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Vitamins in Health and Disease
Vitamine in der Vorsorge und Therapie
Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:56
Abstract
Vitamins are essential organic compounds that cannot be synthesized by an organism and hence, thy have to be acquired from the diet. This lecture will give an overview about the application of vitamins in health and disease.
Objective
The aim of this lecture is a critical examination of the students with the topic of "Vitamins in Health and Disease". The students will get an overview of vitamins, of their medical applications and the role of the pharmacist with "over-the-counter" products.
Content
Deficiencies of particular vitamins result in specific diseases such as for example scurvy (vitamin C deficiency). Such disease patterns are usually easily recognized and facile to be treated. The clinical utility of supplementation concerns people with severe deficiencies and a risk of complications. Latent vitamin deficiencies might result in variable disorders and risks. As an example neurological disorders in elderly as a consequence of chronic lack of vitamin B12 should be mentioned. Subclinical deficiencies are often difficult to assess. However, these are exactly the cases where advice of a pharmacist is requested. A large intake of vitamins by over-supplementation or food fortification might be dangerous (hypervitaminosis). This is in particular the case for fat-soluble vitamins or in the case of constant intake of high amounts of water-soluble vitamins over a long time period. The lecture 'Vitamins in Heath and Disease' will give an overview over the history and applications of vitamins and their functions to preserve good health. The utility of vitamin supplementation during conditions of deficiencies, potential consequences of a latent deficiency as well as risks of over-supplementation will be discussed.
Resources
Lecture Notes
Hand-outs will be distributed during the lecture (partly in English, partly in German).
Literature
Book recommendation: reference books: - Handbuch Nährstoffe, Burgerstein, Trias Verlag ISBN 978-3-8304-6071-8 Arzneimittel und Mikronährstoffe - Medikationsorientierte Supplementierung WVG, ISBN 978-3-8047-2779-3
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- BSC , MSC
- Frequency
- Yearly recurring
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Registration & Places
- Max Places
- 25
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture |
Vitamine in der Vorsorge und Therapie
Anzahl Plätze begrenzt.
|
No time listed | 1 h weekly |