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The Benefits of Vitamins  |
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A proper diet along with regular exercise will undoubtedly and scientifically result in a healthier and happier life. The problem lies in the fact that most Americans have a desire for instant gratification.
As if that weren't enough, they want instant gratification without doing the necessary work. This condition in society paves the way for miracle diet drugs and vitamin programs that promise the results only diet and exercise can truly produce. Of major concern is the misuse and misunderstanding of vitamins and the role they play in health and fitness. While vitamins are an important element in the human body, ingesting incorrect combinations, insufficient doses, or extreme dosages can have dangerous effect son your system. Check out some of the facts we compiled to help you get a handle on the vitamin supplement craze.
• Importance: The importance of vitamin supplements is a direct result of the culture that we live in and the lifestyles that we lead. The best source of vitamins is the food that we ingest. A balanced diet will provide all of the nutrients your body needs to function at its peak, however, dieting, fast food, irregular eating habits, end a host of other related items often prohibit this from happening so we must supplement. For many, taking a pill in the morning is easier than planning a complete breakfast that would deliver those very same nutrients. While vitamins in our food or as supplements can help the body function better, they do very little in the way of preventing diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure so taking a vitamin for those reasons is not logical. The true importance of vitamins is to help your body perform its daily tasks with greater efficiency no more and no less. If you are taking a vitamin for any other reason, chances are you would be better off talking with your doctor about the problem.”
• Deficiency: Many people take vitamin supplements because they are unable to get enough vitamins in their diet. As we described earlier the lifestyle that many families lead makes it nearly impossible to get 100 percent of the recommended vitamins. As a result, some may even experience a deficiency problem that necessitates a supplement to counteract. Some of the most common deficiencies are experienced with vitamins D, B6, and B12. While a deficiency can occur with a number of vitamins we will use these as an example of common deficiency problems. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that increases your body's ability to absorb calcium and phosphorus in turn helping to deposit these minerals in our bones and teeth keeping them strong. A deficiency of vitamin D can result in a greater risk of osteoporosis and osteomalacia which is a softening of the bones. Sources of vitamin D are common and include cheese, eggs, salmon, margarine and many breakfast cereals. The next example, vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that helps your body make proteins, which are important in the development of body cells. Vitamin B6 also helps your body produce chemicals like insulin, hemoglobin and antibodies to fight infection. A deficiency of vitamin B6 is noted by depression, nausea and flaky skin. It can be found in foods including chicken, fish, pork, liver as well as whole grains, nuts and legumes just to name a few. Our last example, vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin which works together with folate to make red blood cells and aid the body in using fatty acids and some amino acids. Deficiency of vitamin B12 is marked by anemia, fatigue, sensitive skin and a smooth tongue. Often, this deficiency is overlooked when anemia is treated with extra folate. This deficiency is most common in strict vegetarians who avoid eating any animal products.
• Sources: As you can see, the best defense against any vitamin deficiency is a properly balanced diet that includes foods from all four of the basic food groups. Specialty diets that eliminate entire food sources like high protein low carbohydrate diets limit your body's ability to get the vitamins it needs to function. When considering a diet of this makeup it is a good idea to consult with your doctor and if the diet is needed for medical reasons a supplement will likely be prescribed. If you do elect to use vitamin supplements it is a good idea to work with your doctor from the start as combinations of vitamin supplements with food or beverages can make it impossible for the body to absorb them. Similarly, just as a deficiency of a particular vitamin could cause some serious side effects an excessive amount of many vitamins can cause an entire host of problems as well. Vitamin supplements should be taken seriously as part of a health and fitness plan that you work to develop with your doctor.
While the vitamin craze is sure to continue to feed on a health conscious society, do your part to ensure you take vitamins as a last resort beyond healthy diet choices that allow your body to receive these vitamins naturally.
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