Vitamins Overview
Vitamins are usually organic substances that are mainly divided in to two main categories:
• Water-soluble Vitamins: Vitamin B group and vitamin C, or ascorbic acid is water soluble. They are not stored in our body for so long.
• Fat-soluble Vitamins: Vitamin A, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins and are absorbed and digested by the fats stored in our body.
Vitamins Overview is a vast topic so we have covered few areas.
The word vitamin is originated from “vitamine”, that was first used in 1911 for the group of compounds that were vital for life and each was imagined to have nitrogen containing component known as amine. But later it was discovered that not all vitamins contain nitrogen and neither all of them are amines.
Vitamins are not the source of energy to our body but they are essential for our life as they help in extracting energy known as coenzymes. They help to convert fat and carbohydrates to energy that helps in forming bones and tissues.
Vitamins and minerals help in preventing diseases that are caused due to the nutritional deficiencies such as scurvy, rickets, pellagra and beriberi. Vitamins protect us from heart damage and cancer. Vitamin C and E are when combined in high doses; it helps to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamins are not made in our body except for vitamin D that is made in our skin. They must be taken from dietary supplements. Vitamins we need depend much on our intake. Good sources should be taken daily.
If you are in a state of good health then you can take vitamins from balanced diet but if your metabolism is altered then you have to take additional vitamins because it will slow natural process of healing and repair.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA), there is a misconception about this term, it is not the recommended intake of vitamins daily rather it provides you the guide for minimum intake of vitamins required to prevent deficiency in healthy people with good health and ability to maintain their nutritional status.
Other Nutritional Measures:
Following are the other nutritional measures:
• RDA’s
• Adequate Intakes(AI)
• Estimated Average Intakes(EAR)
• Tolerable Upper Intakes(UL)
Finally we conclude that vitamins are very important for our lives and good multivitamin intake is the base for better health and nutrition.
March 30 2009 09:43 am | Vitamins
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