Nutrition · Module 9 · Fat-soluble vitamins

Fat-Soluble Vitamins Lab

Change the sun, season, skin and diet and watch vitamin D get made, activated and put to work on calcium and bone; bleach and rebuild rhodopsin in a rod cell; practise IU, mcg, RAE and %DV; sort the four vitamins; and work through real-life cases. Nothing here is graded.

Part 1: Vitamin D and Calcium Simulator

Gold vitamin D discs come from the skin (sunlight) and from food or supplements. The liver turns them amber (25-hydroxyvitamin D), and the kidney makes red calcitriol when PTH (blue) calls for it. Calcitriol helps the gut absorb calcium (grey) for blood and bone.
Simulated blood tests and body readings
ReadingValueReferenceResult

A teaching model, not a clinical tool. Skin production uses rough averages for arms and legs uncovered at midday; real production varies a lot between people, clouds, altitude and time of day. Time is sped up: one second is about two weeks. Dietary calcium is held at 1,000 mg a day. Sun advice should also protect against skin cancer.