05.13.08
Posted in Nutrition + More at 4:59 pm by admin
Vitamin B12 is probably the best known among the B complex vitamins because many people take B12 injections as a treatment for severe pernicious anemia. People who exhibit signs of weakness may be diagnosed with a B12 deficiency and a simple regimen of introducing Vitamin B12 in some other form may greatly help reduce the symptoms. If a true deficiency exists, the person may also have constipation and no appetite, often resulting in weight loss. In more extreme cases, tingling and confusion may be a manifestation of low B12 levels.
Vitamin B12 deficiencies tend to be more common in older adults. The chronic weakness and tendency to sleep more hours than normal, though sometimes considered a normal sign of aging, may actually be attributed to a lack of sufficient B12 being absorbed and utilized by the body.
One important point to remember about B12 is that you may be getting enough of this important vitamin in your daily diet, but your body may not absorb it properly. The release of Vitamin B12 is part of the function of stomach acids. Health issues that include gastric problems may mean the B12 is not being released as it should be. The result of this situation is that you still have a B12 deficiency, even though you’re eating all the right foods.
There are a few foods that are simply rich in Vitamin B12, though those foods are likely not on the daily menu of most people. Mollusks, for example, provide more than 1,000 percent the daily recommended intake of this vitamin. Though many people don’t like liver, a single slice of beef liver will give you more than 700 percent of your body’s daily need for B12. Salmon, trout and tuna are also good sources of B12.
This is one of the most important vitamins for infants, and babies with a B12 deficiency may simply fail to develop normally. There is some question about the amount of B12 an infant needs on a daily basis. If you are concerned, talk to you pediatrician.
Many of the foods high in B12 content are meats, therefore are avoided by vegetarians. If you are a vegetarian (and especially if you are pregnant or nursing a baby), you should talk to your doctor about adding a B12 supplement to your daily routine. Since babies in the womb and nursing infants get only those vitamins their mothers have to offer, B12 could be an issue for babies if the mom is a strict vegetarian.
Bob Benson is the founder of Vitamins online. You can check out our website at http://www.buy-natural-health-supplements.info
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03.24.08
Posted in Nutrition + More at 9:53 pm by admin
Omega 3 fish oils have received some negative publicity recently. There were scares over potential contamination in fresh oily fish by mercury, though this has been refuted as an overly exaggerated issue. And more recently, a meta study, which is a ’study of studies’, was published online that seemed to suggest that omega 3 benefits for heart health and cancer were not true.
But Dr Ray Rice, a food scientist, dismissed the results. He said that despite the claim that 48 studies were reviewed, only 12 actually were, and of that 12, 3 or 4 should not have been included. He described the report as being “conceptually flawed”, having a faulty technique, and being misleading to the public.
There is an abundance of scientific data to support the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish oils, from oily fish such as salmon, and of course, good quality (non rancid) fish oil supplements.
General omega 3 benefits include:
* protecting against cardiovascular disease and improving heart health
* improving joint health
* improving moods and behaviour, including ADHD
* good development of the fetus during pregnancy
* the inhibition of some cancer cells
The Omega 3 Benefits For Heart health
The omega 3 benefits for heart health have been well documented. The Food Standards Agency and the British Nutrition Foundation recommend that people eat 2 servings of fish a week, one being an oily fish like salmon that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
A small study of 18 white men, from ages 68 onwards, who had a heart attack from 3 months to 5 years previously, found omega 3 fish oils benefited their hearts and potentially reduced the risk of further heart attacks.
These men took a supplement containing 810mg of fish oil a day for 4 months, and those taking a placebo took a mixture of corn oil and olive oil. The participants didn’t know whether they were taking a placebo or not.
Their resting heart rate at rest and after exercise was measured. It was found that those taking the omega 3 fish oils had a lower resting heart rate, and their heart rate returned to normal more quickly after exercise. Those men that have a high heart rate when resting have a greater chance of having a heart attack, and dying from one.
A study designed to assess the combination of 3 supplements that have been found to individually protect against cardiovascular disease found that when used together, the benefit was much stronger. The 3 supplements were omega 3 fish oils, niacin, and vitamin E. Niacin, due to side effects at high doses, was a low dose component. Despite this low dose, the study found that those taking the niacin, fish oil, and vitamin e combination had a greater benefit than those taking fish oil and vitamin e alone.
The study was a double blind, placebo controlled study, with a control group taking none of the supplements. 57 volunteers took the supplements over a 4 month period. After this period, it was found that the total antioxidant capacity of the volunteers taking either 2 or 3 of the supplements increased, with the greatest increase being in the group taking the omega 3, niacin and vitamin e combination. This third group also had significantly higher levels of vitamin e, whereas those not taking niacin did not have this benefit. This is because niacin, and another component of that supplement, gamma-oryzanol, preserve vitamin e in the body.
The study also found that cellular agents that are involved in inflammation, were reduced in both of these groups taking the supplements. In particular, tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was reduced for both, but only in the group taking the additional niacin and gamma-oryzanol component was the reduction of the inflammatory agent interleukin 1-beta (IL 1-beta) significant.
Combination Omega 3 Supplements
It’s not just omega 3 fish oils with the benefits however. For specific conditions, a combination of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are very helpful.
A study recently published found that teenagers aged 12 to 15 years taking a supplement containing both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids had a remarkably improved attention span. These teenagers had been clinically diagnosed with moderate to severe ADHD and had persistent problems with both impulsiveness, and attention and concentration.
At the start of the study, the inattentiveness of these students was measured at an average of 94%. After 3 months of taking a supplement containing a high quality omega 3 fish oil and the omega 6 fatty acid, evening primrose oil, the inattentiveness of the students had fallen to an average of 17%.
With regards to impulsivity, there were similar benefits. From an average score of 89%, impulsivity scores fell to an average of 28% by the end of the trial.
The evening primrose oil was also a high quality one, being made from virgin evening primrose oil. And the study participants were aware they were taking the supplements, so it was not a double blind study. But the results are still excellent. The EPA content of the fish oil component was 500mg taken per day, which in this case was the equivalent of 6 capsules, though this will vary according to different formulations. EPA simply means eicosapentaenoic acid, and is a kind of active constituent in fish oil essential fatty acids.
References:
1. nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=66694&m=1NIU328&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
2. nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=66816&m=1NIE403&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
3. nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?n=67062&m=1NIE413&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
4. foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=66658&m=2FNE329&c=qgtqmovbyiaxdub
For more articles on supplements and vitamins, click here. If you’re interested in learning more about nutrition, click here.
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03.21.08
Posted in Nutrition + More at 8:30 pm by admin
The word ‘Vitamine’ meaning a vital amine was proposed by a Polish Researcher, Dr. Cacimir Funk, in 1911 to designate a new food substance which cured beri-beri. Other terms were proposed as new factors were discovered. But the word vitamin, with the final ‘e’ dropped, met with popular favour.
Vitamins are potent organic compounds which are found in small concentrations in foods. They
perform specific and vital functions in the body chemistry. They are like electric sparks which
help to run human motors. Except for a few exceptions, they cannot be manufactured or
synthesized by the organism and their absence or improper absorption results in specific
deficiency disease. It is not possible to sustain life without all the essential vitamins. In their
natural state they are found in minute quantities in organic foods. WE must obtain them from
these foods or in dietary supplements.
Vitamins, which are of several kinds, differ from each other in physiological function, in chemical
structure and in their distribution in food. They are broadly divided into two categories, namely,
fat-soluble and water-soluble. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all soluble in fat and fat solvents and
are therefore, known as fat-soluble. They are not easily lost by ordinary cooking methods and
they can be stored in the body to some extent, mostly in the liver. They are measured in
international units. Vitamin B Complex and C are water soluble. They are dissolved easily in
cooking water. A portion of these vitamins may actually be destroyed by heating.
They cannot be stored in body and hence they have to be taken daily in foods. Any extra
quantity taken in any one day is eliminated as waste. Their values are given in milligrams and
micrograms, whichever is appropriate.
Vitamins, used therapeutically, can be of immense help in fighting disease and speeding
recovery. They can be used in two ways, namely, correcting deficiencies and treating disease in
place of drugs. Latest researches indicate that many vitamins taken in large doses far above the
actual nutritional needs, can have a miraculous healing effect in a wide range of common
complaints and illnesses. Vitamin therapy has a distinct advantage over drug therapy. While
drugs are always toxic and have many undesirable side effects, vitamins, as a rule are non-toxic
and safe.
To learn more about the energy principle in healing, please read:
Cost-free Miracle Asthma Cure
Overcome Type I Diabetes and Type II Diabetes Naturally
Alternative Treatments for Incurable Diseases made easy
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