Buffing Up

It’s an age old question when we find ourselves wondering if we should be taking vitamins to fortify our health. Did you know that we do not have the capability to manufacture vitamins from scratch?

Vitamins were first unearthed just over a century ago. At the time of their discovery they were called micro nutrients because we only needed very small amounts of them. Nevertheless, the small amounts that we do need are essential for maintaining healthy bodies. So, if our bodies aren’t capable of creating vitamins, how do we find them and exactly how much of each one do we need?

We should be receiving our daily input of vitamins from the food we eat. That supposes that we’re all eating well-balanced healthy meals that are rich in fruit and vegetables. Ponder that whenever you reach for that cheesy slice of pizza for dinner.

We really do know what we should be eating but not very many of us actually carry through on what we know we’re supposed to do. No big surprise there. Yet there are still many people who sincerely try to eat right but their efforts are thwarted due to so many of their food options being limited to highly processed and chemically treated food choices that either reduced or weakened the effectiveness of whatever vitamins they once contained.

Then there are special cases of people who do take vitamins faithfully but due to certain conditions that are unique to their lifestyles, may not be getting full benefit of the vitamins they are taking. These include smokers, people on certain medicines, the elderly and post menopausal women to name just a few.

Vitamins are necessary elements for life because they play a vital function in certain biological and chemical processes in the body. They’re also used to foster growth, buttress resistance to infection and ensure proper metabolism to name just a few. One thing you can’t count on vitamins for is a lift in energy. Vitamins are void of calories and calories are what we consume to get energy.

What can occur if you don’t get enough vitamins? You’ll probably experience a vitamin deficiency and when that occurs there are a variety of symptoms and ailments that become apparent. Some of the more common symptoms are skin problems, vision problems and hair and nail troubles. That leaves out the more serious ailments that can show up due to vitamin deficiency.

Lastly, it should be pointed out that vitamin supplements come in two forms: water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble conveys that they are not retained in the body over long period of times. Any extra amounts that are not used by the body are released through the urine. Although unnecessary, it’s safe to take these in larger quantities because they can never reach toxic levels as a result of being stored and built up within the body. On the other hand, fat soluble vitamins need to be handled more carefully because they are stored in the body for long periods of time. Every time fat soluble vitamins are taken, the excess amount that the body can’t use is stored and that amount can build to higher and higher levels until possibly reaching a degree of toxicity that could actually be damaging. It’s important to understand the difference but the best approach would be to follow the directions on the vitamin label carefully. In this case too much of a good thing may not be in your best interest and you should only attempt it under the advice of your health care professional.

If the issue discussed here raises your eyebrow, then click on Vitamins or maybe through Vitamin Supplements.