It is regrettably true that as yet we do not know everything about vitamins, but we do know quite a lot.
The trouble is that knowing “quite a lot” is often a dangerous place. Why? Well imagine if you were about to undergo a routine surgery. You are very confident that the outcome will be a success.
But how would you feel if the surgeon who was about to perform this surgery were to inform you that although they had performed quite a few surgeries and “knew quite a lot” about what they were about to do, they didn’t know everything about this particular procedure?
There are those who would suggest that vitamin supplementation can be used in therapeutic doses to cure a wide range of health problems including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
So here is what we do know about vitamins for certain:
Our bodies are unable to make vitamins. Vitamins are vital to our health as they serve or assist with functions in almost all bodily processes and therefore we must obtain them from our food or from vitamin supplements.
Lack of sufficient vitamin content in the diet does cause illness and decline in the human body and does result in poor development and debilitation in the young.
There are thirteen vitamins in total. These are classified as either water soluble or fat soluble, and in one case – both.
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed, together with fat from the intestine and because of this can be stored in the body and can exert an influence for much for longer periods of time than water soluble vitamins. This also makes it possible to “over dose” if supplementing and great care should always be taken if supplementing.
Vitamins A, some forms of C, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins. They are largely processed in the liver and then distributed throughout the body’s fatty tissues where in some cases they may also be stored.
The fat soluble version of Vitamin C is Ascorbyl Palmitate.
Ascorbyl palmitate is an amphipathic molecule, which means one end is water-soluble and the other end is fat-soluble. This dual solubility allows it to permeate the extra-cellular aqueous environment of the cell and the interior cellular environment, as well. When it is incorporated into the cell membranes of human red blood cells, ascorbyl palmitate is believed to protect them from oxidative damage and is also believed to help protect vitamin E from oxidation by free radicals.
Some forms of Vitamin C – including ascorbic acid – and the B complex group make up the nine water soluble vitamins. These water soluble vitamins are not readily stored in the body and need to be consumed on a very regular daily basis.
The B complex group comprises of vitamins:
B1 – Thiamine
B2 – Riboflavin
B3 – Niacine
B5 – Pantothenic acid
B6 – Pyridoxine
B7 – Biotin
B9 – Folic Acid
B12 – Cyanocobalamin
There are two differing and largely misunderstood value recommendations for vitamin intake.
One is the RDA which simple means recommended daily amount and is the amount of vitamins that an average weight healthy individual needs to consume to support normal bodily functions.
Then there is the Therapeutic Daily Amount. This is a suggested (and often speculative) amount of vitamins or vitamin combinations that a person of average weight would need to consume in order to address or influence a curative effect upon a disease or illness.
There is much argument as to whether vitamin supplementation is useful or not and there are many surveys and studies that support both sides of the argument, but on balance, there is a very large body of evidence which tends to support some therapeutic use of certain vitamins, and the necessity to supplement poor or unbalanced diets.
It is overwhelmingly agreed that the best source of vitamins are those obtained by a varied and well balanced diet, but to gain sufficient amounts of vitamins for therapeutic purposes solely from dietary sources would be impossible.
The following is a list (not exhaustive) of which foods can be consumed to obtain dietary amounts of each vitamin.
Vitamin A
Liver, Sweet potatoes, Carrots, Mangoes, Spinach, Cantaloupe, Dried apricots, Milk, Egg yolks, Mozzarella cheese.
Vitamin B1
Quorn, Brewer’s Yeast, Bovril, Wheat germ
Vitamin B2
Marmite, Liver, Kidneys
Vitamin B3
Peanuts, Cereal, Tuna, Chicken, Beef liver, Turkey, Lamb, Beef
Vitamin B5
Broccoli, Avocados, Meat, organic unprocessed grains
Vitamin B6
Wheat germ, Wheat bran, Liver, Fatty Fish, Hazel nuts, Peanuts
Vitamin B7
Organ meats, Barley, Brewer’s yeast, Corn, Egg yolks, Milk, Royal jelly, Soy, and Wheat bran
Vitamin B9
Spinach, Asparagus, Turnip greens, Lettuce, Beans, Peas, Sunflower seeds, Liver
Vitamin B12
Liver, Sardines, Kidneys, Rabbit, Fatty Fish
Vitamin C
Rose hip extracts, Blackcurrant, Guava, Strawberry, Peppers, Spring greens, Curly Kale, Brussels sprouts, Lemon, Orange
Vitamin D
Cod liver oil, Salmon oil, Herring, Kippers, Canned Salmon, Mackerel
Vitamin E
Sunflower oil, Cottonseed oil, Safflower oils, Hazelnuts, Almonds, Wheat germ, Cod liver oil
Vitamin K
Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, Broccoli Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Alfalfa, Liver, Fish oils, Yogurt, milk, Soya bean, Sea kelp
So it would seem to be the very best policy for the healthy individual to maintain a varied and balanced diet that contains at least one of the water soluble vitamins in each meal and at least one of the fat soluble vitamins each day.
Tags: Amphipathic, angina, Bodily Processes, Cause Illness, Coronary Heart Disease, Dangerous Place, Debilitation, Fat Soluble Vitamins, Fatty Tissues, Health Problems, heart bypass surgery, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, Human Body, Intestine, Routine Surgery, Surgeries, Therapeutic Doses, Vitamin C, Vitamin Content, Vitamin Supplementation, Vitamin Supplements, Water Soluble Vitamins