Vitamin Supplements

Who benefits from supplements?

The answer is simple: Everyone. Many of my colleagues will probably want to burn me at the stake for this but there is enough evidence to prove that most people today do not eat a balanced enough diet to get all the vitamins they need. In addition, the fast pace, stress and pollution of modern society result in a greater need for vitamins and other nutrients. Read the rest of this entry »

Thiamin is the first of the B complex vitamins and it is often referred to as vitamin B₁. Our daily intake of thiamin is calculated on the calories we need in our diet and this gives the first clue to its main function. It is involved in the production of energy in the body. If we go back to the section describing the general duties of vitamins you will remember that they act as coenzymes in the chemical reactions that take place in all normal metabolism, and some of those reactions produce energy from the food we eat. Fats, protein and carbohydrates are the three main categories of foods found in most diets. Fats are storage foods, acting as insulation and protection within the body. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitamin B12 and folate are two more vitamins which are associated with the prevention and cure of certain types of anaemia. Both vitamins have fairly complex structures. B12 is the name given to a group of cobalamins, and folate is formed from a pteroic acid. B12 is only found in animal tissues and cannot be supplied in a diet of fruit and vegetables but folate is abundant in green, leafy vegetables, and the name folate, folic acid or folacin refers to its source in foliage. (Folium = leaf in Latin.)

There are various types of anaemia, but all forms of the disease can be described as a lack of sufficient red cells capable of carrying oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. In the last section we saw how important pyridoxine can be in helping to form the protein structure of haemoglobin. Iron is also needed and must be supplied in the diet. Read the rest of this entry »

The emergence of niacin as a specific vitamin dates back to the 1930s, but it has been known to the chemists as a substance called nicotinic acid for well over a hundred years. The vitamin occurs both as nicotinic acid (the acid) or nicotinamide (the amide), and these are the two specific names which come under the generic, or family title, of niacin. Occasionally it is written, incorrectly, as B3 and in the U.S.A. the generic term niacin is sometimes used to describe the acid form of the vitamin.

Another name for niacin found in older books on nutrition is ‘vitamin PP‘. This refers to the deficiency disease, pellagra. Niacin was found to protect against pellagra and was accordingly described as the pellagra- prevention factor, hence PP. This term is no longer in use but it does help in remembering a little of the history of this B vitamin. Pellagra is a skin disease which affects communities which live on maize as their main source of food with little or no protein foods to supplement the diet. Typical symptoms are severe dermatitis and reddening of the skin. It is summed up in textbooks as the disease of the three D’s — dementia, diarrhoea and dermatitis, but this is rather a sweeping description and can cover effects in many other deficiency diseases and illnesses. Read the rest of this entry »

During the formation of niacin from tryptophan yet another vitamin is needed and again it acts as a coenzyme. This is vitamin B6 and it is given the name pyridoxine. Of all the vitamins this is probably the greatest worker and it takes part in over sixty different metabolic reactions.

As we saw in the descriptions of NAD and FAD many coenzymes are involved in the transference of single atoms from one substance to another. Many reactions in the body require a greater change to take place and whole groups of atoms may be transferred between molecules. Read the rest of this entry »

Where Vitamins Come From

Most vitamins are extracted from basic natural sources. Because vitamins are natural substances found in foods, the supplements you take — be they capsules, tablets, powders, or liquids — also come from foods. Though many of the vitamins can be synthesised, most are extracted from basic natural sources.

For example: Vitamin A usually comes from fish liver oil. Vitamin B complex comes from yeast or liver. Vitamin C is best when derived from rose hips, the berries found on the fruit of the rose after the petals have fallen off. And Vitamin E is generally extracted from soya beans, wheat germ, or corn. Read the rest of this entry »

Acidophilus

Lactobacilus acidophilus, or acidophilus, as it is commonly known, is a source of friendly intestinal bacteria and more effective than yoghurt. It is available as acidophilus culture, incubated in soya, milk, or yeast bases.

Many doctors prescribe acidophilus in conjunction with oral antibiotic treatment because antibiotics destroy beneficial intestinal flora, often causing diarrhoea as well as an overgrowth of the fungus, monilia abricans. This fungus can grow in the intestines, vagina, lungs, mouth [thrush], on the fingers, or under the nails. It will usually disappear after a few days use of general amounts of acidophilus culture. Read the rest of this entry »

Selecting Your Regimen

We all know that not everyone has the same metabolism, but we often forget that this also means that not everyone requires the same vitamins. In the following sections I have outlined a number of personalised regimens for a variety of specialised needs. Look them all over and see which ones best fit your own special situation. If you fall under more than one category, adjust the combined regimens so that you are not double-dosing yourself, only adding the additional vitamins.

You will notice that in many cases I advise what I call an nsp, a nutrition starter programme. This basic vitamin trio, taken twice daily, is my foundation for general good health. Read the rest of this entry »

Impetigo

Caused by germs similar to those that cause boils — staphylococcus or streptococcus — it occurs more in children than adults, but no one is immune. It often results from scratching and infecting insect bites, allowing the germs to get into broken skin.

• Vitamin A and D capsules [10,000 and 400 IU] 1-3 times daily [reduce dose for child] for 5 days, then stop for 2
• Vitamin E, 100-400 IU [dry form] once a day
• Rose hips vitamin C, 500 mg. A.M. and P.M.

Measles

You can get measles at any age, though it’s more common among children. It is the most contagious of the communicable diseases. There is now a preventive vaccine for it, but the virus still manages to get a large number of the unprotected each year. The disease and rash can be mild, or severe with a heavy cough. Your body needs vitamins to help fight and recover from it. Read the rest of this entry »