Introduction
Vitamins are essential for the human body to grow, develop and stay healthy. There are many vitamins and each of them has very important functions. These vital nutrients are found in the food we eat. Vitamins keep our body strong and so it is important to know which foods to eat in order to obtain vitamins. Sometimes, people need vitamin supplements health. Supplements ensure that our body gets an adequate amount of the required vitamins each day. Supplements are used when optimal amounts of the nutrients are not available in the diet that is consumed. Where vitamin supplements have advantages, they also have unwanted effects in certain conditions and it is necessary to only take vitamin supplements health in a dose that has been prescribed by your doctor.
History
The term vitamin is derived from vitamine, which itself is a mixture of two words, vital and amine. Long before mankind even knew there existed such nutrients as vitamins, we knew the beneficial effects of certain foods for our body. Night blindness, the ancients Egyptians knew, was cured with the help of liver. So person who had poor night vision added liver to their diet. Later it was found that liver is rich in vitamin A. The Renaissance voyagers who were at sea for long periods of time suffered from illnesses. This was due to vitamin deficiencies as they had no access to fresh vegetables and fruits. James Lind, a Scottish surgeon, discovered in 1971 that deadly disease called scurvy in which there is bleeding of the gums and poor wound healing that lead to pain can be prevented by a diet rich in citrus fruits. Vitamins were first isolated and identified in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was found out that certain vitamins are fat-soluble, whereas others are water-soluble. The first vitamin to be isolated was vitamin D, initially called vitamin A, found in lipids from fish oil, and it has been used to cure rickets ever since. And so, slowly with the advancement of science and technology, each of the thirteen essential vitamins were isolated and identified. It was in mid-1930s then when these became available as dietary vitamin supplements health in grocery stores and pharmacies.
Features
Nutritional supplements containing vitamins are dietary supplements. This means that they are taken in addition to a wholesome diet and are not a replacement of conventional meals. They are available in the form of pills, tablets, and capsules. They are also available in liquid or powder form. Injectable formulation are only allowed under medical supervision. Vitamin supplements health are often available in combination with dietary minerals. And so, terms like multivitamin and multi-mineral are used interchangeably. The thirteen essential vitamins are: A, D, E, K, C, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12. Nuts, liver, beans, milk, fish, poultry, fresh fruits and vegetables are a rich source of vitamins and should be included in the daily diet. One of the conditions in which the use of vitamin supplements healths has increasingly become necessary is pregnancy. Pregnant women should have a balanced diet supplemented with prenatal vitamins. Prenatal vitamins have a low dosage of vitamins that are harmful for the foetus, such as vitamin A, and a somewhat increased dosage of folic acid. Supplements are also required when a person is kept on a restricted diet.
Tips and comments
Keeping all the benefits aside, it is important to know that supplements do have adverse effects as well. When it comes to vitamins supplements health, studies have proved supplements of vitamin A and E to be harmful for healthy individuals and especially for smokers. Vitamin A and E actually increase mortality. Vitamin E and C curb the good effects of exercise and in healthy men, vitamin E increases the risk of prostate cancer and women with breast cancer are most likely to have used multivitamin supplements. So, vitamin supplements health should only be used when needed and in amounts that are needed by the body, as prescribed by a medical health professional.
