Monday, February 7, 2011

The Truth about Vitamins

When you have a chronic illness, some people who don't understand the illness offer suggestions of non-traditional or holistic ways of curing you. One big thing that people suggest is taking vitamins. I have been told been by some people that I don't need to take all the meds I do, but that I just need to take more vitamins. Take some vitamins and you'll be cured. People today often are part of a vitamin craze. They think vitamins will cure any ill they may have or could get. Some take more vitamins than I take pills. They have to get the super pill containers to hold them all. They take several handfuls of vitamins several times a day. In this, they believe more is better; however, more is not always better.  Taking too many vitamins can be harmful and even toxic to the body.

Vitamins are what is known as micronutrients. They are organic compounds that are required as nutrients in small amounts. They must be obtained by the diet and are not synthesized by the body. There are thirteen vitamins, which fall into one of two classes: water-soluble vitamins and fat-soluble vitamins. There are four fat-soluble vitamins (vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K).

Water soluble vitamins, as the name suggests, dissolve easily in water and are excreted from the body as urine. There are nine water-soluble vitamins (the B vitamins and vitamin C). Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed in the intestinal tract and stored in lipids (fat cells). Since they are stored in fat cells in the body, they are more likely to accumulate. Therefore, too much of fat-soluble vitamins can be toxic to the body and lead to hypervitaminosis. Hypervitaminosis is due to a vitamin overdose. This usually occurs by high supplement intake, not dietary sources.

Water-Soluble Vitamins:
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)        
  • Dosage:  1.2mg          
  • Function:  coenzyme in metabolism of sugars and amino acids
  • Natural Sources:  yeast, oatmeal, flax,  sunflower seeds, kale, brown rice, rye, asparagus, cauliflower, potatoes, oranges, pork, chicken, beef, liver
  • Deficiency:  Beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (occur in alcoholics)
  • Over-dose: (5,000-10,000mg) headache, irritability, rapid pulse, weakness
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
  • Dosage:  1.3mg
  • Function:  energy metabolism; metabolism of fats, keytones, carbohydrates, proteins; maintain mucous membrane, skin, cornea of eye, and nerve sheaths
  • Natural Sources:  milk, cheese, leafy green vegetables, liver, kidney, legumes, tomatoes, yeast, mushrooms, almonds
  • Deficiency:  skin disorders, light sensitivity, inflammation of soft tissue around nose and mouth
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
  • Dosage:  16.0mg
  • Function:  precursor to NAD+/NADH and NADP+/NADPH (energy metabolism); DNA repair; production of steroid hormones in adrenal glands
  • Natural Sources:  protein-rich foods (meat, fish, yeast, eggs, milk, legumes, potatoes, peanuts)
  • Deficiency:  Pellagra
  • Over-dose:  (35mg) liver damage, flushing, tingling, itching, headache, nausea, diarrhea, ulcers
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
  • Dosage: 5.0mg
  • Function:  synthesize co-enzyme A; synthesize and metabolize protein, carbohydrates, and fats
  • Natural Sources: (in nearly all foods) whole-grain cereals, legumes, eggs, meat, royal jelly, avacado, yogurt
  • Deficiency:  parenthesia, hypoglycemia
  • Over-dose: (extremely rare 10g/day) diarrhea, nausea, heartburn
Vitamin B6 (Pyrodoxine)
  • Dosage:  1.3 - 1.7mg
  • Function:  sodium/potassium regulation; red blood cell production; cofactor in neurotransmitter production (serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine
  • Natural Sources:  liver, meat, brown rice, fish, butter, wheat germ, whole-grain cereals, soybeans
  • Deficiency:  (rare - due to alcoholism) anemia, peripheral neuropathy
  • Over-dose:  (100mg) impairment of proprioception, permenent nerve damage, impaired walking, numbness, tingling, poor sense of touch
Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
  • Dosage:  30.0 micrograms
  • Function:  metabolism of fatty acids; role in gluconeogenesis
  • Natural Sources:  egg yolk (without egg white), liver, vegetables, peanuts
  • Deficiency:  alopecia, conjunctivits, dermatitis
Vitamin B9 (Follic Acid)
  • Dosage:  400 micrograms
  • Function:  synthesize, repair, and methylate DNA; aid in cell division and growth; necessary
  • Natural Sources:  leafy vegetables, legumes, eggs yolk, yeast, whole-grain cereals, sunflower seeds, liver, kidney
  • Deficiency:  anemia, poor growth, neural tube defects in developing fetus in pregnancy, peripheral neuropathy, mental confusion, heart palpitations, irritability, behavior disorders
  • Over-dose:  (1,000 micrograms) mask symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency
Vitamin B12
  • Dosage:  2.4 micrograms
  •  Function:  regulation and synthesis of DNA; fatty acid synthesis; energy production; formation of blood; normal function of brain and nervous system
  • Natural Sources:  animal sources (fish, shellfish, meat, eggs, poultry, milk
  • Deficiency:  pernicious anemia
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
  • Dosage:  90.0mg
  • Function:  antioxidant; formation of collagen; improve iron absorption and resistance to infection
  • Natural Sources:  vegetables (broccoli, green and red peppers, collard greens, brussel sprouts, cauliflower; fruits (lemon, pineapple, strawberries, citrus fruits)
  • Deficiency: scurvy
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A (Retinol, Beta carotine)
  • Dosage:  900 micrograms
  • Function:  vision; normal skin
  • Natural Sources:  liver, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, butter, kale, spinach, pumpkin, collad greens, milk, cheese, peas, eggs, apricots, mango, papaya
  • Deficiency:  impaired vision, blindness, impaired immune function, hyperkarotosis
  • Over-dose:  (3,000 micrograms) nausea, irritability, vomitiing, diarrhea, blurred vision, headache, insomnia, hair loss, muscle and abdominal pain, bone fractures, loss of appetite
Vitamin D
  • Dosage:  5.0 - 10.0 micrograms (requires sunlight to be effective)
  • Function:  aid in immune function; regulate calcium concentration in blood; mineralization, remodeling, growth of bone; regulate proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis of cells; regulate neuromuscular function; reduce inflammation
  • Natural Sources:  fatty fish, eggs, meat
  • Deficiency:  rickets, osteomalacia
Vitamin E
  • Dosage:  15mg
  • Function:  protect red blood cells; prevent destruction of vitamin A and C; protect skin; heal scars
  • Natural Sources:  seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, mango, asparagus, broccoli, papaya, olives, avocado
  • Deficiency: (rare) hemolytic anemia in infants, myopathy, peripheral neuropathy, impaired immune response
  • Over-dose:  (1,000mg) increase risk of congestive heart failure
Vitamin K
  • Dosage:  120 micrograms
  • Function:  protein synthesis; blood coagulation;
  • Natural Sources:  green leafy vegetables (spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, avocado, kiwi
  • Deficiency:  (rare) bleeding diathesis, bleeding, anemia, bruising, osteoporosis, coronary artery disease
  • Over-dose:  increase coagulation, allergic reaction, hemolytic anemia, cytotoxicity in liver cells
As you can see, vitamins are important to the health and normal function of the body. Most vitamins can be obtained from natural food sources; however, in cases in which deficiencies occur, vitamin supplements are needed. People often take vitamin supplements thinking that the more they take, the healthier they will be. This is not true. There is only so much the body is capable of absorbing and using. If too much of a water-soluble vitamin is ingested, it will be excreted as urine. This has minor effects on the body and basically a person is just paying for very expensive urine, as the cost of some vitamins is quite substantial. If too much of a fat-soluble vitamin is ingested, it will be stored in the fat and can become toxic. Like any medication, vitamin supplements also have side effects. Taking vitamin supplements such as a daily multivitamin can help improve your health, however, it is important to remember that too much of anything can be harmful.

1 comment:

  1. I know what you mean! Right before I had a heart transplant everyone would tell me I just needed to take some fish oil-I was so sick of hearing that. I was a status 1b heart transplant and waited 19 days, 21 days in the hospital (a few days before I got listed for evaluation). After the transplant I got to see my (origional) heart, there were multiple things wrong with it, the biggest being that my right ventricle was 1/3 of the size that it was supposed to be-I don't think any ammount of fish oil could have fixed that!

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