal products. A deficiency anemia
that mimics folate deficiency arises with low intakes or, more often, poor absorption. Folate supplements can
mask a vitamin B12 deficiency. Prolonged vitamin B12 deficiency causes nerve damage. Vitamin B6 works in
amino acid metabolism. Biotin and pantothenic acid are important to the body and are abundant in food.
Choline is needed in the diet, but it is not a vitamin, and deficiencies are unheard of outside the laboratory.
Many other substances that people claim are vitamins are not.
7.11 Suggest foods that can help to ensure adequate vitamin intakes without providing too many calories.
7.12 Identify both valid and invalid reasons for taking vitamin supplements.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
134
Vitamin B12 does not have any associated toxicities if taken in excess. It does not function in cell development
the same way that folate does. However, there is no benefit to taking mega-doses of B12 (unless prescribed by a
physician to treat poor absorption), so this would be a waste of money.
3. a. Which 2 vitamins require healthy organ systems for their synthesis in the body?
Vitamins D and K require the healthy functioning of the body’s organ systems.
b. Describe the impact of any condition that would affect the organ systems responsible for the production of
these 2 vitamins.
Vitamin D production is dependent on healthy skin, liver, and kidneys. Any skin condition may affect the
ability of the body to make the vitamin D precursor. Any condition that affects the liver, such as alcoholism, or
a condition that affects the kidney tissue can reduce the production of active vitamin D. Over time, this can lead
to softening of the bones.
The colon (large intestine) needs to be healthy to support the growth of bacteria that produce about 50% of the
body’s vitamin K needs each day. A person who has taken antimicrobial drugs will have a large decline in the
colonic bacteria that produce vitamin K. This can lead to a deficiency of vitamin K, which can cause prolonged
bleeding.
4. a. Other than vitamin B12, which 2 water-soluble vitamins are important for healthy functioning of the
nervous system?
Thiamin and vitamin B6 are very important for the healthy functioning of the nervous system.
b. Describe how each vitamin contributes to the overall function of the nervous system.
Thiamin is important for the health of the neuronal cell membranes. These cells pass electrical impulses along
their membranes, which allow neurons to fire and communicate with each other. Neurons are found within the
brain and throughout the entire nervous system.
Vitamin B6 is necessary for the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin. These chemicals allow the
communication between neurons in the brain and can affect many aspects of nervous system function.
5. Which 3 vitamins can impact the health of the connective tissue and skeletal systems of the body? How does
each of these vitamins contribute to the health of these systems?
Vitamin A contributes to the health of the bones. This vitamin affects the expression of genes (DNA into
protein), which can affect cell development. If vitamin A is deficient, the cells that build bone may not be fully
functional. This could affect the quality of the bone tissue.
Vitamin D is essential for bone health. It stimulates the small intestine to absorb more calcium from foods so
that the bones can make use of the calcium. Young people who lack vitamin D during growth may have
softened, misshapen bones, as is seen with rickets. Older individuals may experience softening of the bones as
calcium is released from them as a result of vitamin D deficiency. This condition is known as osteomalacia.
Vitamin C is needed for the formation of collagen, the base material of bones and other connective tissues.
Vitamin C deficiency, known as scurvy, leads to poorly formed connective tissue, which can cause bleeding of
the gums or rashes on the skin.
6. Why won’t eating high-calorie fast foods make people feel more energetic than eating lower-calorie foods?
Fast foods provide higher amounts of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. They may not provide high levels of the
B vitamins. These vitamins serve as coenzymes, assisting enzymes active in the cell’s production of energy.
When the diet supplies adequate B vitamins, the cell’s energy metabolism enzymes work more efficiently at
releasing energy from carbohydrates and fats.
7. Why have the recommendations for vitamin D recently become a controversial topic among experts?
Originally, it was thought that vitamin D just helped the body absorb more calcium to strengthen the bones.
Within cells, vitamin D interacts with the genes to modulate how the cells function or grow. More current
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
135
research suggests that higher levels of vitamin D intake may help reduce the risks of some types of cancers and
cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D may also influence the function of the immune system in fighting infections
and the development of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.
2. Discuss what foods you could eat that would work as well as the following supplement formulas:
a. “Stress formula”
“Stress formula” supplements claim to have higher levels of vitamin C and B vitamins to combat oxidative
stress in the body. The person can obtain more benefits by eating more fruits, whole grains, and vegetables each
day.
b. “For better metabolism”
These formulas contain extra biotin that may help the body better metabolize high levels of protein. Most
adequate and varied diets contain plenty of biotin-containing foods, making biotin supplements unnecessary.
The best alternative to this formula is to follow a diet that is low in refined sugars, not complex carbohydrates.
3. Give any 2 reasons why people may NOT want to take supplements that contain beta-carotene or vitamin E.
Both vitamin E and beta-carotene have antioxidant properties that may help promote cardiovascular health.
It has been suggested that people who take vitamin E supplements may reduce their risk of cardiovascular
disease, but early studies supporting this view may not have accounted for variation in the subjects such as
illnesses or smoking histories. A large study that closely examined other studies of vitamin E intake versus
cardiovascular disease found that increased vitamin E intakes are not protective and may actually cause more
harm.
It has been suggested that increased intake of beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain cancers
such as lung cancer in smokers. Studies have shown that people taking beta-carotene supplements may be at
increased risk for damage to their DNA, which can lead to cancer development, and that beta-carotene
supplement intake in smokers actually increased the rate of lung cancer.
Foods provide lower levels of vitamin E and beta-carotene in association with other nutrients; thus, with foods
there is less risk of effects from excessive amounts of either of these two nutrients alone.
4. List any 3 medical conditions or life stages in which a person may need to take a vitamin supplement in addition
to eating a varied and adequate diet.
Pregnant women may need increased amounts of vitamin B12, iron, and folate to support increased red blood
cell development that is needed during pregnancy.
Some people do not produce enough of intrinsic factor, needed for adequate absorption of vitamin B12, in their
stomach. These individuals cannot absorb enough vitamin B12, even when they eat plenty of food sources. They
often need injections of vitamin B12 to avoid a deficiency, which can result in nerve damage and anemia.
People who are chronically dieting, such as people with anorexia or bulimia nervosa, would need supplements
to ensure that they are getting enough vitamins and minerals.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
136
People who are lactose intolerant may need a vitamin D and calcium supplement if they do not eat a varied diet
rich in other sources of vitamin D.
People who are recovering from illness or surgery have increased demands for nutrients in order to repair or
rebuild body tissues and essential molecules to restore health. People who have had weight-loss surgery often
need supplements long term to obtain adequate amounts of nutrients.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
137
Learning Activities & Project Ideas
Activity 7-1: A Vitamin Interview3 LO 7.3-7.6, 7.8, 7.10
To help students learn all the vitamins, set up “The Body Company.” Have each student “apply” for a job as a
vitamin by describing (in an interview) what that vitamin can do for “The Company” and which other nutrients it
works best with.
Activity 7-4: Examination of Nutrition Quackery Via the Internet Project6 LO 7.12
Instruct students to obtain information about a questionable nutritional product such as a nutrient supplement by
performing an Internet search. Next, have students evaluate the claims regarding the product using anti-quackery
sites on the Internet. The Internet Health Pilot http://www.ihealthpilot.org/quackery/index.shtml (sponsored by
Quackwatch) is a good index to reliable anti-quackery websites.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
138
III. Vitamin A
A. Forms
1. Beta-carotene – plant-derived precursor
2. Retinol – active form stored in the liver
3. Converted by cells into its other two active forms, retinal and retinoic acid, as needed
B. Roles of Vitamin A and Consequences of Deficiency
1. Vitamin A plays a variety of roles in the body such as:
a. Gene expression
b. Vision – both for the health of the cornea and for a visual pigment in the retina
2. Eyesight
a. Vitamin A plays two roles:
1. Process of light perception at the retina
2. Maintenance of a healthy cornea
b. Vitamin A is part of the rhodopsin molecule, a pigment within the cells of the retina.
c. When light falls on the eye, it bleaches rhodopsin, which breaks off the vitamin A, initiating a
signal that conveys the sensation of sight to the optic center of the brain.
d. The vitamin then reunites with the pigment, but a little vitamin A is destroyed each time this
reaction takes place, and fresh vitamin A must replenish the supply.
3. Night Blindness – If the vitamin A supply runs low, night blindness can result – a lag before the eye
can see again after a flash of bright light at night.
4. Xerophthalmia and Blindness – A more serious deficiency of vitamin A occurs when the protein
keratin accumulates and clouds the eye’s outer vitamin A-dependent part, the cornea.
a. Keratinization of the cornea can lead to xerosis (drying) and then progress to thickening and
permanent blindness, xerophthalmia.
b. 500,000 of the world’s vitamin A-deprived children become blind each year due to xerophthalmia.
5. Gene Regulation
a. Vitamin A exerts influence on body functions through its regulation of genes.
b. Hundreds of genes are regulated by the retinoic acid form of vitamin A.
6. Cell Differentiation
a. Vitamin A is needed by all epithelial tissue, which includes the protective linings of the lungs,
intestines, vagina, urinary tract, and bladder.
b. If vitamin A is deficient, goblet cells fail to differentiate to make protective mucus and instead
secrete keratin, the same protein found in hair and nails.
c. Keratinization makes the tissues dry, hard, and cracked, which makes them more susceptible to
infection.
7. Immune Function
a. Vitamin A has a reputation as an “anti-infective” vitamin.
b. Body’s defenses depend on an adequate supply of vitamin A for proper development of immune
system cells.
8. Growth
a. Vitamin A assists in growth of bone (and teeth).
b. In children, failure to grow is one of the first signs of poor vitamin A status.
9. Vitamin A Deficiency Around the World
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
139
About 5 million of the world’s preschool children suffer from vitamin A deficiency with
a.
symptoms of night blindness, diarrhea, appetite loss, and reduced food intakes.
b. About 180 million children suffer from a milder form of vitamin A deficiency that reduces their
resistance to infections.
c. The WHO and UNICEF are working to reduce the rates of vitamin A deficiency in children
around the world.
C. Vitamin A Toxicity
1. Can occur when excess vitamin A is taken as supplements or fortified foods
2. Chronic use of vitamin supplements providing three to four times the recommended dose for
pregnancy has caused birth defects.
3. High vitamin A intakes may also weaken the bones and lead to fractures later in life.
4. Even some bubble gum and candy bars have added vitamin A.
5. With the exception of liver, it is not easy to ingest toxic amounts of vitamin A – 1 oz of beef liver
contains 3 times the DRI
D. Vitamin A Recommendations and Sources
1. Overview
a. Vitamin A is not needed every day since it is stored in the body.
b. DRI for man is 900 micrograms
c. DRI for woman is 700 micrograms
d. Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 3,000 micrograms
2. Food Sources of Vitamin A
a. Beta-carotene is found in vegetables and fruits – Orange or muddy green colored
b. Active vitamin A is found in fortified foods and foods of animal origin – Liver, fish oil, milk,
fortified cereals, eggs, butter
3. Liver: A Lesson in Moderation – 1 ounce of liver can supply 3-4 times the DRI for vitamin A and a
common portion size is 4-6 ounces.
4. Can Fast Foods Provide Vitamin A? – Many fast-food places now offer salads with cheese and carrots
as well as other vitamin A-rich foods.
E. Beta-Carotene
1. Overview
a. In plants, vitamin A only exists in its precursor form.
b. Beta-carotene, the most abundant of these carotenoid precursors, has the highest vitamin A
activity.
c. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids may protect against macular degeneration, which is a
common form of age-related blindness.
2. Does Eating Carrots Really Promote Good Vision?
a. Yes, eating carrots and other rich sources of beta-carotene promotes good vision
b. Dark green vegetables
c. Spinach, broccoli, collard greens
d. Orange fruits and vegetables
e. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mango, cantaloupe, apricots
3. Beta-Carotene, an Antioxidant – Beta-carotene is an antioxidant along with vitamin E, vitamin C,
selenium, and many phytochemicals.
4. Measuring Beta-Carotene
a. How are beta-carotene and active vitamin A related?
b. It takes 12 micrograms of beta-carotene to produce 1 microgram of active vitamin A (retinol) in
the body.
5. Toxicity
a. Beta-carotene from food is not converted to retinol efficiently enough to cause vitamin A toxicity.
b. Excess beta-carotene is stored the fat under the skin, imparting a yellow cast, which is actually
harmless.
6. Food Sources of Beta-Carotene – Dark green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, & collard greens &
orange fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, mango, cantaloupe, & apricots
supply beta-carotene in the diet.
IV. Vitamin D
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
140
A. General characteristics
1. Can be self-synthesized with the help of sunlight.
2. Whether made with the help of sunlight or obtained from food, vitamin D undergoes chemical
transformations in the liver and kidneys to activate it.
3. There has been a national drop in blood vitamin D levels in the last decades – may be related to higher
levels of obesity since excess fat tissue keeps vitamin D less available to the blood
B. Roles of Vitamin D
1. Calcium Regulation
a. Vitamin D functions as a hormone to regulate blood calcium and phosphorus levels, thereby
maintaining bone integrity.
b. To replenish blood calcium, vitamin D acts at three body locations to raise blood calcium levels:
skeleton, digestive tract, kidneys
3. Other Vitamin D Roles
a. Vitamin D stimulates maturation of cells, including immune cells that defend against infectious,
cardiovascular disease, vision loss, and cancer.
b. Deficiencies of vitamin D have been associated with: inflammatory conditions, multiple sclerosis,
higher risk of death
C. Too Little Vitamin D—A Danger to Bones
1. Rickets is a result of vitamin D deficiency in childhood (see Figure 7-6) – The legs are bowed due to
the weakened bones’ inability to support the body’s weight
2. Preventing Rickets
a. Still seen in 50% of children in Mongolia, Tibet, and the Netherlands
b. Not as common in the U.S. except in black, overweight females
3. Deficiency in Adults
a. In adults, the poor mineralization of bone results in osteomalacia, which may not have obvious
clinical signs.
b. Later on, deficiencies result in osteoporosis, which can cause bone fractures.
4. Who Should be Concerned?
a. In obese individuals, vitamin D may be stored in fat tissue and not accessible to the blood.
b. People who do not get sunlight may also be at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
D. Too Much Vitamin D—A Danger to Soft Tissues
1. Vitamin D is the most potentially toxic of all vitamins.
2. Toxic to bones, kidneys, brain, nerves, heart, and arteries
3. More likely if supplements are taken
E. Vitamin D from Sunlight
1. Will not reach toxic levels
2. Vitamin D Synthesis and Activation – Table 7-4 describes factors that affect vitamin D synthesis
a. When ultraviolet light from the sun shines on a cholesterol compound in human skin, the
compound is transformed into a vitamin D precursor and is absorbed directly into the blood.
b. Over the next day, the liver and kidneys finish converting the precursor to active vitamin D.
c. Dark-skinned people need up to 3 hours of direct sun for several days to make enough vitamin D.
d. Light-skinned people need much less time—10 or 15 minutes.
e. Many people may not get outside much and may become somewhat deficient in vitamin D.
f. People who restrict their intake of animal and dairy foods may lack dietary vitamin D.
F. Vitamin D Intake Recommendations
1. 15 micrograms/day for people ages 1-70 years
2. 20 micrograms/day for adults over 70 years
3. UL:100 micrograms/day (4,000 IU on supplement labels)
G. Vitamin D Food Sources – include butter, fortified margarine and milk as well as fortified soy products,
cereals and infant formulas (see Snapshot 7-2)
H. Consumer’s Guide to Sources of Vitamin D
1. Finding Vitamin D in Food
a. Only a handful of foods are naturally high in vitamin D like fatty fish, liver oil, beef liver, or egg
yolks
b. Many foods are fortified with added vitamin D, which is convenient, but a person can ingest too
much vitamin D this way – Look at labels carefully
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
141
2. Supplement Speed Bumps – many supplements have very high levels of vitamin D, which could push
intakes up past the UL
3. Sunshine—It’s Free, but Is It Safe?
a. Sunlight’s ultraviolet radiation contributes to about 1 million skin cancers per year.
b. Sunscreens help reduce skin cancer risk but also block the ability of the skin to produce the
precursor to vitamin D.
c. Tanning booths are not a safe alternative to sun exposure either.
4. Moving Ahead
a. Foods rich in vitamin D are the best choices.
b. Fortified foods or supplements are not a reliable source of vitamin D.
c. Get some sun exposure but protect your skin from excessive UV exposure.
VI. Vitamin K – Have you ever thought about how remarkable it is that blood can clot? What would happen if it
didn’t?
A. Roles of Vitamin K
1. Main function of vitamin K is to help synthesize proteins that help blood clot.
a. People with heart problems may need a blood thinner, warfarin, that interferes with the effects of
vitamin K.
b. Such individuals may need vitamin K if they encounter excessive bleeding with warfarin use.
2. Also necessary for the synthesis of key bone proteins
B. Vitamin K Deficiency
1. Vitamin K deficiency is rare but can occur if a person is on antimicrobial medicine that destroys
intestinal bacteria.
2. Newborn babies have a sterile intestine and it may take a couple of weeks for the intestinal bacteria to
get established.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
142
C. Vitamin K Toxicity
1. Toxicity is rare and there is no Tolerable Upper Intake Level.
2. Toxicity causes jaundice and may occur if supplements of a synthetic version are given too
enthusiastically.
D. Vitamin K Requirements and Sources
1. 120 micrograms/day for men, 90 micrograms/day for women
2. Vitamin K can be made by intestinal bacteria.
3. Newborns are given a dose of vitamin K at birth.
4. Food sources: dark leafy greens, cabbage-type vegetables, liver (see Snapshot 7-4)
VIII. Vitamin C
A. History of its discovery
1. More than 200 years ago, any man who joined the crew of a seagoing ship knew he might contract
scurvy, which would end up killing as many as 2/3 of the crew.
2. The first nutrition experiment was done nearly 250 years ago to find a cure for scurvy:
a. 4 experimental groups: (1) Vinegar, (2) Sulfuric acid, (3) Seawater, (4) Lemons
b. Those receiving the citrus fruits were cured.
3. It took 50 years for the British navy to make use of the information and require all its ships to provide
lime juice to every sailor daily – Nicknamed them “limeys”
4. The name given to the vitamin that the fruit provided, ascorbic acid, literally means “no scurvy acid.”
5. Today called vitamin C
B. The Roles of Vitamin C
1. A Cofactor for Enzymes – Assists enzymes involved in the formation and maintenance of collagen,
which forms the base for all of the body’s connective tissues and for scar formation.
2. An Antioxidant – Acts as an antioxidant, especially protecting the immune system cells from free
radicals generated during their assault on invaders
a. Vitamin C protects iron in the intestines from oxidation and enhances its absorption.
b. Vitamin C in the blood helps preserve and recycle vitamin E.
3. Can Vitamin C Supplements Cure a Cold? – Many studies do not show a strong relationship between
vitamin C intake and the prevention of colds.
C. Deficiency Symptoms – Most scurvy symptoms are due to collagen breakdown.
1. Loss of appetite
2. Growth cessation
3. Tenderness to touch
4. Bleeding gums
5. Swollen ankles and wrists
6. Anemia
7. Red spots on skin
8. Weakness
9. Loose teeth
10. Scurvy is rare; seen in infants fed cow’s milk with no vitamin C supplementation, elderly, severely ill
people, alcohol or drug abusers, etc.
D. Vitamin C Toxicity – Possible adverse effects of taking 2 grams a day:
1. Alteration of the insulin response to carbohydrate
2. Interference with blood clotting medications
3. Increased risk of kidney stones
4. Gout
5. Excessive vitamin C can be dangerous for people who have an overload of iron in their systems
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
143
6. Digestive upsets
7. Doses approaching 10 grams per day are seen as being unsafe.
E. Vitamin C Recommendations
1. DRI = 90 mg for men, 75 mg for women
2. Only 10 mg/day needed to prevent scurvy
3. Recommendation for smokers: 125 mg/day for men, 110 mg/day for women
G. Vitamin C Food Sources – fruits and vegetables (see Snapshot 7-5)
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
144
2. Niacin Deficiency – Deficiency disease is pellagra, which appeared in Europe in the 1700s when corn
from the New World became a staple food.
a. In the early 1900s in the U.S., pellagra was affecting hundreds of thousands in the South and
Midwest.
b. Pellagra is still common in parts of Africa and Asia.
c. Pellagra still occurs in the U.S. among poorly nourished people, especially alcohol addicts.
d. Pellagra symptoms: 4 “D’s”: Diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, death
e. See Figure 7-15 for the skin condition associated with pellagra – Keep in mind that deficiencies of
other vitamins can also affect the skin
3. Niacin Toxicity and Pharmacology
a. Supplements may be taken as a treatment to lower blood lipids associated with cardiovascular
disease.
b. Symptoms of toxicity:
1. Life-threatening drop in blood pressure
2. Liver injury
3. Peptic ulcers
4. Vision loss
5. Niacin flush, which can be very painful
4. Niacin Recommendations and Food Sources (see Snapshot 7-8)
a. The key nutrient that prevents pellagra is niacin.
b. Or, consuming adequate tryptophan (an amino acid found in proteins), which can be converted to
niacin in the body
c. The amount of niacin in a diet is stated in terms of niacin equivalents (NE), a measure that takes
available dietary tryptophan into account.
d. Most well-fed people rarely show signs of niacin deficiency.
D. Folate Roles – Folate helps synthesize DNA and so is important for making new cells.
1. Folate Deficiency
a. Deficiency of folate causes anemia, diminished immunity, and abnormal digestive function.
b. Deficiencies are related to increased risk of cervical cancer (in women infected with HPV), breast
cancer (in women who drink alcohol) and pancreatic cancer (in men who smoke).
c. Some medicines like aspirin may interfere with the body’s ability to use folate.
2. Birth Defects and Folate Enrichment
a. Adequate intakes of folate during pregnancy can reduce a woman’s chances of having a child with
a neural tube defect (NTD).
b. NTD arise in the first days or weeks of pregnancy, long before most women suspect they are
pregnant.
c. In the late 1990s the FDA ordered fortification of all enriched grain products with an absorbable
synthetic form of folate, folic acid.
d. Since fortification began, the U.S. incidence of NTD dropped by 25 percent (see Figure 7-16).
3. Folate Toxicity
a. Tolerable Upper Intake Level for folate is 1,000 micrograms a day for adults
b. A concern about fortifying the nation’s food supply with folic acid is folate’s ability to mask
deficiencies of vitamin B12.
4. Folate Recommendations – 400 micrograms/day
5. Folate Food Sources (see Snapshot 7-9)
a. Green leafy vegetables, other raw fruits/vegetables, enriched grain products
b. Folate is also measured in DFE (dietary folate equivalents), which convert the micrograms of all
folate sources to be equivalent to that found in foods.
E. Vitamin B12 Roles
1. Vitamin B12 and folate are closely related: each depends on the other for activation.
2. Main roles: helps maintain nerves and is a part of coenzymes needed in new blood cell synthesis
3. Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms
a. Symptoms of deficiency of either folate or vitamin B12 include the presence of immature red blood
cells (see Figure 7-17).
b. Administering extra folate often clears up this blood condition but allows the B 12 deficiency to
continue.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
145
Vitamin B12’s other functions then become compromised, and the results can be devastating:
c.
damaged nerves, creeping paralysis, and general muscle and nerve malfunctioning.
4. A Special Case: Vitamin B12 Absorption – Intrinsic factor is a compound made by the stomach needed
for the absorption of B12.
a. A few people have an inherited defect in the gene for intrinsic factor, which makes B 12 absorption
poor.
b. Vitamin B12 must be injected to bypass the defective absorptive system.
c. This anemia of the vitamin B12 deficiency caused by a lack of intrinsic factor is known as
pernicious anemia.
5. Vitamin B12 Food Sources – Vitamin B12 is generally found in animal foods, so strict vegetarians may
need to get vitamin B12 from supplements (see Snapshot 7-10).
6. Perspective – exemplifies the importance of professional (not self) diagnosis of deficiencies
F. Vitamin B6 Roles
1. Vitamin B6 participates in more than 100 reactions in body tissues.
2. Needed to convert one amino acid to another amino acid that is lacking
3. Aids in conversion of tryptophan to niacin
4. Plays important roles in the synthesis of hemoglobin and neurotransmitters such as serotonin
5. Assists in releasing glucose from glycogen
6. Has roles in immune function and steroid hormone activity
7. Critical to fetal nervous system development
8. Vitamin B6 Deficiency – Deficiencies of vitamin B6 can show up as changes in the skin, weakness,
depression, and neurological symptoms in cases of extreme deficiency (see Figure 7-18).
9. Vitamin B6 Toxicity – Toxicity of vitamin B6 has developed in women taking supplements to relieve
premenstrual syndrome.
a. They developed difficulty walking due to the effects of excess vitamin B6 on the nerves.
b. Fortunately, the toxic effects are reversible.
10. Vitamin B6 Intake Recommendations and Food Sources – Most whole foods are good sources of
vitamin B6 (see Snapshot 7-11).
G. Biotin and Pantothenic Acid
1. Biotin and pantothenic acid are also important in energy metabolism and serve as cofactors.
2. Both vitamins are readily available in foods.
H. Non-B Vitamins
1. Many substances that people claim are B vitamins are not.
2. Choline – important in fetal development – common in foods
3. Carnitine, inositol, and lipoic acid – nonvitamins because they are nonessential – common in foods
XII. Controversy: Vitamin Supplements: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Risks? – About half of the U.S. population
buys nutrient supplements, spending 24 billion dollars each year.
A. Arguments in Favor of Taking Supplements (see Table C7-1)
1. People with Deficiencies
a. In the U.S. and Canada, adults rarely suffer nutrient deficiencies, but they do still occur.
b. Luckily, deficiency diseases quickly resolve when a physician identifies them and prescribes
therapeutic doses (two to ten times the DRI).
2. People with Increased Nutrient Needs
a. Nutrient needs increase during certain stages of life and so sometimes nutrient supplementation is
needed.
b. Women who lose a lot of blood and therefore a lot of iron during menstruation each month may
need an iron supplement.
c. Newborns require a single dose of vitamin K at birth.
d. Women of childbearing age need supplements of folate to reduce the risk of NTD.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
146
3. People Coping with Physical Stress
a. Any condition that interferes with a person’s appetite, ability to eat, or ability to absorb or use
nutrients can easily impair nutrition status.
b. Secondary deficiencies
B. Arguments Against Taking Supplements
1. Introduction
a. Unlike foods, supplements can easily cause nutrient imbalances or toxicities.
b. The higher the dose, the greater the risk of harm.
2. Toxicity – No one knows for sure how many people in the U.S. suffer from supplement toxicities but
many cases likely go unreported.
3. Supplement Contamination and Safety
a. FDA identified >140 supplements containing pharmaceutical drugs
b. Some supplements contained twice the amount of vitamin A that was stated on the label.
c. The FDA has little control over supplement sales and does not routinely test new supplements.
4. Life-Threatening Misinformation
a. Another problem arises when people who are ill use high doses of supplements to cure
themselves.
b. Marketing materials are often misleading and false.
5. Unknown Needs
a. No one knows exactly how to formulate the “ideal” supplement.
b. Should phytochemicals be added? If yes, how much?
c. What nutrients should be added?
6. False Sense of Security
a. Using supplements may lull people into a false sense of security.
b. People may think food choices are not important because the supplement will take care of any
discrepancies.
c. Self-diagnosing a condition and taking a supplement may postpone an accurate diagnosis.
7. Whole Foods Are Best for Nutrients
a. Nutrients are absorbed best when ingested with food.
b. Taken in pure, concentrated form, nutrients are likely to interfere with one another’s absorption or
with the absorption of nutrients from foods eaten with them.
1. Zinc hinders copper and calcium absorption.
2. Iron hinders zinc absorption.
3. Vitamin C enhances iron absorption.
C. Can Supplements Prevent Chronic Diseases? – Can taking a supplement prevent these killers?
1. Vitamin D and Cancer – Low vitamin D intakes have been associated with some types of cancer but
increasing vitamin D intake has not be shown to reduce cancer risk.
2. Oxidative Stress, Subclinical Deficiencies, and Chronic Diseases
a. Antioxidant nutrients help to quench free radicals, rendering them harmless to cellular structures
(see Table C7-3).
b. Studies with mice have shown that increased vitamin C intake actually increase markers of
oxidation in the blood and increase the risk of developing cataracts.
3. Vitamin E and Chronic Disease
a. After years of recording health data, evidence shows that vitamin E supplements offered no
protection against heart attack incidence, hospitalization, or death from heart failure.
b. In fact, an alarming increased risk for death emerged for people taking vitamin E supplements.
c. When the data from many studies are pooled and analyzed, it appears that high vitamin E intakes
may actually be harmful.
4. The Story of Beta-Carotene—A Case in Point
a. Similar to the hopeful beginnings of the vitamin E story, beta-carotene showed early promise as a
cancer fighter.
b. Results from controlled clinical human trials reveal no benefit from beta-carotene.
c. In fact, there was a 38% increase in deadly lung cancer among smokers taking beta-carotene
compared with placebos.
d. Beta-carotene found in foods may not exert the same effects in the body as supplements.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
147
D. SOS: Selection of Supplements – If you cannot meet your needs from foods, a supplement containing
nutrients only can prevent serious problems.
1. Choosing a Type
a. Don’t fall for meaningless labels such as, “advanced formula,” “maximum power,” “stress
formula,” “time Release,” and the like.
b. Avoid unknown herbal additions within a supplement.
2. Reading the Label
a. What form do you want? (chewable, liquid, pills)
b. Some supplements may come in high-calorie forms such as a sugary vitamin drink or candy bar.
3. Targeting Your Needs – Who are you? What vitamins & minerals do you actually need?
4. Choosing Doses – Watch the dose you select!
a. Avoid any preparation that in a daily dose provides more than the RDA/AI of vitamin A, vitamin
D, or any mineral, or more than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for any nutrient.
b. Avoid doses of iron over 10 milligrams per day.
5. Going for Quality
a. USP symbol on label
b. A high-priced supplement may not be higher in quality.
6. Avoiding Marketing Traps – Avoid marketing hype on the labels such as “stress formula,” “high
potency formula,” “for better metabolism,” “organic,” “natural,” “time release,” or claims that food
lacks the necessary nutrients.
E. Conclusion
1. People in developed nations are far more likely to suffer from overnutrition and poor lifestyle choices
than from nutrient deficiencies.
2. Invest energy in eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in generous quantities, along with the
recommended daily amounts of whole grains, lean protein foods, and milk products every day, and
take supplements only when they are needed.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
148
Nutrition Facts Sugar Syrup, Modified Corn Starch, Canola and/or Rice Bran
Oil, Honey, Salt, Baking Soda, Calcium Carbonate, Dextrose,
Trisodium Phosphate, Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin
Serving Size 3/4 cup (31g) C (Sodium Ascorbate), A B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Artificial
Servings Per Container 11 Flavor, Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2
(Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), Vitamin A
with 1/2 (Palmitate), A B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D.
cup BHT Added to Preserve Freshness.
skim
Amount Per Serving Cereal milk
Calories 120 160 Instructions: Use the cereal label to answer the
Calories from Fat 10 10 questions that follow.
% Daily Value**
1. How would you find out what amount of
Total Fat 1g* 2% 2% vitamin A is contributed by a serving of this
Saturated Fat 0g 0% 0% cereal?
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g
Cholesterol 0mg 0% 1%
Sodium 270mg 11% 14%
Potassium 60mg 2% 8%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9% 11% 2. What are the sources of vitamins in this cereal?
Dietary Fiber 1g 5% 5%
Sugars 11g
Other Carbohydrate 14g
Protein 2g
Vitamin A 10% 15%
Vitamin C 10% 10% 3. a. Are any actual vitamin amounts (e.g., mass
Calcium 10% 25% or volume) given on the label?
Iron 25% 25%
Vitamin D 10% 25%
Thiamin 25% 30% b. Why might this be?
Riboflavin 25% 35%
Niacin 25% 25%
Vitamin B6 25% 25%
Folic Acid 25% 25%
Vitamin B12 25% 35%
Phosphorus 4% 15%
4. Which vitamin amount in the cereal is
Magnesium 2% 6%
significantly increased by milk?
Zinc 25% 30%
* Amount in cereal. A serving of cereal plus skim milk
provides 1g total fat, less than 5mg cholesterol, 340mg
sodium, 270mg potassium, 32g total carbohydrate (16g 5. a. What class of vitamins is more abundant in
sugars) and 6g protein.
**Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. the cereal alone?
Your Daily Values may be higher or lower depending on
your calorie needs.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
149
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
150
Look at Eating Plans B, C, F, and G:
b. Vitamin D?
c. Vitamin C?
d. Folate?
e. Vitamin B12?
c. If not, is there enough beta-carotene to compensate for the reduced level of preformed vitamin A?
4. a. Which of these eating plans has the highest level of adequacy in terms of supplying essential
vitamins?
b. Does the same eating plan that you chose in 4.a. have the most nutrient-dense choices?
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
151
1. What types of food processing methods are available that can protect nutrients from the harmful
effects of oxygen?
2. What types of food packaging could be used to block the penetration of the food by ultraviolet light?
3. Describe the food sources that can create an acidic or alkaline environment, which can destroy some
of the nutrients.
7Source for table: Adapted from C.D. Berdanier, Advanced Nutrition: Micronutrients (Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press,
1998).
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
152
Supplements can safely provide 100% of the Daily Values for most vitamins and minerals.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
153
Answer these questions for supplement #1 on a separate sheet of paper:
1. What is the name of the supplement?
2. What is the cost per pill?
3. Is the supplement complete (does it contain all vitamins and minerals with established DRIs)? If no,
what is missing?
4. Are most vitamins and minerals present at or near 100% of the DRIs? Exceptions include biotin,
calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which are rarely found in amounts near 100% of the DRI. List
any vitamins or minerals that are present in low amounts or dangerously high amounts.
5. Does the supplement contain unnecessary nutrients or nonnutrients? If yes, list them.
6. Is there “hype” on the label? Does the label use the terms “natural,” “organic,” “chelated,” “no
sugar,” “stress-reliever,” etc.? List any terms used.
Special Notes:
• Vitamin A should come from beta-carotene with only about 3,000 IU coming from retinal (active
vitamin A).
• Older adults may need higher amounts of vitamin D than a multivitamin can provide. They may have
to eat additional foods with vitamin D or consult their healthcare provider about taking additional
vitamin D supplements.
• Post-menopausal women and men do not need the 100% daily value for iron.
• Doses of manganese (trace mineral) should not exceed 11 mg daily. Excessive doses can cause
Parkinson’s-like symptoms.
• Doses of zinc above 40 mg/day can interfere with copper absorption. Copper is needed for red blood
cell formation in addition to iron.
• Try to get vitamin E in the form of mixed tocopherols instead of just alpha-tocopherol.
Ask Yourself:
13. When would a specialty formula be necessary?
14. Is a brand name vitamin always superior to a generic version?
References:
Why I Take Supplements. Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self Healing. Premiere Issue, pages 1,6-7.
Does Your Supplement Provide a Nutrient Overdose? Tuft’s University Health and Nutrition Letter.
Volume 19 (2), April 2001, page 4.
Forman, Adrienne. Multis Deliver Nutrition Insurance: EN Helps You Make the Best Choice.
Environmental Nutrition. Volume 27 (6) June 2004, pages 1, 4-5.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
154
3 4 5
6 7
10 11
12
13
14
Across: Down:
1. Riboflavin and thiamin are important for _____ production within 2. Vitamin D deficiency in childhood
cells, including nervous system cells. can result in _____, which is
3. The niacin-deficiency disease causing dermatitis associated with weakened,
5. This vitamin can produced in the body if enough tryptophan (an misshapen bones.
amino acid in proteins) is present 4. Vitamin E functions as an _____,
6. _____ is one of the plant-based forms of vitamin A that must be which can help protect cells from
made active in the body. damage.
9. Thinning of bones that occurs in older age and results in serious 7. _____ is a visual pigment that
fractures contains vitamin A and is needed
10. Active vitamin D acts on 3 key target organs/tissues in the body to for night vision.
raise the blood _____ levels. 8. Stored form of a vitamin that needs
12. Type of tissue that lines and protects the digestive tract and to be made active inside the body
respiratory tract and is maintained by vitamin A 11. Another name for the active form
13. _____ factor, produced in the stomach, is needed for the body to be of vitamin A involved in low-light
able to absorb adequate amounts of vitamin B12. vision
14. Vitamin D can be produced by exposure of the skin to _____.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
155
An adequate and varied diet can provide many of the vitamins in needed amounts. Older adults may need
to get more vitamin D than what they can consume in their diets. Vegans may need to get additional
vitamin B12 from a supplement. Everyone should watch that they do not exceed the Tolerable Upper
Intake Level (UL) for vitamin A. This can be done by consuming most of the vitamin A in the form of
beta-carotene from brightly colored produce.
References:
Why I Take Supplements. Dr. Andrew Weil's Self Healing. Premiere Issue, pages 1,6-7.
Does Your Supplement Provide a Nutrient Overdose? Tuft’s University Health and Nutrition Letter.
Volume 19 (2), April 2001, page 4.
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a
license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
“Crespi? No, no. Some one greater, like—like——”
“D’Annunzio,” Armando ventured again.
“Bah! Who is he? I mean some one very great, like——”
“I know!” cried Marianna. “Like the Pope!”
“No, no,” persisted Bertino. “It must be some man as big as
Garibaldi. That’s it. But not a dead Garibaldi. He must be alive, so
that I may sell him the bust that you will make of him. What would
you do with a man like that, for example?”
“Well,” said Armando, pausing and looking up at the ceiling, as
though weighing the matter carefully, “I should make a very fine bust
of such a man.”
“Bravo!” cried Bertino. “With a piece of your best work for a
sample, how long should I be getting orders for more? Not many
days, I promise. And the Americans have gold. What say you, my
friend? Is it not a grand idea?”
“Si, si; a grand idea.”
In truth it loomed before Armando as the chance of his life. Now
as ardent as the other, he agreed to begin work upon a bust in
marble so soon as he should receive from America a photograph of
the chosen subject. When finished he would send it to New York,
there to be put on exhibition and offered for sale.
That afternoon the Saale steamed from Genoa Bay with Bertino a
steerage passenger. Some time after the ship had swung from her
quay Armando and Marianna looked from the studio window over the
cypress fringe toward the gap in the mountains that shows the sails
of ships but conceals the Mediterranean’s waves. Presently a black
bar of smoke moving lazily across the aperture told them that he was
on his way.
Near the window a block of Carrara marble glistened pure and
white in the sunlight. Armando wondered what manner of being he
should release from it—a President, a money king, or a great
American beauty?
CHAPTER II
CASA DI BELLO
Next morning, while the sun gave its first touch to the bronze
head of Garibaldi, Bertino tied on an apron and set to work in Signor
Di Bello’s shop, that peerless grocery whose small window and large
door look tranquilly on the Park of Paradise. For a dozen years it had
been known far and wide among Italia’s children as “The Sign of the
Wooden Bunch.” The nickname came of a piece of carved oak
simulating a bunch of bananas that hung before the door. In the early
days of his business life the padrone had learned that the air of
Mulberry was singularly fatal to the real fruit that he put on show
outside. It happened some days that as many as twenty bananas on
one stem would evaporate, though all the others remained intact. It
was always the ones nearest the ground that vanished. One evening
it struck Signor Di Bello that a violent chemical change in the
exposed fruit would put an end to its mysterious disintegration. So he
substituted the bananas of art for those of Nature. The evaporation
ceased straightway, but for two or three mornings thereafter certain
small boys, on their way to the Five Points Mission School, beheld
with bitter disappointment the oaken symbol, and answered its grin
of mockery with looks of blackest disgust.
Those boys are workingmen now, and when they dream of the
springtimes of childhood, they see Giorgio Di Bello, paint brush in
hand, giving a fresh skin of yellow to the make-believe bananas. It
was a promise of vernal roses as sure as the chirp of a bluebird in
the churchyard grass or the gladsome advent of Simone the
Sardinian with his hokey-pokey cart. When the people saw him
giving the bunch its annual sprucing up, they were wont to exclaim:
“Bravo! Summer is coming. Soon we shall have music in Paradise.”
The morning of Bertino’s début at the shop was a bright one of
young June, and the baby maples of the Park were showing their
first dimples of green. It was the blatant hour when Mulberry’s street
bazaar is in full cry; when the sham battle fought every morning
between honeyed sellers and scornful buyers is in hot movement;
when dimes and coppers are the vender’s prize against flounders,
cabbages, saucepans, calicoes, apples, and shoestrings, as the
stake that fires the housewife’s tongue and eye; when stout-lunged
hucksters cut the din with the siren songs their kind have sung for
ages in the market place.
Spick and span in the clean blouse of Monday, Signor Di Bello
stood on his broad threshold ready for the day’s trade. He had just
shown Bertino how to convert the prosy doorway into a bower
abloom with garlands of freckled salame, cordons of silvery garlic,
clusters of cacciocavalli cheese; how to hang in the entry luring
sheaves of wild herbs, strings of hazelnuts, and the golden
colocynths that are—as all must know—an anodyne for every ill. To
flaunt this ravishing group to the senses of the colony was Bertino’s
first duty of the day. That accomplished, he set out on either side of
the doorway the tubs of tempting stockfish, the black peas of
Lombardy, parched tomatoes and red peppers, lupini beans in fresh
water, ripe olives in brine, and macaroni of sundry types.
Presently the foraging women, their blue-and-red-skirted hips
wabbling under the weight of well-loaded baskets balanced on their
heads, began to enter the shop. Dexterously taking down their
burdens and setting them on the counter, they called out their wants
in the varied jargons of the Peninsula. Not only was Signor Di Bello
equal to them, one and all, but he could give back two raps in the
haggling set-to for every tap that he received. When the morning had
worn on, and the lay of the last vender had died out, he opened a
small can of yellow paint, chose a brush from the stock, placed it in
the hand of his nephew, and said:
“Nipote mio, do you see the green spots on the boughs? Well, it
is time to give the Bunch a new coat.”
Bertino applied the colour, while his uncle looked on with fond
and critical eye, for it was the first time he had intrusted the historic
task to other hands than his own. Before the finishing touch had
been given he was called into the shop to hack off a four-cent chunk
of Roman cheese. A moment later Bertino stepped back to survey
his handiwork, the brush at heedless poise—Mulberry’s sidewalks
are narrow and teeming—when an angry voice fairly stung his ear:
“Guarda, donkey! What are you about?”
He turned and looked into the blazing eyes of a tall young
woman, whose full-flowered beauty startled him more than her words
had done, and for the moment his tongue had no speech.
“Clumsy dog! Why don’t you look?” she began again, drawing out
a gingham handkerchief of purple and putting it to her face. On her
cheek, just where the flush faded in the rich tawn of her skin, was a
spot of yellow—as strangely there as though some fool had tried to
adorn a radiant blossom.
“But excuse me; a thousand pardons. I did not see you,” he
blurted. “I did not see you, veramente, signorina—beautiful
signorina.”
“Bah!” she flung back. “Where are your eyes, calf of a
countryman?”
He watched her as she sailed away above the heads of
Mulberry’s little brown maids and matrons, and for hours afterward
felt the spell of her massing black tresses, her proud step, and the
rugged poetry of her plenteous line.
Small matters these—a spot of fortuitous colour, flashing eyes
among a people who are always flashing, and a mountaineer with
youth in his veins thinking about a well-knit and warm-hued maid
who has proved her fire with a blistering tongue. But in the light of all
that has come and gone, that stain of yellow may not be wiped out
from this record of the warring dilemmas that sharpened the lives of
certain little people of the little world wherein we have set foot.
CHAPTER IV
JUNO THE SUPERB
“O dolce Napoli,
O suol beato,
Ove sorridere,
Voile il creato;
Tu sei l’impero
Dell ’armonia—
Santa Lucia!
Santa Lucia!”