Vitamins (part-1)

What are?
Vitamins are relatively simple organic compounds that, although they only appear in smallest amounts, are essential for the life. The animal, generally, are not able to synthesize them they do or it in insufficient amounts, reason why they must obtenerfas from foods, sometimes like vitamins, that is to say, molecules that the metabolism of the animal transforms later into vitamins. Some exceptions exist, like the vitamin C, that is necessary in the humans, but is synthesized by the majority of the animal from glucose. Vitamins are component coenzymes or of coenzymes. The animal require certain daily amounts of each vitamin and any alteration in these amounts can produce upheavals in the metabolic processes. These upheavals can be: vitamin deficiency, if there is a total deficiency of a vitamin; hipovitaminosis, if the deficiency is partial; and hipervitaminosis, if an excess of a vitamin exists.

Vitamins are present in foods in smallest amounts compared to the macro-nutrients, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. The adult average in the industrialized countries infers around 600 grams of dry weight in food to the day, of which less than 1g is vitamins.

A unique food does not exist that contains all the vitamins, therefore a diet balanced and varied for a suitable ingestion is needed. Each one of the thirteen vitamins that are known nowadays own a specific function in the organism, that makes unique and irreplaceable. Vitamins because they are essential for the life. Of thirteen vitamins, four are liposoluble: vitamin To, D, and K. The rest are water soluble: vitamin C and vitamins of the complex B, B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid, biotin, pantothenic acid and niacin.

History
The history of vitamins can be divided in five periods:

1) The empirical treatment of some diseases by means of hundreds of foods. Nowadays, these diseases are recognized like vitamin deficiency. An example is the use of the liver to deal with the nocturnal blindness (deficiency vitamin A), by the Egyptians (Papyrus Ebers 1550-1570 AC), Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Roman, Persian and Arab Syrians. Another example is the treatment of escorbuto (vitamin deficiency C) with the extract of pine needles (Indian North Americans) and with citruses (European of century XVII).

2) The second period around 1890, was characterized by the ability to induce diseases by deficiencies, as the beriberi, took to the concept of which small amounts of "accessory factors of growth" are necessary for the growth and the life, and to the term "vitamine", given by the Funk scientist in 1912.

3) The third period was characterized by seven decades of investigations, arriving itself at the discovery, isolation, structuring and synthesis of all the vitamins, finalized with the syntheses of the B12 vitamin in 1972. The majority of the scientists thinks that the discovery of some new vitamin is improbable, although they are continued the efforts in this sense. Many of the investigators of this "time of gold" of vitamins received the Nobel prize in recognition to the obtained profits, among them, Sir Frederick Hopkins, call the "father of vitamins".

4) A fourth period started during the establishment of the biochemical functions, the dietarios requirements and the commercial production. In 1930, for example, I reach the conclusion that the B2 vitamin (riboflavin) was part of an enzyme, this finding took to determine the roll of vitamins of the complex B like coenzymes. The first commercial synthesis of vitamin C was the realised one by Reichstein in 1933, being the principle of a successful industrial effort that took to the vitamin availability relatively little expensive for the investigation, and the use of fortificantes of foods and for supplements. With the flour fortification, cereals and other foods, the diseases by specific vitamin deficiencies such as escorbuto, beriberi, raquitismo and pelagra are branches in developed countries. But in Africa, Asia and Latin America the chronic diseases related to the diet continue being a problem for the public Health. In these countries the necessity exists to eliminate the frank deficiencies by vitamin, C and Vitamins of the complex B, like thus also deficiencies by other micro-nutrients (Iodine, iron, selenium, Zinc and calcium). In any case, still in countries highly industrialized numerous nutritional evaluations of the population they indicate that the marginal vitamin deficiency is still frequent. They are difficult to detect and mainly ignored, it exists today in vitamins is related to an increased risk to develop chronic diseases.

5) The increasing number of works on the benefits beyond the prevention of deficiencies and the new biochemical functions of vitamins has given rise to a fifth period that began in 1955 with the report that the niacin owned an effect in the reduction of the cholesterol. This effect nowadays is well accepted, not having anything to do with the classic coenzyme roll, knowing a clearly effect on the health, besides the prevention of the classic enfermdedad by him deficiency, that is pelagra. From this it completes observation, a great amount of epidemiological works has suggested rich the vitamin food consumption antioxidants, vitamin C, and E, ß-carotene, reduces the risk of suffering certain chronic diseases, such as certain types of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and cataracts. The investigators suggested free radical them of I oxygenate, highly reactive and potentially harmful they contribute to the development of these diseases when attacking the cellular membranes, the nucleic proteins and acids. Vitamins antioxidants are part of the natural defenses against the free radicals of I oxygenate. Institutes of world-wide reputation estan generally investigating the precise roll of vitamins and antioxidanes in particular in mantenimiendo of a optimum health.

Finally, the work in the knowledge of the biochemical function of vitamins in you complete two decades has expanded in considerable form our concepts of how they work in our organism and they adudan to give a chemical base for obsercaciones "in alive" of his effects on the health. Vitamins continue fascinating and in the center of renewed attention on the part of the investigators, of the professionals of the health of the nutrition, of goburnamentales beings, as well as of I publish generally.

Vitamins in Your Diet

The human life would be in impossible truth for want of enzymes and vitamins, because they are the people in charge to turn our food into energy. Vitamins also take part in the promotion of the growth and the maintenance of the immunological function. They allow that the reproduction takes place and promote the longevity.

As well, the minerals also are important to have healthy bones and teeth. Like vitamins, the minerals cannot be produced by the body and must also come from the diet.

Now you can arrive to know his deficits vitamins and to improve specific problems of health significantly as lack of appetite, the depression and the premature aging. Next we exhibit a complete material that reunites all the more recent discoveries on vitamins and their beneficial effects on the organism.

That Amount of Vitamins we must Ingest?

Although all we needed the same minerals and vitamins to enjoy the well-being and of a good health, the individual requirements vary with the age, sex, style of life and occupation. Due to this it cannot have a formula landlord with which to determine the individual requirements. There are tables that give the average nutritional requirements, but these are basically a mere approach by the way in which they have calculated. These tables really give Recommended Diaries of vitamins. He is unquestionable that all we needed to take nutrients in the correct amounts to maintain a health optimal. The difficult thing is to determine as they are those amounts. For example, an pregnant woman has dietetic needs superiors of certain nutrients, whereas the adolescents require majors amounts of other nutrients to make sure their growth and development. The old ones need additional nutrients to resist the effects of the aging, and a busy executive submissive stress needs more certain nutrients to avoid the harmful effects that stress has on the whole body. The investigations indicate that vitamins help to maintain our system immune, and that, therefore its deficiency can aggravate the capacity of the body to resist to the diseases.

Where To obtain the Nutrients?

Nevertheless, the most important question of all is the one if we are obtaining from our food all the nutrients that we needed. Commonly one thinks that we can obtain all the vitamins and minerals that we needed if we eat a sensible good diet. But what is a sensible good diet? It is easy and practical to follow? How many times we forgot the breakfast to precipitate to us towards the work? How often we pricked a pizza or a hamburger when we run from return to the office after going of purchases or paying the invoice of the gas during our hour of lunch? When we return in the evening, it turns out tempting to buy a ready food "to take", because we were too much tired to cook.

It is important to fall the account that vitamins by definition, they cannot be produced by the body, and must, therefore, come from the diet. A vitamin is a delicate and unstable organization that can easily be destroyed during the transport from the farm to the factory, and from there to the supermarket. Little that is usually is lost in its way of the freezer to the microwaves, and of this one to the table. It is ironic that the typical western diet lacks sufficient amounts of essential nutrients, and that we pruned to be supercharged but we do not stop being undernourished.

How to assure to us not being undernourished in spite of being supercharged? The approach of a healthful diet accompanied by supplements will assure to us to obtain the correct amount of the nutrients required for an optimal health. One is due to have due well-taken care of when choosing supplements. The multivitamins and mineral general supplements usually are pills of "one to the day" that contain carefully graduated amounts of nutrients, and can serve as "security policy". A multivitamins-mineral preparation sensible good can be the unique thing that the body needs to obtain all the necessary vitamins and minerals. It will be possible to be taken, under the advice and the prescription of a doctor, adding nutrients isolated in case of specific needs. Nevertheless, all those that wish to carry out a natural nourishing diet to obtain the necessary nutrients, can do it and do without the supplements that.

3 Things Everyone Should Know About Vitamin D

1) Vitamin D is inextricably linked to your overall health.

"Low vitamin D status is linked to a number of different conditions. These include certain cancers, muscle weakness and types I and II diabetes—possibly even schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis," says Professor James Fleet, of Purdue University.

Vitamin D isn’t just about strong bones. It plays a role in cardiovascular disease, estrogen excess, brain cell growth and the inflammatory immune response.

Vitamin D can affect the risk of breast, colon and ovarian cancers, possibly due to its role in the cell life cycle or its ability to block excess estrogen.

Various studies have found lower incidence of childhood asthma and Type I diabetes in children that live closer to the equator. These children have higher levels of sun-synthesized vitamin D.

A Framingham Heart Study found that low vitamin D in those over 59 years old contributed to two times the risk of experiencing a cardiological event (heart attack, heart failure or stroke) in the following 5 years of life.

Our immune cells contain receptors for vitamin D. Vitamin D seems to prevents prolonged or excessive inflammatory response which is linked to many autoimmune disorders: multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, irritable bowel disorders, hypertension and psoriasis.

2) Vitamin D isn’t actually a vitamin.

What we know as vitamin D is really a precursor to a steroid hormone: it is also known as provitamin D.

The conversion of vitamin D happens first in the liver and then in the kidneys before it becomes the compound that is biologically active: calcitriol.

Vitamin D’s major role is the metabolism and maintenance of calcium. Calcium levels rise with added vitamin D supplementation and rising calcium may shut off vitamin D.

Increased calcium can cause mental confusion, heart rhythm problems and kidney stones. Calcitriol works with the parathyroid hormone to maintain calcium levels.

When vitamin D levels are low, the parathyroid becomes overactive. Hyperparathyroidism results in drops in phosphorous. Without phosphorous, calcium and other compounds cannot mineralize in bone. Therefore, vitamin D is also responsible for maintaining phosphorous levels in the blood.

Since vitamin D affects the ability of calcium to bind to proteins, it is believed that it is also linked to vitamin K (which has a lot to do with these proteins as well.)

Iron deficiency may slow vitamin D absorption and potassium may help conserve calcium in the body, thereby influencing vitamin D.

3) Milk is NOT your best source of Vitamin D

The dairy industry would have us think that milk is our best source of vitamin D. In fact, pasteurized milk is linked to both calcium and vitamin D deficiency disorders.

The best source of vitamin D is sunlight. Ultraviolet rays convert vitamin D into the form that our bodies use, and unlike food and supplement sources, it is very difficult to get too much vitamin D this way.

Your skin is able to regulate this vitamin D conversion according to heat and other factors, store pre-vitamin D for future use and destroy amounts above and beyond what is safe.

As little as 5 minutes of natural sunlight can cause vitamin D production in the body and 20 minutes produces 20,000 international units (IU).

It’s very difficult for those who live in northern latitudes to produce adequate vitamin D during winter months.

Tanning beds that emit 2-6% UVB radiation may help but research needs to be done on this.

Few foods naturally contain bioavailable sources of vitamin D. Fish is one of the best sources. A decade or so ago, the USDA listed the vitamin D content of dietary foods, but little research had been done at that time and analysis methods are still lacking. 

Food	Food Amount	Vitamin D IU (International Units) / % Recommended Daily Value
Cod Liver Oil	1 Tablespoon	1,360/340
Salmon	3.5 Ounces	400/100
Mackerel	3.5 Ounces	345/86
Sardines	1.75 Ounces	250/63
Tuna	3 Ounces	200/50
Egg	1	20/5
Beef Liver	3.5 Ounces	15/4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Milk does not naturally contain vitamin D, raw or otherwise. Synthetic vitamin D is added to cow’s milk, soy milk and rice milk but there are problems with products enriched with vitamin D.

Synthetic vitamin D is only half as effective as natural and can block natural vitamin D’s effects. It can be toxic and affect calcium levels.

The precursor to vitamin D is found in both plant and animal products but animal-derived products contain the building block that we need to create calcitriol—the compound we make best use of.

Vitamin-D-fortified foods and dietary supplements mostly contain ergocalciferol (D2) rather than cholecalciferol (D3). D2 is created by irradiating yeast and other molds, D3 by irradiating animal oils and cholesterol.

D3 from animal cholesterol is closest to what sunlight produces in humans and is converted 500 times faster than D2. It’s estimated that D3 is 4 times more effective in humans than D2 and "vitamin D2 should no longer be regarded as a nutrient appropriate for supplementation or fortification of foods."

No clinical trials have shown D2 to be effective at preventing bone fractures, for instance, while every trial of D3 does.

Some supplement manufacturers are switching over to D3 but a supplement that provides the actual food source of the vitamin, along with all of the other enzymes and compounds that naturally help us to utilize it, are more effective than the isolated vitamin alone.

Dr. Axe's Action Steps

1. Vitamin D is really a crucial nutrient but stay away from products enriched with synthetic vitamin D.
2. Your best bet is sunlight, followed by cold-water, oily fish. Try to get at least 15 minutes of natural sunlight each day.
3. If you’re buying supplements, look for those that contain the vitamin-D food rather than the vitamin itself.

Source :
http://www.draxe.com