Vitamins
Have you ever looked at a vitamin bottle's nutritional label and wondered what all of those vitamins actually do for us? Have you ever wondered if all vitamins are created equal?
Before we can read through that list of unpronounceable vitamins and mineral, we need to understand a little bit about how they are labeled. When you see that a tablet provides you with 200% of the RDA of vitamin B2, what does the 200% refer to. The acronym "RDA" stands for Recommended Daily Allowance" and that percentage tells us how much of the RDA that vitamin will provide us with. These RDA numbers were determined to tell us the amounts of each vitamin that we need to keep us from getting sick (or deficient as a health care provider would say). So if the label says you are receiving 200% of the RDA of vitamin B2, then you have received twice the minimum that you need to prevent you from becoming deficient.
Now before you start thinking that if one vitamin tablet is good, then 5 vitamin tablets must be better, we need to examine a few more key points. Some of our vitamins are water soluble, while others are fat soluble. Those vitamins that are water soluble are dissolved in the blood and can be excreted through our urine, so if you take massive doses of these vitamins all at once, well you're going to end up peeing most of those vitamins away. Fat soluble vitamins, on the other hand, can be stored in the body, so if you take large amounts of these vitamins, you may reach a point where you have too much of them in your body which can causes side effects.
So which vitamins are which, and what do they all do....
Vitamin A
- keeps your eyes healthy
- helps to strengthen your immune system
- aids in battling infections of your respiratory system
- protects the outer lining of your tissues and organs
- encourages healthy bone growth
- advances healthy gums and teeth
- essential for normal reproduction
- aids cells in dividing the way they should
- fosters healthy skin and hair
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the metabolism of protein and fats
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract
- necessary for healthy eyes, hair, skin, liver and nervous system
- helpful in reducing stress
- supports a healthy immune system
- insufficient levels may advance congestive heart failure
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the metabolism of protein and fats
- known as an antioxidant - neutralizes free radicals in the body that can damage cell walls
- helps in maintaining good vision
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract
- necessary for healthy eyes, hair, skin, liver and nervous system
- helpful in reducing stress
- helps in maintaining good vision
- may boost circulation
- might help to whittle down your cholesterol number
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates and fats into glucose - necessary for energy
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract
- necessary for healthy eyes
- hair, skin, liver and nervous system
- helpful in reducing stress
- crucial to the production of red blood cells
- assists your body in utilizing other vitamins more efficiently
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the breakdown of protein and fats
- necessary for a healthy brain
- keeps muscle and nerve cells in good health
- assists your body in the manufacture of RNA and DNA
- boosts the immune system and the production of stress fighting hormones
- crucial to the production of red blood cells
- one of the vitamins necessary in lowering levels of homocysteine in the blood
- high levels of homocysteine is thought to be related to heart disease and stroke
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the metabolism of protein and fats
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract- necessary for healthy eyes, hair, skin, liver and
nervous system
- helps your brain function properly
- assists your body in the manufacture of genetic material - RNA and DNA
- crucial to the production of red blood cells
- helps your body utilize iron more effectively
- decreases the risk of neural tube defects for your baby during pregnancy
- may cut your risk for heart disease and high cholesterol levels
- along with other B vitamins - necessary in lowering levels of homocysteine in the blood
- high levels of homocysteine is thought to be related to heart disease and stroke
- along with other antioxidants, thought to guard your eyes against macular degeneration
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- assists your body in the manufacture of genetic material - RNA and DNA
- boosts the immune system and the production of stress fighting hormones
- crucial to the production of red blood cells, helps your body utilize iron more effectively
- helps to regulate your mood
- along with other B vitamins - necessary in lowering levels of homocysteine in the blood
- high levels of homocysteine is thought to be related to heart disease and stroke
Vitamin C
- vital to enable your tissues to grow and repair
- crucial in your body's production of collagen
- critical in the healing of injuries
- known as an antioxidant - neutralizes free radicals in the body that can damage cell walls
and genetic material
- may help to lower high blood pressure
- insufficient levels have been linked to high blood pressure atherosclerosis and heart disease
- along with other antioxidants, thought to guard your eyes against macular degeneration
Vitamin D
- called the "Sunshine Vitamin"
- your body can produce Vitamin D after exposure to the sun
- necessary for the processing of calcium and phosphorous in the body
- critical for the absorption of calcium in the small intestine
- vital for preventing bone loss
- helps prevent softening of the bones
- promotes regular muscle function
- minimize symptoms of arthritis by helping to keep joint cartilage healthy
- decrease risk of atherosclerosis or calcium building up in your arteries
Vitamin E
- powerful antioxidant that neutralizes or destroys free radicals that damage cell membranes
- associated with decreased risk of heart attack
- may help keep plaque from sticking to arterial walls
- linked to higher scores on cognitive tests
- associated with the slowing of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
Vitamin K
- aids the body in clotting blood when bleeding
- necessary in helping your bones use calcium
- helps lessen bone fractures
- might minimize the formation of kidney stones
Before we can read through that list of unpronounceable vitamins and mineral, we need to understand a little bit about how they are labeled. When you see that a tablet provides you with 200% of the RDA of vitamin B2, what does the 200% refer to. The acronym "RDA" stands for Recommended Daily Allowance" and that percentage tells us how much of the RDA that vitamin will provide us with. These RDA numbers were determined to tell us the amounts of each vitamin that we need to keep us from getting sick (or deficient as a health care provider would say). So if the label says you are receiving 200% of the RDA of vitamin B2, then you have received twice the minimum that you need to prevent you from becoming deficient.
Now before you start thinking that if one vitamin tablet is good, then 5 vitamin tablets must be better, we need to examine a few more key points. Some of our vitamins are water soluble, while others are fat soluble. Those vitamins that are water soluble are dissolved in the blood and can be excreted through our urine, so if you take massive doses of these vitamins all at once, well you're going to end up peeing most of those vitamins away. Fat soluble vitamins, on the other hand, can be stored in the body, so if you take large amounts of these vitamins, you may reach a point where you have too much of them in your body which can causes side effects.
So which vitamins are which, and what do they all do....
Vitamin A
- keeps your eyes healthy
- helps to strengthen your immune system
- aids in battling infections of your respiratory system
- protects the outer lining of your tissues and organs
- encourages healthy bone growth
- advances healthy gums and teeth
- essential for normal reproduction
- aids cells in dividing the way they should
- fosters healthy skin and hair
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the metabolism of protein and fats
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract
- necessary for healthy eyes, hair, skin, liver and nervous system
- helpful in reducing stress
- supports a healthy immune system
- insufficient levels may advance congestive heart failure
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the metabolism of protein and fats
- known as an antioxidant - neutralizes free radicals in the body that can damage cell walls
- helps in maintaining good vision
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract
- necessary for healthy eyes, hair, skin, liver and nervous system
- helpful in reducing stress
- helps in maintaining good vision
- may boost circulation
- might help to whittle down your cholesterol number
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates and fats into glucose - necessary for energy
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract
- necessary for healthy eyes
- hair, skin, liver and nervous system
- helpful in reducing stress
- crucial to the production of red blood cells
- assists your body in utilizing other vitamins more efficiently
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the breakdown of protein and fats
- necessary for a healthy brain
- keeps muscle and nerve cells in good health
- assists your body in the manufacture of RNA and DNA
- boosts the immune system and the production of stress fighting hormones
- crucial to the production of red blood cells
- one of the vitamins necessary in lowering levels of homocysteine in the blood
- high levels of homocysteine is thought to be related to heart disease and stroke
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- required for the metabolism of protein and fats
- sustains muscle tone of the digestive tract- necessary for healthy eyes, hair, skin, liver and
nervous system
- helps your brain function properly
- assists your body in the manufacture of genetic material - RNA and DNA
- crucial to the production of red blood cells
- helps your body utilize iron more effectively
- decreases the risk of neural tube defects for your baby during pregnancy
- may cut your risk for heart disease and high cholesterol levels
- along with other B vitamins - necessary in lowering levels of homocysteine in the blood
- high levels of homocysteine is thought to be related to heart disease and stroke
- along with other antioxidants, thought to guard your eyes against macular degeneration
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
- aids the body in converting carbohydrates into glucose - necessary for energy
- assists your body in the manufacture of genetic material - RNA and DNA
- boosts the immune system and the production of stress fighting hormones
- crucial to the production of red blood cells, helps your body utilize iron more effectively
- helps to regulate your mood
- along with other B vitamins - necessary in lowering levels of homocysteine in the blood
- high levels of homocysteine is thought to be related to heart disease and stroke
Vitamin C
- vital to enable your tissues to grow and repair
- crucial in your body's production of collagen
- critical in the healing of injuries
- known as an antioxidant - neutralizes free radicals in the body that can damage cell walls
and genetic material
- may help to lower high blood pressure
- insufficient levels have been linked to high blood pressure atherosclerosis and heart disease
- along with other antioxidants, thought to guard your eyes against macular degeneration
Vitamin D
- called the "Sunshine Vitamin"
- your body can produce Vitamin D after exposure to the sun
- necessary for the processing of calcium and phosphorous in the body
- critical for the absorption of calcium in the small intestine
- vital for preventing bone loss
- helps prevent softening of the bones
- promotes regular muscle function
- minimize symptoms of arthritis by helping to keep joint cartilage healthy
- decrease risk of atherosclerosis or calcium building up in your arteries
Vitamin E
- powerful antioxidant that neutralizes or destroys free radicals that damage cell membranes
- associated with decreased risk of heart attack
- may help keep plaque from sticking to arterial walls
- linked to higher scores on cognitive tests
- associated with the slowing of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
Vitamin K
- aids the body in clotting blood when bleeding
- necessary in helping your bones use calcium
- helps lessen bone fractures
- might minimize the formation of kidney stones