Select a Guide: Why You Need Vitamins | Why You Need Minerals | Important Facts | Vitamins A-Z | Minerals and Supplements A-Z | Back to Homepage Why You Need Vitamins Vitamins are essential to life, affecting all functions within our bodies. The need for a properly balanced diet to maintain good health exists throughout an entire lifetime. Due to today's fast foods, and the processing of them, you can be deprived of the vitamins you think you are getting. If you are concerned about your diet, then taking vitamin supplements may be a smart step in guarding your health. Vitamins are used as tools in processes that regulate chemical reactions in our body. Our body also uses basic food elements--carbohydrates, fats and proteins--to form bones and tissues, and to produce energy. Vitamins cannot be produced by the body, with a few exceptions. Vitamin D can be synthesized by the skin in sunlight. Vitamin K and biotin can be manufactured by bacteria in the colon. Niacin can be produced from the amino acid, tryptophan. Lack of a vitamin for a length of time will cause a deficiency disease. For example, a vitamin C deficiency can cause a disease called scurvy, which can develop within 20 to 40 days. Select a Guide: Why You Need Vitamins | Why You Need Minerals | Important Facts | Vitamins A-Z | Minerals and Supplements A-Z | Back to Homepage Important Facts RDA or Recommended Dietary Allowances for vitamins (and minerals), set by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, are intended only to prevent diseases of nutrient deficiency. RDAs do not necessarily reflect optimal intake of vitamins and minerals. Individuals with special needs, such as diabetics and smokers, are not addressed. The Food and Nutrition Board came out with several sets of Dietary Reference Intakes, or DRIs, with the aim of optimizing health, including DRIs for vitamin D, the B-Vitamins and choline. Select a Guide: Why You Need Vitamins | Why You Need Minerals | Important Facts | Vitamins A-Z | Minerals and Supplements A-Z | Back to Homepage Vitamins A to Z Vitamin A: Promotes good vision (helps prevent night blindness), and helps form and maintain healthy skin, hair, teeth and bones. Vitamin A works together with vitamins D, B, E, zinc, phosphorus and calcium. It also acts as an antioxidant, which may help protect against cancer and other diseases. The B-Complex:(Order California Health Vitamin B Complex)
Vitamin C: The "protector vitamin" is essential in protecting cells and fighting tissue damage. Vitamin C helps protect your body from infection, acts as an antioxidant, and enhances immunity. This vitamin is needed for healthy bones, teeth, gums and adrenal gland functions. A deficiency of vitamin C can result in fatigue, anorexia, loss of appetite, slow wound healing and rupture of the capillaries. All of these symptoms are characteristic of the classic vitamin C deficiency - scurvy. (Order California Health Vitamin C) Vitamin D: Promotes absorption of calcium, and helps maintain blood levels of calcium and phosphorous. Essential for growth and maintenance of strong bones. Children need it for proper growth. Called the "sunshine" vitamin because our bodies convert vitamin D from the sun's rays. (Order California Health Vitamin D With Calcium) Vitamin E: This antioxidant protects tissues against free radical damage, thus playing a role in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease. The primary function of vitamin E is to maintain cell membrane integrity from oxidative damage, thereby promoting healthy circulation and acting as a protector against environmental pollutants. A deficiency of vitamin E can result in decreased birth weights and anemia in children and neuropathy in adults. (Order California Health Vitamin E) Fat Soluble Vitamins: These are vitamins that the body stores for relatively long periods in the fat tissue and liver. Folic Acid: Folic Acid is important in red blood cell formation and aids in the conversion of proteins into energy. It is necessary for the growth and division of body cells. Vitamin K: This vitamin is essential for the proper clotting of blood. Some sources of vitamin K are yogurt, leafy green vegetables, liver and soybeans. Water Soluble Vitamins: These vitamins are dissolved in water, meaning they can only be stored in limited amounts. Deficiencies develop more rapidly than fat soluble vitamins; therefore, they have to be supplied through the diet every day to replenish the body. Select a Guide: Why You Need Vitamins | Why You Need Minerals | Important Facts | Vitamins A-Z | Minerals and Supplements A-Z | Back to Homepage Why You Need Minerals and Supplements Minerals are inorganic substances that the body cannot produce, and they often partner with vitamins to help each other work more efficiently. Minerals are important for protecting our cells and in helping to keep bones, teeth and skin in a healthy state. Also, minerals play important roles in blood pressure, muscle functions and heart regulation. The body may be robbed of minerals from smoking, alcohol and processed foods. The body must get minerals either from the foods you eat or supplements. Select a Guide: Why You Need Vitamins | Why You Need Minerals | Important Facts | Vitamins A-Z | Minerals and Supplements A-Z | Back to Homepage Minerals A to Z Boron: Boron is thought to be a factor in helping keep calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in the body. It is considered a "helper" mineral that aids the body in maximizing its use of these minerals. Calcium: About 99% of all calcium in the body is found in the bones, thereby making this mineral critical to good health. A deficiency of it can lead to loss of height and teeth, back pain, and brittle bones which can break or crack. If the body does not have enough calcium it will draw away vital calcium already stored in the bones. As the body matures the demand for calcium increases. Stress, lack of exercise, antibiotics, aspirin, mineral oil, excess intake of fats and other factors can leave a person low on calcium. (Order California Health Calcium) Copper: An important trace mineral that is stored in the liver, copper is a vital component of enzymes needed to break down proteins for rebuilding body tissue. It is required to convert the body's iron into hemoglobin and is essential for the utilization of vitamin C. The brain and connective tissues depend on copper. Chromium: Chromium plays a role in the breakdown of simple sugar in the body, and helps in the production of insulin. It also helps control blood sugar levels and possibly cholesterol levels. Iodine: Two-thirds of the body's iodine is in the thyroid gland. Since iodine influences the thyroid and the thyroid controls metabolism, iodine plays an important role in mental reaction, energy and weight gain. Iron: This mineral is necessary for the production of hemoglobin (red blood corpuscles), myoglobin (red pigment in muscles), and certain enzymes. Only 8% of the iron that is received by the body is absorbed and actually enters the bloodstream. Iron helps in body growth, the prevention of fatigue, and helps safeguard the body from disease. It is especially important to women because in one month women lose almost twice as much iron as men. Iron is a "helper" mineral, meaning it helps the B-Vitamins be better utilized in the body. Magnesium: Magnesium has the ability to relax nerves and muscles. Known as the "anti-stress" mineral, it also plays a role in helping to calm nerves and converting blood sugar into energy. This mineral is necessary in assisting the body in utilizing vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous, sodium and potassium in an effective manner. Magnesium helps keep teeth healthy and aids in bringing temporary relief from indigestion. Manganese: Manganese aids in nourishing the body's nervous system and brain. It also helps regulate muscles in the body, and is found in virtually all body tissues. This mineral works as an activator in helping to stimulate enzymes that can convert protein, fats and carbohydrates into usable energy. Teamed with vitamin B1 and choline, it can help the body with digestion. It is also important to both male and female reproductive systems. Phosphorus: Not only is phosphorus involved in virtually all physiological chemical reactions, but it is also present in every cell in the body. It is important for heart regularity, essential for normal kidney functions, and necessary for normal bone and tooth structure. Vitamin D and calcium are vital in assisting phosphorus to work properly. Without phosphorus, the critical B-Vitamins and niacin can€t be absorbed. Potassium: Potassium, along with sodium, helps regulate the water balance within the body and in transportation of nutrients in the bloodstream into cells. The mineral also plays an important role in helping to send messages through our nervous system. By sending oxygen to the brain it can also help in clear thinking. The heart and other muscles depend on potassium to function in a healthful state. Everyday this mineral is flushed from the body and must be replenished. Excessive sugar and salt, diuretics, laxatives, alcohol and stress can deplete the body of potassium. Selenium: This mineral works closely with Vitamin E as a protector of body cells. Selenium can help fight premature aging and hardening of the tissues through oxidation, and is important in keeping tissues flexible with elasticity. Sodium: Vital to normal body growth, this mineral is important in helping nerves and muscles function properly. Sodium€s main purpose is to help "pump" fluids and nutrients in and out of the cells and cell membranes. Too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure. Sulfur: Sulfur is essential for healthy hair, skin and nails. It also plays a significant role in helping to maintain a proper oxygen balance so the brain can function properly. Sulfur assists the B-Vitamins and helps the liver in the secretion of bile. Zinc: This mineral performs many functions in the body. Zinc is important in RNA/DNA formation, in converting proteins into energy, and working with calcium in bone formation. It is believed to play a valuable role in the healing process, blood stability, mental functions and in keeping a proper alkaline balance in the body. Organs that depend on this essential mineral are the brain, heart and the productive organs--especially the male prostrate gland. Processed foods, stress, diuretics, alcohol and other factors can deplete the body of Zinc. ( Select a Guide: Why You Need Vitamins | Why You Need Minerals | Important Facts | Vitamins A-Z | Minerals and Supplements A-Z | Back to Homepage |
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