Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Benefits
Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Benefits
Extensive research studies show that taking vitamin and mineral supplements can potentially improve your health, protect against disease and provide you with the energy you need to live a healthy life. Although each contribute differently to your needs, vitamins and minerals work together in order to give you a balanced amount of all the components needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to your overall health and why they are important:Vitamin SupplementsVitamin A- Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy vision, keep your skin healthy and boost your immune system. In simpler terms, this vitamin keeps your skin healthy, protects against wrinkles and acne and helps fight off infections and other unwanted diseases.Vitamin B12- This vitamin enhances muscle strength, provides energy and helps your nerves function properly. Insufficient amounts of vitamin B12 can lead to health complications such as fatigue, weak muscles and severe depression.Vitamin C- Vitamin C serves a number of purposes including healing wounds, boosting your immune system, protecting artery linings and preventing cataracts.Vitamin D- Vitamin D supplements are helpful for babies who are breastfed since breastfeeding does not provide adequate amounts of this vitamin. Vitamin D has also been known to help fight osteoporosis.Vitamin E- This vitamin is known to help protect against heart disease and some forms of cancer. It also boosts the immune system and helps in healing injuries and wounds. Some studies prove that this vitamin also helps boost the immune system of elderly people.Vitamin K- Vitamin K strengthens bones and is known to help fight osteoporosis.Mineral SupplementsCalcium- Calcium is known to protect bones and make them stronger, but it also helps in lowering blood pressure and preventing colon cancer and PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome). Make sure you only take the recommended amount of calcium per day. Too much calcium can increase the risk of prostate cancer in men.Chromium- This mineral assists the hormone insulin and helps it to operate more efficiently. When the insulin is functioning at the appropriate level, your blood sugar levels are lower, which is helpful to individuals with type 2 diabetes. This mineral has also been proven to help with weight loss.Iron- Lack of iron can cause fatigue and low energy levels. Iron deficiency is usually found in pre-menopausal women, athletes and vegetarians. Although iron helps boost your energy levels, too much of this mineral may cause heart disease and can place you at higher risks for cancer.If you feel as though your daily diet does not provide you with adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, taking supplements can greatly improve your lifestyle and can give you the energy and the boost you need to get you through the day. Always remember that vitamin and mineral supplements are to be used in combination with food and are in no way meant as a replacement for a healthy diet.Health-related information changes frequently and while every attempt has been made to ensure the content in this article is accurate, you should always check with a doctor or nutritional expert before undertaking any substantial changes in diet or lifestyle.Jeff Matson is an avid health enthusiast who owned and operated his own natural health food store. Now retired, Jeff spends his time keeping fit, walking marathons and writing articles as a contributing editor for http://www.vitamin-insight.com ? a site that offers information on vitamins and minerals.
The Vitamin Breakdown
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/.
Vitamin E to Protect Against Parkinsons Disease
Vitamin E to Protect Against Parkinsons Disease
Moderate amounts of vitamin E in the diet can protect against Parkinson's disease, according to a study in the Lancet Neurology (2005;4:362?5).A chronic, progressive neurological disease, Parkinson's disease is characterized by resting tremors, increasing muscle rigidity, and eventual paralysis. The cause is unknown, but a number of factors, including age, genetics, and environmental influences are believed to affect risk. Drugs can help relieve the symptoms and might slow the progress of the disease, but cannot cure it.Highly reactive free radicals appear to play an important role in the nerve damage that occurs in Parkinson's disease patients. Antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C, and E, beta-carotene and other carotenoids, zinc, and plant chemicals known as bioflavonoids) are nutrients that prevent free radicals from injuring cells. Several studies have looked at the effects of dietary antioxidants on the risk of Parkinson's disease.The current report analyzed the research on the possible link between the risk of Parkinson's disease and dietary intake of three antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. Eight studies were found to meet the criteria of this analysis, and of these, seven looked at the effect of vitamin E on the risk of Parkinson's disease, seven looked at vitamin C, and four looked at beta-carotene. The studies used questionnaires to approximate the amounts of these antioxidants in the participants' diets and supplements. For this analysis, intake was categorized as high if it was within the top 20 to 25% of people's diets and moderate if it was in the middle 50 to 60%. Moderate and high dietary intake of vitamin E were associated with a 19% reduction in the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, but no protective effects of either vitamin C or beta-carotene were seen. High intake of vitamin E was slightly more protective than moderate intake, but this difference was not statistically significant.The findings of this analysis show that eating a diet rich in Vitamin E can reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Foods with high amounts of vitamin E include nuts, seeds, olives, olive oil, other vegetable oils, and avocados. Despite their high fat content, it's important for people to understand that these foods are an important part of a healthy diet.It is important to note that at least one study suggested that synthetic vitamin E (the most common and least expensive form used in supplements) is unlikely to provide the same benefit as vitamin E in its natural form because of its reduced activity and possible reduced ability to reach the brain tissue.Vitamin Herb University is the premier online course and informational resource for dietary supplements, supplement reviews, vitamin information, herb information, and drug herb interaction.