Bookmark Website  | Free Registration  | The Team
The Lounge  | Champions  | The Wire |  Schedule |  Audio  |  Arcade  |  The Top Ten  |  Historical  |  Email  |  Video

The Vitamin Breakdown


Vitamins are organic compounds that the human body cannot produce and therefore must acquire through the diet. To help maintain good health, humans need 13 different vitamins. These include: vitamin A, the various B and D vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K. Deficiencies of these essential vitamins can cause the body to enter a diseased state. Deficiencies of different vitamins manifest themselves with differing diseased states. For example, night-blindness is linked to vitamin A deficiency, while Rickets is linked to vitamin D deficiency.

The relationship between foods and maintaining health has been recognized for centuries. For example, in 1747, Dr. James Lind discovered that citrus fruits prevented scurvy. Some stores of vitamins within the body can last well over a year, as is the case with vitamin B12. Others can deplete more rapidly-lasting only a couple of weeks. A vitamin can be either fat or water soluble. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body. Often they need to be replenished more frequently. Fat-soluble vitamins, however, are stored in the body. Excessive intake of fat-soluble vitamins can cause toxicity in the body. Fat-soluble vitamins include A, E, D and K.

Today there is debate among experts over the benefits of vitamin supplements. Some believe supplements must be taken in conjunction with the daily diet. This is because many foods are processed and artificially enriched-which can reduce the nutrient level naturally found in these foods. Moreover, even fresh fruits and vegetables are picked prematurely and shipped long distances before arriving on grocery shelves. For this reason, some physicians recommend taking vitamins.

The US RDA is a standard set forth by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council to help Americans determine a proper level of daily vitamin intake. It is important to note, however, that these levels are sometimes quite modest- intended to meet the nutrient needs of already healthy individuals. For some, these amounts may be lower than optimal. For example additional amounts of vitamins may be needed during illness. Consequently, the Board has also set two other values: the tolerable upper intake levels (UL) and the adequate intakes (AI). The UL values are designed to help people avoid over consumption. AL values are established when there is not enough scientific evidence to set an RDA.

It is important to note that different developmental stages and physiologies may require varying vitamin intakes. Children, adolescents, women, and men all have differing needs. Consulting a specialist is the best way to determine personal vitamin needs. Moreover, some supplements may negatively interact with prescription drugs. Therefore, all supplemental intakes should be discussed with a physician.

A proper balance of vitamin intake can enhance personal health and increase energy levels. These essential nutrients aid in the regulation of many bodily functions and can prevent illnesses. Their value must not be underestimated.

Ruth Stattmiller enjoys writing about the benefits of vitamins. Learn more at http://www.myvitaminguide.com/.


MORE RESOURCES:

Choose your supplements with care
Vancouver Sun
Supplements are an excellent way to bolster our diets and provide hard-to-find nutrients that our bodies need. But as Peter Jones, director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals at the University of Manitoba, explains, ...

and more »


Dietary Supplement Maker Doctor's Best, Inc., Appoints Dr. Parris M. Kidd as ...
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Doctor's Best, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of clinically-formulated dietary supplements, announced that dietary supplement industry researcher, product developer and educator Parris M. Kidd, PhD. has been ...

and more »


Baltimore Sun

Soy Isoflavone Supplementation Not Effective In Breast Cancer Protection
Medical News Today
A study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, reveals that breast cancer cell proliferation was not lowered with soy isoflavone supplements in a randomized human trial.
Soy pills not helpful for breast cancer prevention, study saysLos Angeles Times
Soy supplements may not protect against breast cancerHealthJockey.com
Soy Isoflavones Don't Reduce Breast Epithelial ProliferationDoctors Lounge

all 9 news articles »


Rough Draft: Dietary Supplement Industry Arguments Against FDA's NDI Draft ...
Nutritional Outlook
By Jennifer Grebow February 8, 2012 0 Comments Saying that the dietary supplements industry is unsatisfied with FDA's new dietary ingredient (NDI) draft guidance is an understatement. "Atrium Innovations firmly believes in the intended principle ...

and more »


Life Extension Rated Number One by Dietary Supplement Consumers in Four ...
Sacramento Bee
8, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Life Extension, offering superior-quality dietary supplements to consumers and a pioneer in funding and reporting the latest anti-aging research and integrative health therapies, has been rated number one in four categories ...

and more »


Fluoride Supplementation: The Ongoing Debate
Medscape
Berbel P, Obregón MJ, Bernal J, Escobar del Rey F, Morreale de Escobar G. Iodine supplementation during pregnancy: a public health challenge. Trends Endocrinol Metab.2007;18:338-343. Abstract Heindel JJ, Bates HK, Price CJ, Marr MC, Myers CB, ...

and more »


PR Web (press release)

The A-C of vitamins
FemaleFirst.co.uk
Nobody should take more than 1.5mg a day of vitamin A, and there is no group of adults who need supplements if they have a reasonable diet including eggs, dairy products or oily fish. In fact, taking too much is a more common risk than too little, ...
Have a Question About Vitamins? Ask Your PharmacistMarketWatch (press release)
All Natural Whole Food Vitamin Supplement Now Available From Nutrition Company ...PR Web (press release)
What Vitamin Overdose Can Do To You?BoldSky

all 6 news articles »


TopNews United States

Diet supplements recalled on unlabeled drug worries
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Healthy People Co is recalling 15 lots of seven different dietary supplements because they contain appetite suppressants or a drug for male erectile dysfunction, the Long Beach, California, company said.
Dietary Supplements Extensively Regulated, Say Authors of New ArticleMarketWatch (press release)
Dietary Supplement Recalled After Found to Contain Drug IngredientsThirdAge
Diet Supplements RecalledTopNews United States
Natural Products INSIDER
all 33 news articles »


Nutritional Outlook

Dietary Supplements and the Food Safety Modernization Act: Today and Tomorrow
Nutritional Outlook
It requires FDA to implement a sweeping array of new regulations and enforcement policies, intended to better ensure the safety of food products marketed in the United States, including dietary supplements. FSMA has far-reaching implications for ...

and more »


Daily Mail

Zinc supplements 'can reduce child pneumonia death rate'
Nursing Times
Young children with pneumonia should be prescribed zinc supplements to substantially reduce their risk of dying, a study suggests. Scientists in Uganda, where zinc deficiency is an acute problem, carried out a study on 352 children who had severe ...
Zinc supplements 'can triple the survival chances of young children with ...Daily Mail
Zinc supplements 'can aid survival from respiratory tract infection'Zenopa
Zinc supplements 'may slash death risk among kids with pneumonia'TruthDive
TIME -Huffington Post UK
all 22 news articles »

Google News


Advertisement



Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us

Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved.