Vitamins
and their Uses
 Vitamins
are VITAL MINERALS and used by the body in a variety
of ways. Here are the main ones.
Vitamin A
–
Promotes healthy cell growth; used in cell division and
specialisation throughout the body; and helps regulate
the immune system. Poisonous if taken to excess.
Beta Carotene
–
Converted into Vitamin A by the body. Commonly used in
supplements instead of Vitamin A as excess is simply
unconverted.
Biotin –
Uses: converts fats and carbohydrates into energy;
synthesises hormones and cholesterol; helps control blood
sugar levels.
 B Complex – a combination of most or
all of the B Vitamins. General uses: converting foods
into energy; growth; metabolism.
Vitamin B1
(thiamine) –
Uses: helps supports the normal function of the nervous
system, muscles and heart.
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) –
Uses: red blood cell and antibody production;
respiration; and regulating human growth and
reproduction.
Vitamin B3 (niacin) –
Uses: in the digestive and nervous systems; promotes
healthy skin. Helps balance good and bad cholesterols.
Vitamin B5
(Pantothenic Acid) -
Uses: normal growth; metabolism of fat and sugar to
energy.
 Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) –
Uses: to balance the hormonal changes in women; assists
in the growth of new cells and the functioning of the
immune system; and in controlling moods, behaviour and
sex drive.
Good sources include meats, whole grain products,
vegetables, nuts and bananas. Cooking, storage and
processing losses of vitamin B6 vary and in
some foods may be more than 50%.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) –
Uses: The primary functions are to maintain a healthy
nervous system and to produce red blood cells.
Vitamin B12 is found
in foods that come from animals, including fish and
shellfish, meat (especially liver), poultry, eggs, milk,
and milk products. Eggs are
often mentioned as a good B12 source, but they
also contain a factor that blocks absorption.
There are numerical gaps in the B series because improved
knowledge has shown that many things thought to be
variants have in fact no known nutritional value. The
following one is of interest:
 Vitamin B17 (Laetrile or Amygdalin) –
An extract of many seeds, nuts, etc, especially almonds.
Claimed to be a cancer cure. Claimed by opponents to be
poisonous because it includes an arsenic compound.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) –
Humans are the only animals unable to store Vitamin C.
Lack of this vitamin causes scurvy, a potentially fatal
disease. It is used in forming collagen, cartilage,
muscle and blood vessels and in maintaining bones and
teeth, and in the absorption of iron.
 Vitamin
D –
Is made in the body by exposure to UV rays (sunlight).
Uses: promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorous
that are vital in forming and maintaining strong bones.
It may also be involved in regulating cell growth and
maintaining a healthy immune system.
Vitamin E –
Uses: as a powerful source of antioxidants; is involved
in immune system function; DNA repair; the protection of
blood cells, the nervous system, muscles and the retinas.
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and
minerals are set by scientists based on what quantities
are known to prevent classic nutrient deficiency
diseases such as scurvy. It is a common misconception
that RDAs are "all we need".
RDAs are not set to ensure optimal health and
can vary up to tenfold between RDAs set by different
bodies.
Further, we are all different, but the RDAs do not
take this into account. RDAs take no account of a
person's age, size, health, lifestyle, environment. The
Bateman Report in 1985 found that 85% of people who
believed that they ate a well-balanced diet failed to
meet even RDA levels of nutrients.
Proper scientific studies undertaken since the 1980s
have shown that using multivitamin and mineral
supplements boost immunity, increase IQ, reduce birth
defects, improve childhood development, reduce colds,
stop PMS, improve bone density, balance moods, increase
energy, reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease and
promote a long and healthy life.
In other words the RDAs are not enough for optimum
health - and they were never intended to be, even by the
people that set them!
Purchase vitamins here.
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