Vitamins and mineral supplements are a good way to supply your body with nutrients that you might not be getting from your diet. Go down any vitamin aisle in a drugstore, market, or health food store. The first thing you will see is all the 'natural' supplements and vitamin complex tablets that all claim to provide all kinds of benefits. There are supplements that claim to help you lose weight without exercise. Does it sound too good to be true? It is. You have to burn more calories than you consume and exercise will help you accomplish that but I digress. If you are considering adding supplements to your diet have a discussion with your doctor will help to determine whether or not adding supplements would be beneficial for you or not.
Are vitamins necessary for optimum health? Most people, if they eat a healthy diet, do not need them. Most vitamins are fine and are not harmful. If someone does not eat a healthy diet or because of illness has a limited diet a vitamin supplement could be very helpful. Fruits and vegetables have important vitamins in them and should not be eliminated from a diet unless a doctor orders it. In this case a supplement would almost be necessary. Your body needs vitamins to keep it functioning.
Most people think that vitamins are a source of energy that is not the case. Vitamins help regulate the body's metabolism. Vitamins also help the food we eat to release its energy. It's the food that when absorbed and broken down into the nutrients the body can use that provides our body with energy. The body more easily absorbs calcium if you are also taking Vitamin D. Most calcium supplements are already fortified with vitamin D. There are thirteen vitamins that are all important to achieve optimum health. Vitamins E & C contain antioxidants. Antioxidants help to release free radicals, which are high-energy particles. These high-energy particles damage healthy blood cells. Studies are now coming out that indicate that the consumption of vitamins and supplements may aid in fighting cancer and preventing other chronic diseases. The research is by no means conclusive in this regard. Studies continue to be conducted in an effort to provide us with the ultimate health.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. An excess amount of vitamins in your system could cause bleeding, negative interactions with some prescription medications.
Listed below are some vitamins and how overdoses can affect you.
Vitamin A - Too much vitamin A can cause neurological problems
Vitamin D - Too much vitamin D disrupts the balance of calcium in the body that can lead to calcium deposits in the soft tissues of the body.
Vitamin C - Too much vitamin C can lessen the effectiveness of other medications.
Vitamin E - Too much vitamin E can cause blood not to clot and can cause other bleeding issues.
Vitamins are just one tool among many that are available to us to help us get healthy and remain healthy. Vitamins alone will not do this. A healthy diet, exercise, and regular health checkups will do this.
No one knows better than I do how important it is to eat properly and take care of my body. Also, like many others I have a tendency to be drawn to the junk food much to my own detriment. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete to get some exercise in. I also take vitamins and other supplements to help my body work better.
There are a variety of opinions about vitamins, supplements, and healthy eating. Vitamins are generally ok unless they are fortified with iron. The effectiveness of vitamins with iron is often hotly debated. Too much iron can cause iron overload and it doesn't get 'washed' out of the blood as efficiently if at all. There is a disease called Hemochromatosis, which is fatal, as it attacks liver function. It can be controlled and there must be liver function tests done among other things. The controversy continues to reign.
You have complete control in this area. Do your research; there are a great number of websites that provides information on supplements and how they work. You should sit down with your physician and discuss your options. S/he may suggest you meet with a nutrition specialist as well. Get smart and be healthy. A little knowledge is a very good thing and in the case of vitamins the more you know how they work and how they could be harmful, the safer and healthier you will be. Trust your instincts, know your body, and get help if you need it. Good eating, good exercise plenty of water and common sense will help you to meet your goal of good health.
About the Author
Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of products which includes vitamin c and vitamin c, and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.
Most people are becoming more health conscious. Many of the... Read More
In September 2004 Orange County, California published an article "OC... Read More
Both types of unsaturated fatty acids are contained within neuronal... Read More
Nitric oxide is a free form gas produced by the... Read More
One of the questions that I frequently get asked is... Read More
Unfortunately nobody can tell that question over the internet, but... Read More
Many people find that after a few weeks, the gains... Read More
What if there was a solution to protecting and restoring... Read More
Are you concerned about taking care of your body before... Read More
Finding out a little about amino acid basics enables you... Read More
Lysine is an essential amino acid therefore it must be... Read More
HGH is an exciting new phenomenon, which aspires to help... Read More
Many millions of people are affected by pain and suffering... Read More
Recently a television health expert was discussing the topic, "How... Read More
You've probably been eating blueberries since you were a little... Read More
Coral Calcium is an excellent source of readily accessible and... Read More
Whey protein is available in supplement form and whey protein... Read More
Vitamins are an important part of a health diet. Unlike... Read More
The initial success of penicillin generated an assumption which has... Read More
A deficiency of vitamins can lead to a variety of... Read More
The benefits of whey protein are so numerous and apply... Read More
A popular mineral today, coral calcium, is mainly calcium, but... Read More
PART TWOFor those of you that read my previous article... Read More
Did you know that when we breath oxygen, it interacts... Read More
Nitric Oxide, a gas that occurs naturally in the body,... Read More
Amino acid supplements and amino acid food intake can bring... Read More
Nutritional vitamin fiber supplements come in a variety of types,... Read More
We have all heard that it is important to eat... Read More
I have good news for you! The answer is both... Read More
It seems today that for every mood swing, inconvenient behavior,... Read More
L-tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid that plays a role... Read More
Considering that the Health and Wellness industry is currently a... Read More
1. Most of the modern western diets contain way too... Read More
Biological oxidation involves transferring electrons from one oxygen molecule to... Read More
Did you know that there are free radical biochemical "terrorists"... Read More
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of fatty... Read More
There are numerous herbal supplements on the market today that... Read More
Imagine this scenario by the end of next August...You contact... Read More
Nitric oxide is a free form gas produced by the... Read More
In parts one, two and three of this series, titled... Read More
If you suffer from arthritis pain, chances are you've heard... Read More
This article provides three easy tips for selecting a quality... Read More
Hyaluronic acid has received much press lately as a natural... Read More
What Is Thiamin?Known as Vitamin B1, thiamin was the very... Read More
I began a quest to examine over 25 "leading products"... Read More
Is there an alternative to statin drugs such as Lipitor... Read More
Do you ever find yourself asking any or all of... Read More
VITAMINS:Vitamins are major for Healthy life. Vitamin D may reduce... Read More
Fetuses and infants simply must get enough omega-3 oils for... Read More
Liquid vitamins are the same vitamins that you find in... Read More
Nutritional Supplements |