In 1906, English biochemist Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins discovered that certain food factors are important to health. The term vitamin originated from "vitamine" - the word invented in 1911 by the Polish scientist Cashmir Funk to determine a group of substances defer to be vital for life. Nowadays scientists have also proved vitamin and mineral requirement of a human organism is essential for normal health and growth. Vitamins and minerals are substances that are usually used by our organism and should be included into a complete diet. Vitamins are separated into water-soluble (such as B vitamins and vitamin C), and fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E, K).
There are 13 essential vitamins are divided into two groups - Fat-soluble and Water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and can be accommodated in the body. The B vitamins and Vitamin C are water-soluble; except for Vitamin B 12, they cannot be accommodated in the body.
Most people get enough vitamins and minerals by keeping a varied diet and do not need to take a vitamin supplement. But sometimes for a variety of reasons it becomes deficient in some vitamins and minerals. It is a common problem for aged people and little kids.
So most of us have heard about vitamins, but what about minerals? Does our body really need any mineral carriers? We'll take this as read, human needs vitamins and minerals both. Mineral supplements are nonexpendable in our metabolic processes. They are central in helping the body grow and produce energy. The reproduction and health of our cells also do not go without them. A stringency of even one mineral may cause serious health problems because they often work synergistically with other minerals and also vitamins. For example, zinc is essential for the body to convert vitamin A into its active form. Antioxidant minerals such as selenium have the power to neutralize free radicals, so they are coming under review as potent antioxidant free radical scavengers which give rise to early aging and diseases, such as cancer and heart disease.
As usually minerals can be found in a well-balanced multivitamin but you may buy them separately depending on your need.
Mineral importance:
Chromium helps to lower blood sugar levels, important for people with diabetes and to prevent it, normalizes heart function;
Selenium is of paramount importance in cancer prevention;
Zinc strengthens your immune system and supports reproduction;
Magnesium maintains your bones and helps your muscles relax;
Iron is important for the production of hemoglobin;
Copper maintains hair color, and is used to make hormones;
Calcium is famous as a bone protector, but also important for nerve cells communication. Normalizes your blood pressure and helps to prevent colon cancer and premenstrual syndrome.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Natural Vitamins for Healthy Life
Natural vitamins are essential to healthy life. There are many different types of vitamins; each of them has its own specific benefit to various parts and functions of the human body. If the human body is afflicted without the essential natural vitamins just for a short period of time, it leads to disease and sickness as a result. Vitamins can help prevent disease in two main ways: by preventing the deficiency syndromes of the particular vitamin and through the health benefits conferred at the expense of vitamin balance. As you know vitamin A is important for our vision. It is also important for bone growth, reproduction, cell division and cell differentiation. In the same way other natural vitamins promote your health support.
There are two types of vitamins:
Water-Soluble - These vitamins (B and C complex) do not tend to accumulate in our body organs and usually their reserves depletion happens very quickly. As you can see it is very important to have regular daily intakes of these vitamins.
Fat-Soluble - Vitamins A, D, E and K stay in the body as they are accumulated in the liver.
• Vitamin A is responsible for vision, normal bone and tooth development, reproduction, skin health; mitigate the risk of certain cancers.
• Vitamin B complex maintains the central nervous system, is necessary for the synthesis and breakdown of amino acids, essential to healthy skin;
• Vitamin C participates in collagen creation, builds up blood vessels, skin, teeth and bones and rids the body of free radicals.
• Vitamin E – This is a strong antioxidant that protects joints from free radicals, very important for healthy skin.
• Vitamin K – This vitamin assists with mineral deposit into the bone matrix.
Today with "natural vitamins" more is meant than meets the eye, for the first eye it seems to be vitamins taken from natural products. But unfortunately that is not so. It should seem these organic nutrients are in supply if we bring to bear enough fresh fruit and vegetables. Due to the following factors, it is not always possible for us to get the necessary vitamins (even we eat enough of fresh fruit and vegetables): impoverished soil, modern processing methods, pollution, and popularity of Junk food. So with "natural vitamins" any type of qualitative vitamins is meant.
It turns out that you can feel reliance in fresh fruit and vegetable only if you know best where they were grown and how fresh are they. As an alternative many people now have to take vitamin supplements. Sometimes it is the optimum choice, but it is of primal importance to prefer good vitamin complex. A good multivitamin is the foundation of health and nutrition.
There are two types of vitamins:
Water-Soluble - These vitamins (B and C complex) do not tend to accumulate in our body organs and usually their reserves depletion happens very quickly. As you can see it is very important to have regular daily intakes of these vitamins.
Fat-Soluble - Vitamins A, D, E and K stay in the body as they are accumulated in the liver.
• Vitamin A is responsible for vision, normal bone and tooth development, reproduction, skin health; mitigate the risk of certain cancers.
• Vitamin B complex maintains the central nervous system, is necessary for the synthesis and breakdown of amino acids, essential to healthy skin;
• Vitamin C participates in collagen creation, builds up blood vessels, skin, teeth and bones and rids the body of free radicals.
• Vitamin E – This is a strong antioxidant that protects joints from free radicals, very important for healthy skin.
• Vitamin K – This vitamin assists with mineral deposit into the bone matrix.
Today with "natural vitamins" more is meant than meets the eye, for the first eye it seems to be vitamins taken from natural products. But unfortunately that is not so. It should seem these organic nutrients are in supply if we bring to bear enough fresh fruit and vegetables. Due to the following factors, it is not always possible for us to get the necessary vitamins (even we eat enough of fresh fruit and vegetables): impoverished soil, modern processing methods, pollution, and popularity of Junk food. So with "natural vitamins" any type of qualitative vitamins is meant.
It turns out that you can feel reliance in fresh fruit and vegetable only if you know best where they were grown and how fresh are they. As an alternative many people now have to take vitamin supplements. Sometimes it is the optimum choice, but it is of primal importance to prefer good vitamin complex. A good multivitamin is the foundation of health and nutrition.