Advantages of Daily Multivitamins

It's likely that your diet doesn't look like the nutritional pyramid the government agencies and nutrition magazines talk about. But you are not the only one: the majority of people can't get all the nutrients they need just from their diet.

The Importance of Daily Multivitamins

This is a big problem mainly for children, whose bodies are still forming, since a lack of adequate nutrients in childhood can cause lifelong health problems. While parents usually get concerned about how healthy their kids are, they often don’t think of a multivitamin as something to use to complement their child’s diet.

The fact is that multivitamins are important for both adults and children. Multivitamins can provide you with the nutrients that are lacking in your diet. Of course the dosages change depending on the user, but many manufacturers have multivitamins that are specific for children, women or men, offering even gender-age specific products.

About Vitamins and Minerals

The list below contains the 13 essential vitamins and 7 major minerals that your body needs daily. You will be able to see what the function of each major nutrient in your body is and how a deficiency of it can affect your health.

Essential Vitamins

Vitamin A

Important for the maintenance of strong bones and teeth, clear vision and healthy skin. It's believed that Vitamin A boosts the immune system as well. It also works together with carotenes, which are plant-based forms of Vitamin A. Deficiencies in this vitamin may lead to acne, psoriasis and eye problems, such as dry eye and night blindness.

Vitamin C

Very important for the production of collagen, a protein that helps skin's elasticity and prevents wrinkles and saggy skin. Vitamin C is important for the immune system because it increases the production of white blood cells and antibodies, helping the body to recover faster.

Because there are so many sources of Vitamin C in the typical Western diet, it's quite rare to have a deficiency in this vitamin. However, if there is a lack of vitamin C in the person's body, this individual may experience frequent infections, colds that take longer to pass, pain or swelling of the joints, nose bleeding and some anemia symptoms, such as fatigue and fading of skin color.

Vitamin D

Helps in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, making it a great aid for stronger bones. If there is deficiency of this vitamin in the body, the person may develop osteoporosis later in life.

Vitamin E

Has antioxidant properties, thus helping to slow down cells from aging, since antioxidants neutralize free radicals and protect the body against its damaging effects (aging is one of them). Vitamin E also helps in the control of bad cholesterol (LDL), keeping its levels low.

This is another vitamin that is very rare to lack in our system, because it is present in many foods and the body can actually store it. Although rare, deficiencies might happen and the results are a gradual degradation of the kidneys and also reproductive problems, including infertility and miscarriage risks.

Vitamin K

Helps blood clotting by regulating and forming the coagulator factors that clot the blood. Vitamin K also prevents heart and coronary disease because it is a calcium regulator, not letting calcium stay in the arteries. On the other hand, it helps to stick calcium to the bones and teeth, thus enhancing bone density.

Because Vitamin K is so closely related to the blood clotting process, a deficiency in this vitamin would lead to difficulties in clotting the blood and bruises.

Vitamin B1

Helps the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Vitamin B1 is very important in the process of converting blood sugar into glucose. It also helps the body to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Deficiency in this vitamin can lead to a condition called Beriberi; some of the symptoms of this disease are that the person feels rapid heartbeat, mental confusion, problems with the nerves and muscle decay.

Vitamin B2

Involved in the formation of red blood cells and production of antibodies. Helps to metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats, besides taking part in cell respiration and growth processes.

When you don't have enough Vitamin B2 in your body, you tend to feel weak, develop swelling or soreness in the throat, find sores in the corners of your mouth, develop skin problems and you can suffer from anemia. Your eyes may also get sensitive to light and start watering.

Vitamin B3

Important for blood circulation, lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) levels and prevents formation of plaque in artery walls. B3 aids the nervous and digestive systems, and is an enhancement to healthy skin as well. On top of all this, B3 helps metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

You will know very quickly if you are getting deficient in Vitamin B3 because the lack of this vitamin causes many symptoms: fatigue, memory problems, nausea and vomiting, lack of appetite, skin problems, mouth sores, headache, anemia and gastrointestinal problems.

A severe deficiency can lead to Pellagra, a serious disease in which the skin gets lesions if exposed to sunlight. Other symptoms are dermatitis, problems with the nervous and gastrointestinal systems, depression and inflammation of the mucous membranes.

Vitamin B5

Helps metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats, besides being involved in lowering bad cholesterol levels and preventing arthritis. Increases the production of cortisone and helps to reduce fatigue, elevating the levels of stamina.

It's very rare to develop a deficiency in this vitamin and the symptoms are very similar to the overall symptoms of deficiencies in the B-complex vitamins.

Vitamin B6

Besides helping in the metabolism of fat, proteins and carbohydrates, B6 helps to produce hemoglobin and more than 60 types of hormones and enzymes, including serotonin. It lowers levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and it is an important vitamin for the immune system.

Deficiencies in this vitamin can lead to a breakdown of the nervous system.

Vitamin B7

Used in the production of DNA, RNA and nucleic acids, B7 is important for cell growth and production of fatty acids. Also important for metabolism and processing of glucose, Vitamin B7 helps to control blood sugar levels and promotes strong fingernails and healthy hair and skin.

Vitamin B7 is the same as Vitamin B5 when it comes to deficiency: it is really rare for it to occur and the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of deficiencies in other B-complex vitamins.

Vitamin B9

Important in the formation of DNA and nucleic acids. Helps in the creation of red blood cells and heme, which is the part of the red blood cell that carries iron. Also creates the amino-acid homocysteine and, as all the other B-complex vitamins, helps the metabolism of fat, proteins and carbohydrates.

B9 deficiency can lead to memory and nerve function problems.

Vitamin B12

Increases alertness and an overall feeling of wellness. Important for the functioning of cells, blood and nerves. B12 also works in the production of DNA and the division of red blood cells.

B12 deficiency can cause anemia, memory and concentration problems, fatigue, poor circulation, brain damage and degeneration of the nervous system.

Essential Minerals

The 7 major minerals you should ingest daily are:

Calcium: helps in the development of strong bones and teeth, in the muscle activity, heart and nerve functions, blood pressure and clotting.
Phosphorus: interacts with calcium for the health of bones and teeth, participates in the DNA/RNA structure, important in the transfer of nerve impulses
Magnesium: extremely important for the biochemical processes that occur in the body, it helps synthesize proteins and is present in the metabolism process and heart and nerve transmissions, besides being important in the absorption of other minerals and Vitamin C.
Sodium: this mineral is also used for the osmosis processes inside the cells, and governs fluid retention and muscle contraction, besides taking part in the transmission of nerve impulses.
Potassium: necessary for muscle and nerve control and protein synthesis; also very important for muscle contraction.
Sulfur: Important for cell respiration
Chloride: controls the fluid balance in the body and helps digestion

As you can see, lacking the essential nutrients could cause severe health problems to your body, hence the need to add daily multivitamins to a balanced diet.

All About Vitamins, Nutritional and Weight Loss Supplements

In our fast-paced lives it's really hard to get enough vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are essential to our health. Result: our immune system starts to get weaker and we get colds or flu, feel tired more easily, have mood swings, the list goes on and on. It's very rare to find somebody who eats completely organic food and that follows the nutritional pyramid. Most people need to complement their diet with nutritional supplements. This is especially important for children, because their bodies are growing and there are lots of nutrients that they need in order to have good health.

Nutrient Intake in the U.S.

In recent nutrition surveys it was discovered that levels of nutrients such as Omega-3s, antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc were found to be very low in large amounts of people in the USA. Think of this: how much Omega-3 do you think you consume per day? Omega-3s are found in salmon, fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts, soy beans and cold extra virgin olive oil (if you heat it, it will damage the fatty acid chains). And they are terrific anti-inflammatories, boosting your immune system as well.

The Importance of Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that was found to be low in our diets as well. Calcium is extremely important to the maintenance of bones and teeth. It helps to prevent osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become fragile and break more easily. Osteoporosis attacks both men and women, although women are four times more likely to develop it than men.

For this reason, the National Institute of Health recommends that adult women have a daily intake of 1000 to 1200 mg of calcium every day before menopause and between 1300 and 1500 mg after menopause.

Milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, dried beans and dark green vegetables are very good sources of calcium, Yet it is better to complement with calcium supplements, since it’s hard to get the daily recommended amounts just from food, mainly if you want to prevent bone illnesses.

Vitamins and Minerals

Your daily diet should provide your body with 13 essential vitamins, 7 major minerals and trace minerals. Besides that, you should also include antioxidants and fatty acids. Now, how are you going to manage all that? That is why multivitamins are recommended.

There are many brands of multivitamins, but at the moment of purchase, check the labels to see if they contain the following vitamins and minerals in the amounts recommended by the FDA. You should see in the back a “DV”, which stands for “Daily Value”, and it is normally based on a 2,000 or 2,500 calorie diet. This information is normally found at the bottom part of the label, along with information on important nutrients, such as fat, sodium and fiber.

These are the 13 essential vitamins you need to look for in multivitamin supplements:

Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B7, Vitamin B9, Vitamin B12.

The seven major minerals you should look for in your nutritional supplements are:

Calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, sulfur and chloride.

The difference with trace minerals is that you need many fewer trace minerals than you need major minerals. The trace minerals are:

Chromium, copper, fluoride, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc.

The FDA and Nutritional Supplements

Does the FDA approve nutritional supplements? Depends. In 1994, the DSHEA, or Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, was passed, which gives nutritional supplement manufacturers the right to sell their product as a dietary supplement and total control over what type of information they disclose in their labels.

In other words, the FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements the way they do food and drugs. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to be truthful with what is printed on its product’s labels. What the FDA does is take action against unsafe products after they have reached the market. So it is up to the consumer to read the label, research the product to see if there were any safety issues related to that manufacturer in the past and determine whether to trust the label or not.

Although it might seem a little disconcerting that the FDA doesn’t regulate the dietary products before they go to the market, it is not very common to find safety problems regarding the multivitamin products. The general concern regarding the way the FDA regulates multivitamin supplements is that the manufacturer might provide a smaller amount of nutrients than what is claimed in the label.

Having all the nutrition your body requires not only will give you optimal health, but also will speed up your metabolism, burning more calories, hence increasing weight loss. So if you are looking into a weight loss program, you might also want to add daily multivitamins to your diet.

Discussion of weight loss supplements can be very polemic because of the type of regulation the FDA uses for these supplements and because some manufacturers make far-fetched claims that seem unlikely to be true.

What Good Supplements Can Do For You

However, there are some very good products on the market that do help with losing weight, by speeding up the metabolic process when used along with a good diet and exercise. Some brands help balance your levels of hormones such as insulin and cortisol as well as balancing your blood sugar, all of which play a great role in controlling your appetite and cravings, not to mention controlling stress and mood swings.

On the other side of the coin, there are some products that make you lose only body water and not really burn fat, and some of them might even have undesirable side effects depending on your health conditions, such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, arrhythmias and addiction.

But, whether it is an effective or ineffective product, if you have pre-existing conditions, it is highly advisable that you consult your physician before taking weight loss supplements.

Many people turn to supplements as an alternative to exercising and dieting. Losing weight is a team effort in which the weight loss supplement is just another player that comes to complement the team. The other two players are exercise and a good diet. Along with them, a good supplement should help you reach your fitness goals faster.

The bottom line is: a weight loss supplement is not a magic wand. So if you are a couch potato who hates vegetables and fruit, don't expect the supplement to transform you in a Calvin Klein underwear model or a Victoria's Secret catalogue girl. Get up from the couch, put on your running shoes and start eating right!