Herbal Natural Supplements Store : Natural Supplements

2006-05-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

Vitamins are substances that are found in many of the foods we eat. Your body needs vitamins to work properly, which makes them some really important substances! Your body uses vitamins to do many things, like help you grow and develop. It needs vitamins to help your blood clot when you get a cut. Some vitamins help us make energy. Vitamins are even involved in making sure you can see in color, the world would look black and white without them! And if you've ever wondered what helps make your teeth healthy and strong, then you'll be sure to smile when you find out it's, guess what, vitamins!

Besides vitamins, there is also something similar called provitamins. A provitamin is similar in structure to a specific vitamin and can be converted to it by a few metabolic reactions, for example, beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A; 7-dehydrocholesterol into vitamin D3. The amino acid tryptophan is called a precursor of the vitamin nicotinic acid because the conversion pathway is less direct than that of a provitamin.

Vitamins regulate metabolism reactions, in contrast to other dietary components known as macronutrients, for examples, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, which are the compounds utilized in the reactions regulated by the vitamins. Absence of a vitamin blocks one or more specific metabolic reactions in a cell and eventually may disrupt the metabolic balance within a cell and in our entire body. Vitamins contain no calories but play an essential role in your body. Think of vitamins kind of like the fluids in your car. If you have no oil (vitamins) in your car, it does not matter how much gasoline (calories) you put in your car, your car will not run. For this reason, it is critically important to ensure a proper supply of vitamins in your car. Unlike the oil in your car, many vitamins are purged from your body daily. A high-quality liquid multivitamin will replenish lost vitamins and minerals.

With the exception of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), all of the water-soluble vitamins assist enzymes that function in energy transfer or in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. In other words, it will be difficult for our body to break down these nutrients into energy we can use without vitamins.

Some of the fat-soluble vitamins form part of the structure of biological membranes or assist in maintaining the integrity and functioning of these membranes. Some fat-soluble vitamins also may function at the genetic level to control the synthesis of certain enzymes. Fat-soluble vitamins are necessary for specific functions in highly differentiated cells.

A characteristic deficiency disease (or hypovitaminosis) results when we take an inadequate amount of a specific vitamin. The severity of this disease depends upon the degree of vitamin deprivation (see the figure below).

Symptoms of the disease may be specific such as functional night blindness when we take too little of vitamin A or nonspecific, for examples, loss of appetite and failure to grow. Some effects of vitamin deficiencies cannot be reversed by simply adding the vitamin to the diet, especially if damage to non-regenerative tissue such as cornea of the eye, nerve tissue, or calcified bone has occurred.

A vitamin deficiency may be “primary” (or dietary), in which case the dietary intake is lower than the normal requirement of the vitamin. A “secondary” (or conditioned) deficiency may occur (even though the dietary intake is adequate) if a pre-existing disease or state of stress is present such as malabsorption of food from the intestine, chronic alcoholism, repeated pregnancies and lactation. Many people today have micro deficiencies, in which they do not have clinical symptoms but they may suffer from difficulty concentrating, lack of energy, poor wound repair and a whole host of other mild, but cumulative symptoms.

When you take fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), the vitamins are stored in the fat tissues in your body and in your liver until your body needs them, some are stored for a few days, some for up to six months! Water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C and the B group of vitamins, on the other hand are different. They are not stored as much in your body. Instead, they travel through your bloodstream and whatever your body doesn't use comes out when you urinate. So these kinds of vitamins need to be replaced often, and many people fail to do so as in this case, often means daily.
Unlike protein, carbohydrates and fats, vitamins do not yield usable energy when broken down - they are truly calorie free. However, they assist the enzymes that release energy from carbohydrates, proteins and fats, while providing no energy themselves. This does not mean vitamins are not important! Although the vitamins themselves don't provide energy, many are required for chemical reactions that do produce energy. In this sense, vitamins can give you energy.

Vitamins are substances the body needs in small amounts to support most body functions and prevent disease. Vitamins play a role in energy production and growth; and work with each other and with other nutrients to keep our energy levels up, our hearts pumping, our bones and immune system strong, our digestive system moving and our skin and hair healthy. Vitamins & Supplements Store natural supplements Water-soluble vitamins include members of the B complex (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin) and vitamin C. Most water-soluble vitamins support enzyme systems in the body but are excreted daily. Vitamin B3 and Coenzyme Q10 supplementation can contribute to your health and overall energy and stamina. The active coenzyme form of Vitamin B6, PLP is importance for human metabolism. It plays a vital role in the function of approximately 100 enzymes that catalyze essential chemical reactions in the human body necessary for energy production.

For example, PLP functions as a coenzyme for glycogen phosphorylase, an enzyme that catalyzes the release of glucose stored in the muscle as glycogen.

Much of the PLP in the human body is found in muscle bound to glycogen phosphorylase. PLP is also a coenzyme for reactions used to generate glucose from amino acids, a process known as gluconeogenesis, or new glucose formation.

Vitamin B12 is involved in the biochemical reactions in our body that are important in the production of energy from fats and proteins. Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of carnitine, a small molecule that is essential for the transport of fat to cellular organelles called mitochondria, for conversion to energy.3 It is for this reason that vitamin b12 is known as the "energy vitamin."

Vitamins help convert food into energy which your body needs to stay warm, active, and healthy. However, well-nourished individuals cannot increase their physical capacity by simply taking extra vitamins. People who consume an unbalanced daily diet or do not get proper vitamins may suffer from fatigue. In this case, taking multivitamin supplements may help restore energy and revitalize your mental and physical energy levels.

As we have learned, vitamins have no caloric value, and are not sources of direct energy. However, vitamins do help your body use or release energy present in food. A lack of vitamins and ordinary dietary nutrients play a major role in diseases known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS). Other nutrients that affect the body's production of energy at the cellular level (in the mitochondria) can also be very helpful in these syndromes. Fatigue in itself suggests low energy production or utilization.

Research studies have shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is often to blame. The mitochondrion is the powerhouse in our cells. Think of it as the engine in your car.

Fortunately, there are a number of natural treatments available to improve mitochondrial function. Coenzyme Q10, iron, and copper are critical for electron transport system (ETS) function, a major part of the energy production cycle.

Do Antioxidants Improve Athletic Performance? They won't improve performance, but they may reduce the extra free radicals that probably come from the increased oxygen intake and the burning of blood sugar and fat associated with exercise, as well as limit exercise-related DNA damage.

ottom line: Our bodies use vitamins every day during the normal biochemical processes that maintain life. Taken as recommended, liquid multivitamins most efficiently help release energy from our food, and support growth, healing, and repair. An ongoing shortage of vitamins will lead to failed health, weakness, susceptibility to disease, and may ultimately result in death, but the first signs of this are lethargy, weakness and lack of energy.

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