Vitamin A & D
Posted on 27 March 2010
Vitamins – the Basics
Vitamins are micro-nutrients. They were discovered by Eijkman (1897) in Indonesia, Java, while studying a disease called that beriberi common natives whose main diet is rice. He noticed that chickens fed polished rice, developed berry berry, but not when fed on crudely milled rice.
Funk in 1911 earned an alcoholic extract of the outer skin of the berry berry rice cured. It was thought to be a vital Amine introducing the name vitamine. The "e" was later dropped to read "vitamin".
Vitamins and function Sources:
As micro nutrients, vitamins are required in small volume. Usually your body can not manufacture or synthesize vitamins from scratch. So you need to get them from the food you eat or from supplement pills. Although, vitamins can be synthesized by some bacteria, yeast, mold, algae and some plant species. Some vitamins such as vitamin B5 has been found to be synthesized by bacteria in the human large intestine. But it is not clear whether the vitamins are available for absorption and use of the body.
Vitamin body is required for a variety of biological processes. These include the growth eg. vitamin B6, choline eg mental alertness, Niacin, eg resistance to infection. vitamin C and vitamin E. They also act as catalysts in the body chemistry as well as precursors to vital body factors. This allows the body to use carbohydrates, fats and protein.
Vitamin myself no calories and therefore does not provide energy to the body. Natural vitamins are found in living things that plants and animal foods and organic ingredients. Many artificially synthesized vitamins.
Vitamins exist in varying quantities in an array of food sources from yeasts, wheat bran, cooked egg that provides biotin, citrus fruits and milk that provide Vitamin C, green leafy vegetables and legumes Folic acid supply.
Vitamin Classification:
There are mainly two types of vitamins classified based on their Solubility. These are water soluble and fat soluble vitamins.
i) Water soluble vitamins include: Vitamin C also called citric acid, vitamin B1 (thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), Cholin, biotin.
Water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body any satisfactory value. The surplus is largely washed out by urine. They require constant replenishing of the use of food we consume. It is safe them because they do not collect in the body due to toxic levels, making large dose of vitamin additional safe. But caution should still be practiced because mega doses have side effects and even be fatal.
For example, has a low risk of vitamin toxicity from nicotinic acid in mega doses. Nicotinic acid a derivative of vitamin niacin, one can experience flushing, itching, nausea and vomiting, liver cell injury. So addition to the daily dosage amount. Do not use megadoses unless under ongoing that expert advice.
ii) Fat soluble vitamins include: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. Being fat soluble vitamins are stored fat in our bodies. They can easily accumulate to toxic levels so if you choose to supplement be cautious.
Vitamin Deficiency:
The lack vitamin food factors that to the result of deficiency diseases. Vitamin defiency diseases are a manifestation of malfunctioning bio-chemical processes due to lack of essential vitamins. For both vitamins may be used in a number of processes, the lack of some vitamins can be quite serious and even fatal. For example more than 200 enzymes requires coenzyme vitamin niacin. So a lack of niacin 200 enzymes makes it malfunction.
Vitamin deficiencies are associated with long term latent deficiency diseases. The disease occurred after a long period of lack of some nutritional factors like vitamins. Keep long term deficiency disease may is as severe as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. In our society today, the disease has become the top health concerns.
The situation is grave because they are not only preventable but also cheaply preventable. The proper nutrition is all it takes to get all required nutrients including sufficient quantities of vitamins. Overall health benefits of vitamins include protection from a variety of diseases and conditions.
In the case of a nutritional gap between of what your body and what your diet provides, supplementing is necessary.
Solid food and is always the best source of vitamins. This is because all the foods that provide a combination of nutrients in the body including minerals and phytonutrients.
But many people do not receive all the nutrients they need from their food choices. Either because they can not or will not eat enough, or they can not or will not eat the right foods. This may be due to medical or physical conditions, your lifestyles, ie, employment, hours, availability or even due to poverty. In such cases, supplementation is required.
Vitamins supplementing:
Today's lifestyles make it more necessary to supplement our diets. There are groups of people if supplementing whom may not really be an option.
This will include you;
i) You are 65 years and older: – At this age some vitamins are not easily absorbed by your body system. Multivitamins may improve your immunity and lower risk of some infections.
ii) You are a post menopausal woman: – the addition of calcium and vitamin D to help against osteoporosis.
iii) You do not eat the recommended five servings fruit and vegetables a day.
iv) You are on a low calorie diet. Eg You are trying to lose weight
v) You smoke The tobacco and interferes diminishes vitamin uptake of vitamins such as vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid and niacin though.
PS: It does not make up for the health risks of smoking.
vi) drink plenty more than one bottle a day. Long term excessive drinking can reduce the absorption of vitamins. Affected are vitamin thiamin (Vitamin B), Folic Acid, Vitamin A & D, as well as vitamin B12.
vii) You are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
There is a wide choice of vitamin supplements on the market to choose from. When choosing vitamins, consider the following:
a) bioavailability of vitamins, vitamin supplements Choose that the source of the ingredients are from the human food chain. Many vitamins are extracted from "natural sources", such as algae, which we do not eat normally. It can not be easily available to your body.
b) Wide spectrum of vitamins, prefer to use multivitamins that provides a number of positive vitamins interact. We remember all require nutrients in different quantities. It is better to have a daily multivitamin providing value instead of megadoses of a single or several vitamins.
c) expiry date of vitamins: Vitamin I expire. Buy used only for the month. When you need more you can always buy again.
d) Vitamin Store safe: Store in a cool dry place away from sunlight and children
e) Health Concerns: If you has a health condition such as diabetes or having medication, please consult your physician first.
Also remember, if you are on a weight program weight you need to consider your vitamin intake and determine if your meal plan has any deficiencies. If there are, supplement.
About the Author
© Mark Kimathi writes about
Weight Loss-Top 4 Reasons for Failure at Health-eMark.com and related topics like
weight loss supplements .
Vitamin D and Prevention of Chronic Diseases
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