What Do Different Vitamins Do

A Closer Look At Water

Water-soluble vitamins are packed into the watery portions of the foods you eat. They are absorbed directly into the bloodstream as food is broken down during digestion or as a supplement dissolves.

Because much of your body consists of water, many of the water-soluble vitamins circulate easily in your body. Your kidneys continuously regulate levels of water-soluble vitamins, shunting excesses out of the body in your urine.

Water-soluble vitamins

• Folic acid
• Niacin

Vitamin C

Food Sources Of Iodine

We only need a very small amount of iodine in our diet. Iodine is found naturally in foods such as:

• dairy products
• eggs
• some vegetables.

Iodine can also be found in iodised salt. All bought breads in Australia are fortified with iodised salt.

You are likely to be getting enough iodine through your diet. However, if you are deficient and need to take a supplement, be guided by your doctor. Too much iodine can be harmful, especially if you have an underlying thyroid disorder.

Do Multivitamins Work The Surprising Truth

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Multivitamins and multiminerals are the most commonly used supplements in the world.

Their popularity has increased rapidly in the past few decades .

Some people believe that multivitamins can improve health, compensate for poor eating habits, and even reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases.

This article examines the scientific evidence behind multivitamins.

3 ).

Given that theres no standard for what constitutes a multivitamin, their nutrient composition varies by brand and product (

Multivitamins are also referred to as multis, multiples, or simply vitamins.

Theyre available in many forms, including tablets, capsules, chewable gummies, powders, and liquids.

Most multivitamins should be taken once or twice per day. Make sure to read the label and follow the recommended dosage instructions.

Multivitamins are available in pharmacies, large discount stores, and supermarkets, as well as online.

SUMMARY

Thirteen vitamins and about 15 minerals are essential to your health .

Many produce enzymes and hormones, boost your immunity, and keep your nerves and organs functioning properly .

Your body also needs these nutrients for reproduction, maintenance, growth, and the regulation of bodily processes.

7 ).

The evidence regarding multivitamin use and cancer risk is also mixed.

SUMMARY

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Food Sources Of Vitamin D

Only a small amount of Vitamin D is sourced from our diet. Sources include:

Treatment options include improved sunlight exposure, diet, exercise, vitamin and mineral supplements.

If you are concerned about vitamin D levels, see your GP. Your GP may recommend vitamin D supplements, which should be taken strictly as directed.

History Of Promotional Marketing

Once discovered, vitamins were actively promoted in articles and advertisements in McCall’s, Good Housekeeping, and other media outlets. Marketers enthusiastically promoted cod-liver oil, a source of vitamin D, as “bottled sunshine”, and bananas as a “natural vitality food”. They promoted foods such as yeast cakes, a source of B vitamins, on the basis of scientifically determined nutritional value, rather than taste or appearance. In 1942, when flour enrichment with nicotinic acid began, a headline in the popular press said “Tobacco in Your Bread.” In response, the Council on Foods and Nutrition of the American Medical Association approved of the Food and Nutrition Board‘s new names niacin and niacin amide for use primarily by non-scientists. It was thought appropriate to choose a name to dissociate nicotinic acid from nicotine, to avoid the perception that vitamins or niacin-rich food contains nicotine, or that cigarettes contain vitamins. The resulting name niacin was derived from nicotinic acid + vitamin. Researchers also focused on the need to ensure adequate nutrition, especially to compensate for what was lost in the manufacture of processed foods.

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Different Types Of Vitamin And Their Health Benefits

What is food it is regarded as one of the basic units of life which contributes to keeping us alive. It provides nutrition in form of certain elements like Vitamins, Minerals, Amino acids, trace meats, moisture, protein, carbohydrates, fibres and many more. Each of them is classified with several subparts. Here, we will be discussing Vitamins and its types with the functions and health benefits.

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need

From about late March/early April to the end of September, the majority of people should be able to make all the vitamin D they need from sunlight on their skin.

Children from the age of 1 year and adults need 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day. This includes pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people at risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Babies up to the age of 1 year need 8.5 to 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.

A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram . The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol followed by the letter g .

Sometimes the amount of vitamin D is expressed as International Units . 1 microgram of vitamin D is equal to 40 IU. So 10 micrograms of vitamin D is equal to 400 IU.

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How To Buy Vitamins

Supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration or USDA. So how do you know youre getting safe supplements?

Patton recommends doing the following before buying:

• Consult your doctor. Before adding any supplements, make sure you talk to your doctor to make sure you need them and that they wont interact with any medications.
• Look for third-party testing. Some companies will send their products to an outside company to verify that the ingredients are accurate.
• Look for the USP seal. The United States Pharmacopeia is an independent, nonprofit organization whose goal is to supply safe, quality products.
• Consider ingredients. Stick with the basics. Vitamins with added ingredients or claims arent necessary and can cause side effects.

So while supplements can be helpful, be mindful of your diet and what you eat. Dont use supplements to replace healthy eating, says Patton.

Cutting Down On Free Sugar

Foods that contain free sugars aren’t required as part of a healthy balanced diet, so you should try to eat these less often and in smaller amounts.

To do this, use food labels to choose items that are lower in sugar and swap:

• sugary breakfast cereals for plain cereals – such as plain porridge, wholewheat biscuit cereals, shredded wholewheat or no added sugar muesli
• flavoured or corner-style yoghurts for low fat, lower sugar yoghurts, adding fresh fruit for variety
• sugary drinks for water, lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks or tea and coffee

Sugary drinks account for a surprisingly large proportion of the daily sugar intake of both children and adults. Almost a third of the free sugars consumed by 11 to 18 year olds come from soft drinks.

Cereal bars often contain high levels of free sugars too, so remember to check the label.

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Vitamins Hang Out In Water And Fat

There are two types of vitamins: fat soluble and water soluble.

When you eat foods that contain fat-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are stored in the fat tissues in your body and in your liver. They wait around in your body fat until your body needs them.

Fat-soluble vitamins are happy to stay stored in your body for a long time. Then, when it’s time for them to be used, special carriers in your body take them to where they’re needed. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins.

Water-soluble vitamins are different. These vitamins dissolve in water. When you eat foods that have water-soluble vitamins, the vitamins are not stored in your body. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream. Whatever your body doesn’t use comes out when you urinate .

So water-soluble vitamins need to be replaced often because they don’t stick around! This crowd of vitamins includes vitamin C and the big group of B vitamins B1 , B2 , niacin, B6 , folic acid, B12 , biotin, and pantothenic acid.

Advice For Adults And Children Over 4 Years Old

During the autumn and winter, you need to get vitamin D from your diet because the sun is not strong enough for the body to make vitamin D.

But since it’s difficult for people to get enough vitamin D from food alone, everyone should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during the autumn and winter.

Between late March/early April to the end of September, most people can make all the vitamin D they need through sunlight on their skin and from a balanced diet.

You may choose not to take a vitamin D supplement during these months.

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Vitamin And Mineral Deficiencies And Supplements

The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can be locked away in the liver and body fat, and stored for a long time. The water-soluble vitamins, including B-complex and vitamin C, are mostly only stored for a shorter period.A vitamin deficiency takes weeks or months before it will affect your health. For instance, it would take months of no vitamin C before you developed scurvy.

Vitamin and mineral supplements may be recommended in certain circumstances to correct vitamin and mineral deficiencies such as folate for women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Others who may be at risk of a vitamin or mineral deficiency include:

• pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding

What Are The Different Types Of Vitamins

While it may seem like theres a different vitamin for every letter in the alphabet, dont worry – there are just a few key vitamins you should get to know!

Were going to discuss some of the essential vitamins and their functions in hopes of making it all a little easier to comprehend.

Vitamin A

Some key functions played by Vitamin A include:

• Helping your body’s immune system work properly
• Helping vision in dim light
• Keeping skin and the lining of some parts of the body healthy

Good sources of Vitamin A include cheese, eggs and oily fish .

Vitamin B

There are numerous types of Vitamin B, these include B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, B12, pantothenic acid, folate and folic acid. Some key functions played by Vitamin B include:

• Help maintain healthy body tissues
• Help the body convert food into energy
• Creation of new blood cells

Good sources of Vitamin B include poultry, dairy products and leafy greens .

Some key functions played by Vitamin C include:

• Helping to protect cells and keeps them healthy
• Maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage
• Helping with wound healing

Good sources of Vitamin C include oranges, red and green peppers and potatoes .

Vitamin D

Some key functions played by Vitamin D include:

• Regulating the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body
• Keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy

Good sources of Vitamin D include oily fish, red meat and egg yolks .

Vitamin E

Some key functions played by Vitamin E include:

Vitamin K

• Promoting healthy bones

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Vitamin Pills Are Not Miracle Cures

It is commonly believed that taking mega-doses of certain vitamins will act like medicine to cure or prevent certain ailments. For instance, vitamin C is suggested as a cure for the common cold, and vitamin E is widely promoted as a beneficial antioxidant to help prevent heart disease.

After extensive research, however, neither of these claims has been shown to be true. Large-scale studies have consistently shown little benefit in taking mega-doses of supplements. In fact, there is some evidence that taking high-dose supplements to prevent or cure major chronic diseases , may be harmful to your health.

What Happens If I Take Too Much Vitamin B6

When taking a supplement, it’s important not to take too much.

Taking 200mg or more a day of vitamin B6 can lead to a loss of feeling in the arms and legs known as peripheral neuropathy.

This will usually improve once you stop taking the supplements.

But in a few cases when people have taken large amounts of vitamin B6, particularly for more than a few months, the effect can be permanent.

The effect of taking vitamin B6 at doses between 10 and 200 mg is unclear. So there’s not enough evidence to say how long these doses could be taken for safely.

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How Much Chromium Do I Need

Around 25 micrograms of chromium a day should be enough for adults. A microgram is 1,000 times smaller than a milligram .

The word microgram is sometimes written with the Greek symbol followed by the letter g .

You should be able to get all the chromium you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Vitamin C And Cancer Therapy

Vitamin C may help treat cancer, though experts have not confirmed this.

As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects the body from oxidative stress, which can occur when ROS levels are high. Oxidative stress can lead to cell damage and may play a role in some cancers.

A found that taking high doses of vitamin C may slow the growth of some types of cancerous tissue. The paper suggests that vitamin C could, one day, become a new treatment for colorectal cancer.

Also, the authors of a suggest that vitamin C might work well alongside other treatments to benefit people with cancer.

The note that some alternative therapists already use intravenous vitamin C when treating cancer, fatigue, and infections. However, they note that more research is necessary.

Intravenous vitamin C

2,000 mg per day .

Taking too much vitamin C is unlikely to cause any significant problems, but if a person consumes more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C per day, they will not absorb it all. This may lead to diarrhea and gastrointestinal discomfort.

People are unlikely to consume too much through their diet, and their bodies cannot store it. However, having a high intake through supplements may result in kidney stones.

This may also increase the risk of cardiovascular problems in females after menopause, but there is not enough evidence to confirm this.

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Who Should Take A Multivitamin

• those with allergies or intolerances â they may not be able to absorb certain nutrients or may not be eating enough varied food groups
• vegetarians and vegans â they could be missing certain nutrients that are mainly found in animal products, like vitamin B12 and iron7
• pregnant and breast-feeding women â pregnancy increases your bodyâs need for certain nutrients, such as iron and folate, and can help protect your unborn baby from developmental problems8
• older people â our bodies find it harder to absorb some essential nutrients as we age, including vitamin B129
• children aged six months to five years â the government recommends young children take supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day10

A multivitamin may also be helpful if youâve recently been ill or have a medical condition that means you need a top-up. If youâre stressed, going through times of upheaval, or training hard for a sporting event such as a marathon, you might also benefit from taking a multivitamin.

Symptoms Of Niacin Deficiency

Getting too little niacin can cause a niacin deficiency. Severe niacin deficiency leads to pellagra, which may cause:

• brown discoloration on skin exposed to sunlight
• patches of skin with a rough appearance
• a bright red tongue

Deficiency is rare in the U.S., but the following groups may be more at risk:

• people with a metabolic disorder called biotinidase deficiency
• people with alcohol use disorder
• women who are pregnant or lactating

The natural form of vitamin B-9 is called folate. Folic acid, which is present in fortified foods and some supplements, is a synthetic form of the vitamin.

Because most people cannot take in enough leafy green vegetables for the levels needed in pregnancy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that all women of reproductive age who wish to conceive take 400 mcg of folic acid each day, alongside eating a varied diet that contains folate.

When a woman has high enough levels of folate both before and during pregnancy, the fetus has a affecting the brain and spinal cord.

Folate is also essential for:

• DNA replication

• had gastric bypass surgery or surgery on the stomach

Vegetarians, vegans, and people who are pregnant or lactating may also need extra vitamin B-12.

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Essential Vitamins Your Body Needs: Folate Folic Acid

Vitamin B9 is an essential vitamin, and is especially important for pregnant women.

Why you need Vitamin B9: To make DNA, RNA, red blood cells, and synthesize certain amino acids. Vitamin B9 is also important for pregnant women, as it helps prevent birth defects.

Where to get Vitamin B9: Liver, yeast, leafy green vegetables, asparagus, orange juice, fortified flour, avocados legumes.

Types Of Minerals And Their Functions

There are hundreds of minerals they are usually classified as either major or trace minerals.

Although the amount you need differs between minerals, major are generally required in larger amounts. Some examples include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, sodium, chloride, magnesium.

Trace minerals , although equally important to bodily functions are required in smaller amounts. Such as iron, zinc, copper, manganese, and iodine selenium.

Some of the important minerals to keep us healthy are listed below.

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How Much Do You Know About The 13 Essential Vitamins Your Body Needs

The 13 essential vitamins your body needs are vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins: thiamine , riboflavin , niacin , pantothenic acid , pyroxidine , biotin , folate and cobalamin .

The four fat-soluble vitaminsA, D, E, and Kare stored in the bodys fatty tissues. The other nine vitamins are water-soluble and therefore must be replenished regularly because they are removed from the body in your urine. Vitamin B12 is the only water-soluble vitamin that is stored in the liver.

The best way to get enough of the 13 essential vitamins is to eat a balanced diet from a variety of foods. Here is a guide to why you need each essential vitaminand the best food sources from which to obtain them.