When Do You Need Vitamin B12?

Vitamin B is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the development of red-blood cells, nerve cells and DNA. Pregnant women, in particular, need to supplement on Vitamin B12. The following are the medical conditions that may need Vitamin B supplementation or, if not, a Vitamin B12-rich diet:

* Pregnancy

Because vitamin B12 is such a key factor in developing healthy red blood cells, nerve cells and DNA, all pregnant women need to be taking supplemental B12. Most prenatal vitamins contain plenty of vitamin B12. However, it won’t hurt if you make sure you eat Vitamin B12-rich foods like fortified breakfast cereals, mollusks, liver and fish.

* Lactating mothers

When you are lactating, your body passes some of the B12 to your baby through breast milk. Your body needs extra B12 for its own healing and regeneration post-partum, plus for your baby, so you can imagine the amount of Vitamin B12 you will need while you’re nursing.

* People suffering from depression

Since all Vitamin B12 vitamins help with emotional health, so it helps to load up on vitamin B12 and other B vitamins if you’re feeling depressed, especially if you are listless, weak, fatigued and feeling overwhelmed.

Although you should never substitute medical attention or therapy with Vitamin B12, you might just find that supplementation and exercise everyday can dramatically boost your mood.

Problems With Mental Alertness/Onset of Alzheimer’s

If you are experiencing memory loss or lack of mental sharpness, you may want to try eating a diet high in B12 or supplement B12 to see if either/or makes a difference. B12 supports nerve function and development, so taking B12 may help you feel more alert, focus better and have a sharper memory.

Read related post:
Vitamin B12 Facts
Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin D – Benefits and Side Effects

Vitamin D, also known as calciferol, is a fat-soluble vitamin that can be produced by your body after being exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This vitamin takes on several forms, with each form performing a different activity.

Vitamin D is important for keeping the body’s blood levels of calcium and phosphorus normal. It is important for calcium absorption and, in conjunction with other nutrients and hormones, promote the mineralization of bones. If you lack Vitamin D, your bones can turn brittle, soft, thin or misshapen. An acute lack of Vitamin D causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, both which are bone diseases that weaken the bones.

Vitamin D Sources

Fortified milk is a major dietary source of Vitamin D. Before milk products were fortified in the 1930s, rickets was a major health problem in the US. Milk in the US fortified with 10 micrograms of 400 IU of Vitamin D per quart. However, other dairy products like cheese, ice cream and yogurt are generally not Vitamin D-fortified.

One cup of fortified milk supplies around one-fourth of the RDA for adults. There are only a few food sources that naturally contain significant amounts of this vitamin. These include fatty fish and fish oils.

Exposing yourself to sunlight should be a major part of your routine. Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays synthesizes the Vitamin D in the skin. This synthesizing effect is affected by the season, latitude, time of day, cloud cover, smog, and sunscreen.

Too Much Vitamin D

Taking in too much Vitamin D through supplements like cod liver oil can cause constipation, nausea, poor appetite, vomiting, weakness, and weight loss. A Vitamin D overdose can also raise calcium levels in the blood and cause hearth rhythm abnormalities.

Source Naturals Vitamin D

Source Naturals Vitamin D-3 400IU 200Tabs Vitamin D is an important hormone precursor that supports immune response and helps regulate the health of at least 20 different tissues, including the nervous system and joints. It also plays an important role in regulating cell growth, insulin levels, and bone formation.

Ingredients: Vitamin D-3, microcrystalline cellulose and stearic acid.

Suggested Use: 1 tablet 2 to 3 times daily, following a meal. Do not exceed suggested use.

Warning: If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have hyperparathyroidism, or are taking any prescription medication, consult your physician before taking this product. Do not exceed a total of 2,000 IU of vitamin D per day from all sources, including multivitamins and fortified milk.

Vitamin K: Benefits and Side Effects

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that is important for blood clotting. Without vitamin K, our wounds would not heal. In some studies, vitamin has been found to maintain strong bones in elderly persons.

Foods high in vitamin K include cabbage, cauliflower, spinach and other green leafy vegetables. Cereals and soybeans contain high amounts of Vitamin K too. Vitamin K is also made by the bacteria lining the gastrointestinal tract.

It is very rare for people to lack in vitamin K, and it only happens when the body can’t properly absorb it from the intestinal tract. Vitamin K deficiency can also be caused by long-term treatment with antibiotics. You will know if you are deficient in Vitamin K if you are prone to bruising and bleeding.

How much Vitamin K do you need? Well, it depends on the person?s age, gender and physical condition (like pregnancy). The easiest way to get the Vitamin K you need is to eat more of the vegetables that contain vitamin K.

If you are taking any warfarin (a blood thinner), you should know this vital nutrient affects the way how that drug works. Ask your doctor how much vitamin K you should consume to avoid the affecting the performance or warfarin.

Vitamin E: Benefits and Side Effects

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that you can find in oils, nuts, and seeds. Although it is considered an anti-oxidant vitamin, nutrition experts still need to determine what the specific metabolic function of this vitamin is. Large doses of Vitamin E act as blood thinner or anti-coagulant.

The Different Forms

There are different forms of Vitamin E: gamma-tocopherol and alpha tocopherol. As an anti-coagulant, it could be used to prevent and dissolve blood clots. Doctors use Vitamin E to celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, relieve leg cramps, and reduce angina pain.

Some studies suggest that using Vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk of heart disease and other chronic diseases, although these studies are not yet conclusive. As an antioxidant, Vitamin E is known to protect the body’s tissues from damage caused by free radicals. Vitamin E is also vital in forming red blood cells. It also helps the body utilize vitamin K.

Food Sources

Vitamin E can be taken from these food sources: wheat germ, corn, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, asparagus, corn oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, and cottonseed oil. Products made from these foods also contain Vitamin E.

Side Effects

A November 2004 study by the American Heart Association indicated that high amounts of vitamin E at 400 IU per day or higher increases death risk. Taking smaller amounts, like those found in a typical multivitamin supplement, was not harmful.

Vitamin B’s – Benefits and Side Effects

The Vitamin B that we know is actually composed of eight water-soluble vitamins that play a vital role in cell metabolism. In the past, the eight Vitamin B’s were thought to be on Vitamin B. It was later discovered that they were different vitamins with distinct chemical compositions that co-existed in the same food sources. Vitamin supplements that contain Vitamin B complex contain all eight.The eight vitamin B’s are:

* Vitamin B1 or thiamine
* Vitamin B2 or riboflavin
* Vitamin B3 or niacin,
* Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid,
Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine,
Vitamin B7 or biotin or Vitamin H
Vitamin B9 or folic acid or Vitamin M
Vitamin B12 or cobalamins or cyanocobalamin

Food Sources

The different Vitamin B’s can come from different natural sources, including potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, liver oil, liver, nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast, tuna, turkey, and molasses. Because of its high brewer’s yeast content, beer is a source of the Vitamin B’s, although it should be said that the alcohol in beer impairs the body’s ability to activate vitamins.

Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiencies

Deficiencies in the different Vitamin B’s often lead to different distinct symptoms. Vitamin B1 thiamine deficiency, for example, causes beriberi, a disease of the nervous system. Beriberi symptoms include include weight loss, Wernicke’s encephalopathy (impaired sensory perception), weak and painful limbs, periods of irregular heartbeat, and edema or swelling of bodily tissues.

Deficiency in the other Vitamin B’s include:

Vitamin B2 riboflavin
Deficiency condition: Ariboflavinosis
Symptoms: cracks in the lips, extreme sensitivity to sunlight, inflammation of the tongue, seborrheic dermatitis or pseudo-syphilis, pharyngitis, hyperemia, and edema of the pharyngeal and oral mucosa.

Vitamin B3 Niacin

Deficiency condition: Pellagra (if you are also deficient in tryptophan)
Symptoms: aggression, dermatitis, insomnia, weakness, mental confusion, and diarrhea.

Vitamin B5 pantothenic acid
Deficiency condition: acne and paresthesia

Vitamin B6 pyridoxine
Deficiency condition: anemia, depression, dermatitis, high blood pressure (hypertension), water retention problems, and elevated levels of homocysteine.

Vitamin B7 Biotin
Deficiency condition: impaired growth and neurological disorders in babies

Vitamin B9 folic acid
Deficiency condition: macrocytic anemia, elevated levels of homocysteine, and birth defects

Vitamin B12 Cobalamin
Deficiency condition: macrocytic anemia, elevated homocysteine, peripheral neuropathy, memory loss, mania and psychosis

If you are not getting enough Vitmin B complex in your diet, then you should buy Vitamin B supplements.

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