Vitamins are essential micronutrients that the body cannot make in sufficient quantity on its own, and each has its own biochemical roles and deficiency diseases. This course covers vitamin A and its role in vision and retinoic acid signaling, vitamin D's role in calcium homeostasis – including how parathyroid hormone and calcitonin regulate calcium and phosphate levels and how vitamin D acts inside the cell – and vitamin B12 and folate metabolism, including how folate metabolism connects to the nucleotide synthesis pathways covered in Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism. Throughout, the course ties each vitamin's biochemistry to the clinical conditions that arise from deficiency or dysregulation, giving you a working knowledge of vitamins that applies directly to nutrition and clinical coursework.

Vitamins

Vitamins
This course is part of Biochemistry for Science & Health Careers Specialization

Instructor: Kevin Ahern, PhD
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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
6 hours to complete
Flexible schedule
Learn at your own pace
What you'll learn
Describe the biochemical role of vitamin A in vision and retinoic acid signaling
Explain vitamin D's role in calcium homeostasis, including PTH and calcitonin
Explain vitamin B12 and folate metabolism
Identify the deficiency diseases associated with key vitamins
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September 2026
Assessments
16 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Biochemistry for Science & Health Careers Specialization
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There are 4 modules in this course
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