Did You Know Just That Many Cancers Are Linked To A Vitamin Deficiency?
Vitamins
Reviewed
by Dr Dan Rutherford, GP
What
are vitamins?
The
term 'vitamin' is derived from 'vital amine'. They are a
group of substances required in small amounts for growth
and development but which cannot be manufactured by the
body.
Without
vitamins the human body would not survive. We all need vitamins
in order to live a long and healthy life. Most of us get
sufficient quantities of vitamins from our food, but it
may be necessary for some people to take a vitamin supplement
(eg pregnant women and the elderly).
How
easy is it to get all the vitamins we need from our diet?
A
varied diet is essential if we are to obtain the nutrients
we need. However, this is not always easy: fruit and vegetables
age (an apple in a bowl loses vitamins hour by hour) and
deep frozen products may often contain more vitamins than
vegetables stored for a long time at room temperature. Therefore,
it is especially important to eat a wide variety of fresh
foods.
Too
little of just one vitamin may disturb the body's balance
and cause health problems. But taking too many vitamins
can also be dangerous. This is especially true of the fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E and K: it is harder to get rid of excess
of these vitamins through urine - the most common way for
us to eliminate body waste products.
Which
vitamins do we know about?
New
vitamins are discovered occasionally, but presently we know
of the following vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B10, B11,
B12, B13, B15, B17, C, D, E, F, G, H, K, L, M, P, T and
U.
Where
do vitamin supplements come from?
Most
vitamin supplements have been extracted from natural foods.
For instance, vitamin A comes from fish-liver oil. Vitamin
B comes from yeast or liver. Vitamin C is often extracted
from small berries in roses, and vitamin E is extracted
from soy beans or maize. Vitamins may also be synthetically
manufactured, but synthetic vitamins are not always as effective
as their naturally-derived equivalent.
How
should vitamins be stored?
It
is important to keep vitamins in a dark, cool place, or
they will 'go off', just like apples in a bowl. The best
place to store vitamins is in the refrigerator - make sure
there is a lid on the container. A few grains of rice in
the container will prevent moisture getting into the tablets.
When
should you take vitamin supplements?
The
best time to take vitamins is during the day, after a meal.
Never take vitamins on an empty stomach - they will quickly
passed out in your urine. This is especially true for the
B and C vitamins that dissolve in water. The fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E and K can be stored in the body for up
to 24 hours and can sometimes be stored in the liver for
even longer.
Are
vitamins and minerals the same thing?
Vitamins
and minerals are two completely different things: minerals
help the vitamins work. The 10 most important minerals are:
calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese,
chromium, selenium and zinc. There is a specific recommended
daily allowance for each of these, as well as for each of
the vitamins.
Based on a text by Dr Carl J Brandt, GP
