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Archive for March, 2011

The Risks Of Heart Disease And Stroke Can Be Lowered With Vitamin B12 And Folic Acid

Without enough B12 in your diet can affect the ability to think, be productive and to fight heart disease. A B12 deficiency can lead to heart disease, coronary disease, deterioration of the nervous systems and brain damage. A deficiency in B12 will cause problems in regeneration of the myelin sheath ( this covers the nerve cells of the body). This can cause the brains ability to function properly and your ability to handle stress.

If the body doesnt have enough B12, the body cant manufacture blood which can lead to anemia. B12 is needed in maintaining memory and without it, you can develop fatigue ,diarrhea, memory loss, anemia, and poor nerve function.

B12 is also known to lower the blood level of homocysteine. Homocysteine is amino acid protein, that without B12 in the blood can cause inflammation. Homocysteine is now considered a more important indicator for heart disease and stroke than the cholesterol levels weve been using in the past. With heart disease and stroke being the main causes of death in America, lowering your level of homocysteine in the blood is an important factor and it has been proven that B12 is one of the nutrients that can do this.

B12 and Folic Acid have been shown to help prevent migraines and age related degeneration. Headaches and their severity have been proven to be reduced when homocysteine levels were brought down into normal levels. The risk of age-related macular degeneration has been proven to increase four-fold when there is a lowered level of B12 (under 125 pmol/L).

Research being done at the University of British Columbia, Canada have shown that high homocysteine levels may be related to kidney disease, psoriasis, breast cancer, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The research has also been link between development of neural-tube defects and babies and the mothers homocysteine levels prior to and during her pregnancy.

Medical Doctors of Wisconsin agree with the findings of the Canadian researchers in a separate report.

B12 is hard to digest in the stomach, so a sublingual administration is advisable. A deficiency of B12 can be correct either through diet or injections.

To reduce homocysteine levels as little as 400 micrograms per day folic acid is needed but research has recommended that it be taken in conjunction with B12 (50-1000 micrograms/day), to achieve the best results.

When you think of the B vitamins most people think of vitamin B6 or B12 or b complex which makes up the whole group. Vitamin B12 is the most widely known of the vitamin B group however B6 and b complex are starting to become well known due to the huge influx of people with vitamin B deficiencies. On average 1 out of 31 adults above the age of 51 have low vitamin B12. Even though vitamin B12 deficiencies are largely seen in the elderly populations, a study in 2002 found that 40% of healthy men and women had low levels of B vitamins. There are likely a large number of people who go undetected with vitamin B deficiencies. The B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins that play a huge role in the body. The group of vitamin B’s are essential nutrients to the body because they are involved in so much of the bodies metabolism. The B vitamins are responsible for cellular differentiation, transmission of nerve electricity, health of nerve cells, heart pulse rate, muscular contraction, digestion, brain function, thought processes, energy production, metabolism, maintenance of skin and muscle tone, enhancing the immune and nervous system functions, promoting cell growth and division, and DNA synthesis. Originally the B vitamins were thought to be one vitamin but were later discovered to be a complex set of vitamins that coexist. Although each individual vitamin has its own set of functions they work in conjunction to maintain the health of the human body. Each vitamin although specifically categorized within the B group also has their own chemical name ie. B12- cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin, B2- riboflavin, B9- folic acid. B vitamins are found in whole unprocessed foods such as meat, poultry, milk, eggs, and fish. Additionally B vitamins can be found in whole grains, potatoes, bananas, lentils, chili peppers, tempeh, beans, nutritional yeast and molasses. However, B12 is the only one of the B group that cannot be found in plant products. Lower levels of vitamin B can be found in processed sugars and flour, as well as beers, and energy drinks, however the effects from these products can cancel out the benefit of the B vitamins or even cause a net deficit of vitamin B within the body. Vegetarians make up a portion of people with B12 deficiency due to the lack of eating meat. Because of the huge number of people who are vitamin B deficient it is important to understand the reasons behind vitamin B deficiencies. Most people who have low levels or are deficient in vitamin B consume the proper amounts of the vitamin B’s. However, their stomachs have trouble absorbing the vitamin because of reduced levels of stomach acidity or intestinal disorders. In addition a disease called pernicious anemia, destroys the stomach cells that absorbs vitamin B12. Heartburn medicines and ulcer medicines also have this affect on the stomach as well. Surgical procedures on the stomach or intestines can also lead to trouble absorbing vitamin B12. Still there are other reasons for low levels or B deficiencies. Stress plays a huge role on body functioning and is known for causing physical reactions within the body. Stress actually causes vitamin B levels to deplete within the body and the longer stress is present the longer the body will be deficient of vitamin B. A poor diet that is filled with processed foods and refined sugar leads to lower levels of vitamin B. Ultimately a poor diet leads to malnutrition which can lead to more severe health problems. Also all the food we eat is cooked, baked, heated or fried which leads to the elimination of nutrients. Excessive heating can destroy essential nutrients in the foods that we eat. By eating more raw foods our body can get adequate amounts of all vitamins, minerals and nutrients. In addition drugs, both recreational and prescription medications deplete the levels of vitamin B. Toxic poisons and chemicals not only in the environment but through personal products can lead to lower levels of vitamin B. It has been discovered that initially there are no detectable signs that signify a lowered level or deficiency in vitamin B. Lowered levels of vitamin B can cause severe, debilitating problems within the body overtime. Unfortunately the first signs of deficiency are ignored, misinterpreted or diagnosed as something else. This includes signs of altered or diminished capacity such as fatigue, weakness, low energy and poor health. Overtime as the body goes without vitamin B more and more symptoms arise such as mental problems, heart palpitations, heart arrhythmias, fibrillation, indigestion, chronic fatigue, chronic exhaustion, paranoia, nervousness, feeling of uneasiness, easy agitation, frustration, insomnia, restlessness, tingling in hands, fingers and toes, rashes, crying spells, soreness all over, weight loss, cheilosis, sore throat, aggression, dermatitis, mental confusion, diarrhea, acne, paresthesia, anemia, depression, hypertension, impaired growth, peripheral neuropathy, memory loss, and many more. In addition to physical symptomology, diseases and illnesses are soon to appear including beriberi, scurvy, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, ariboflavinosis, pellagra, microcytic anemia, Multiple carboxylase deficiency, and Pernicious anemia. Furthermore with the lack of vitamin B the adrenal system goes into overdrive to produce energy within the body. If the adrenal system continues to work overtime it can become worn out or impaired causing the body even more severe problems. If you have been diagnosed with lowered levels of vitamin B or a vitamin B deficiency then taking a vitamin B supplement is pertinent to avoiding problems within the body. Although, eating foods that are rich in vitamin B are better than taking a supplement in some cases supplementation is necessary. To raise your vitamin B levels it is necessary to take in at least 1000 mcg a day, which is near impossible to do with regular food. Dietary supplementation is necessary and there are several B vitamin supplements on the market including pills, tablets, capsules, and injections. If a medical doctor diagnoses you with a vitamin B deficiency, they can prescribe B12 or vitamin B complex in pharmaceutical grade. This is more potent than nutritional supplements because it is regulated by the FDA and has to go through a rigorous approval process. Vitamin B injections are more easily absorbed into the bloodstream. They are given once a week and are usually taken for the rest of your life. However vitamin B pills are just as effective as vitamin B shots. Ask your doctor for recommendations on a brand of nutritional supplementation for vitamin B.

Most of us know that taking Vitamin C helps when we are getting sick because it builds up our immune system. Eat your carrots (or broccoli), it’s good for your vision because the vegetable consists of high levels of Vitamin A. Vitamin E helps strengthen your hair and nails.

According to a new study, taking Vitamin D can cut the risk of pancreatic cancer nearly in half. This study appears in the September issue of a medical journal, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention. Earlier studies have shown that Vitamin D can also protect against colorectal and breast cancer. Lab and animal studies have shown that Vitamin D stifles abnormal cell growth and curbs formation of blood vessels that feed tumors.

Northwestern and Harvard universities led the studies and proved that taking 450 international units (IU’s) of Vitamin D the standard IU that is in most multivitamins reduced the risk of pancreatic cancer by 43 percent. There is no need to take more than that amount either. Through statistical analysis, conclusions were that 12.5 cases of pancreatic cancer occurred each year per 100,000 people who were taking 600 IU’s or more of Vitamin D. But taking only 150 to 300 IU’s reduced the risk by 22 percent. The rate was 21 cases for patients taking below 150 IU’s a day.

Here are some other ways Vitamin D is produced. Spend some time at the park or the beach because Vitamin D is created by sunlight exposure. In terms of food, try eating more tuna, salmon or other oily fish. You also might want to drink a cup of milk every now and then many other dairy product are also high in Vitamin D, you could also use margarine instead of butter. For people between the ages of 50-70, the suggested amounts of Vitamin D is 400 IU’s. For people over 70, the suggested amount is 600 IU’s and of course lower levels for those that are younger.

As for multivitamins, be weary. Multivitamins usually package Vitamin D with Retinol (a form of Vitamin A) to promote bone health, but that combination actually dilutes the Vitamin D and does not effect prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is fairly rare it only makes up 2 percent of new cancer cases in the United States. But it is also very lethal being the fourth deadliest form of cancer in the United States. Around 33,700 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and almost 96% will die from the disease. Here are so more statistics to keep in mind. Those that are over 60 and those that suffer from diabetes are more likely to be diagnosed with this disease. More males than females are diagnosed. Smokers are two to three times more likely to be diagnosed. If any of the above apply to you, start taking Vitamin D. It just might save your life.

Also known as cobalamin, vitamin B12 is a part of the b vitamin family which helps to keep the body in good shape. Foods such as meat, eggs, fish and live have adequate levels of vitamin B12. Even though a small amount of B12 is required by the body it should be taken daily. Without the help of the intrinsic factor in the stomach vitamin B12 cant be taken in by the body. Even though it is possible to get too much of B12 in your daily consumption it wont cause any problems in your body since only half of it is absorbed by the body. Vitamin B12 can also be reused by the human body.

How Does Vitamin B12 Help the Body

There are four areas where vitamin B12 benefits the human body:

1. Vitamin B12 is essential to helping the body convert carbohydrates, fats and proteins into energy.

2. Vitamin B12 can help prevent heart disease by helping to keep red blood cells healthy.

3. Vitamin B12 helps the white blood cells which as a result helps prevent disease through a healthy immune system.

4. Vitamin B12 is required to form a protective shield around nerve cells which is especially important in the brain. If there is an absence of B12 and this protective shield isnt maintained then brain malfunction can occur.

Anemia can result if a person doesnt have sufficient levels of vitamin B12 in their system. A lack of B12 causes a reduction in red blood cells which leads to anemia. Kids who are not fed properly will develop anemia. In addition, if a persons body doesnt have a sufficient intrinsic factor to help B12 be absorbed by the body then anemia can result.

If a person is a vegetarian then they should take B12 supplements. To help babies grow in the womb, pregnant women should also take extra B12 supplements. The intrinsic factor in the body is decreased in people over fifty years of age so they may have problems absorbing large amounts of B12. For this reason people over fifty should consider B12 supplements so that they can reduce their chances of developing anemia and other health problems.

The B5 vitamin is also referred to as Pantothenic Acid.And You can obtain it in almost every kind of food. Actually,there may be no one who is lack of B5 vitamin. That means that there is no little possibility that someone might have a B5 vitamin deficiency.Because of this, there is really no recommended daily amount that health professionals can state as everyone obtains over enough from their normal food consumption. However, even though there isn’t any need to calculate a recommended daily allowance it does not mean that the B5 vitamin isn’t vital for a healthy body and mind. Actually, the B5 vitamin is crucial for turning food into energy amongst other functions. The B5 vitamin is responsible for taking the fats and carbohydrates into energy.

Some B5 vitamin can be found in almost every food whether its animal or vegetable. Obviously there are some sources of the B5 vitamin which are better than others but a balanced diet will provide more than enough. The foods with the very best B5 vitamin content are organ meats, salmon, eggs, beans, milk, and whole grains. it’s worth noting that the B5 vitamin is lost when grains are milled into flour and tends not to beaded back in. Therefore, processed grain foods like bread, pasta, rice, breakfast cereal, and baked goods aren’t good sources of the B5 vitamin.

The B5 vitamin is one of the most effective when it is combined with other B vitamins especially thiamin or B1, riboflavin or B2, niacin or B3, pyridoxine or B6, and biotin. Together with these other B vitamins, the B5 vitamin is an integral part in several processes. the most important of these is the production of energy from food that is consumed and this is known as the Krebs cycle. The B5 vitamin is also required for releasing energy from fats.

Interestingly, the B5 vitamin is also considered to be helpful in reducing stress. This is chiefly because of the fact that during periods of stress, the body produces more of certain hormones just like adrenalin and these require the B5 vitamin. There are many theories as to the benefits of the B5 vitamin but there is no need for the majority of people to actively seek out foods that are high in B5 as they are likely to be consuming far over is required already. You can find no adverse effects to consuming too much B5 vitamin.

The Health and Beauty Benefits of Vitamin D and Postpartum Depression

Believe it or not, the health benefits of Vitamin D can be achieved with a little sun worship. Vitamin D, a steroid vitamin, encourages the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous. An individual who is exposed to a normal amount of sunlight will get their daily allotment of vitamin D directly from the sun as the sun naturally promotes sufficient vitamin D synthesis in the skin.

What are the Health Benefits of Vitamin D? Vitamin D is crucial to the process of absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous, which have various functions, especially the maintenance of healthy bones and skin. Some of the many health benefits of Vitamin D include;It helps to regulate the immune system, which fights the common cold.It may have a substantial effect on your brain functions during the later years of life. Maintaining proper amounts of Vitamin D have been linked to maintaining a healthy body weight. It reduces the severity and frequency of asthma symptoms including the likelihood of hospitalization. It reduces the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women.A significantly lower risk of developing cancer in people with adequate levels of Vitamin D as compared to people with lower levels.

The fear of Vitamin D deficiency is a growing problem in adults in the US as we are so careful to avoid the sun’s harmful UV rays. While the avoidance of these harmful rays is good skin care advice, a moderate or minimal amount of time in the sun without sunscreen may in fact provide significant benefits. So how do you know what amount of sun is the right amount of sun to produce an adequate amount of Vitamin D. Health articles stipulate that an individual requires two fifteen minute sessions of sunlight per week at a greater than 3 UV index to the face, arms, hands or back without sunscreen. As a guide; a UV index of more than 3 occurs every day in the tropics and during some of the spring, all of the summer and parts of the autumn in temperate areas. If unable to achieve this balance where you live, you can also maintain an adequate Vitamin D level to provide the maximum health and beauty benefits by using vitamins and supplements in your diet.In addition to vitamin supplements one can also include foods fortified with Vitamin D such as breakfast cereals, bread, pastries, oil spreads, margarine, milk and other dairy products. Other foods rich in Vitamin D are some fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel.

As we age, we discover that which is good for us in one area may be bad from an opposite perspective making a general understanding of the applicable health and beauty benefits overwhelming. What we can agree upon is that as our lifestyle has become more industrialized our need to be out in the sun has decreased and it is this lack of natural sunlight that has been attributed to some serious health problems. Therefore, wherever you stand on the issues of SUV rays, be assured that with a little effort and research you can make sure that your intake of Vitamin D on a daily basis through sun, food or supplements can be managed to maximize your health and beauty benefits supplied by this wonderful little vitamin.

About 70-80% of women have what is known as the “baby blues” after childbirth. About 2-3 days after birth they begin to feel depressed, anxious and upset. For no clear reason they may feel angry with the new baby, their partner, or other children. These feelings may come and go in the first few days after childbirth. In fact, about 10% of new mothers have a greater problem called postpartum depression . Postpartum depression lasts longer and is more intense. It often requires counseling and treatment. Postpartum depression (PPD) can occur after any birth, not just the first. Women with PPD have such strong feelings of sadness, anxiety or despair that they have trouble coping with their tasks. Without treatment, PPD may worsen or last longer. Postpartum depression is more likely to develop in women who lack the support of a partner or who have had: Postpartum depression beforeA psychiatric illnessRecent stress Postpartum depression (PPD) affects women of all ages, economic status, and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Any woman who is pregnant, had a baby within the past few months, miscarried, or recently weaned a child from breastfeeding can also develop PPD. Research has shown that women who have had problems with depression may be more at risk for PPD than women who have not had a history of depression. Postpartum Depression is likely to result from body, mind and lifestyle factors combined. No two women have the same life experiences or biologic makeup. This may be an explanation for why some women have PPD and others don’t. The postpartum period is a time of great changes in the body. These changes can affect a woman’s mood and behavior for days or weeks.

Levels of hormones, primarily estrogen and progesterone, drop sharply in the hours after childbirth. This change may trigger depression in the same way that much smaller changes in hormone levels can trigger mood swings and tension before menstrual periods. Emotional factors affect a woman’s self-esteem and the way she deals with the stress and challenges of motherhood. This is thought to add to postpartum depression. Additionally, stressful changes in home and work routines may be caused if the baby was born early. It is not yet known for sure what the causes of postpartum depression are. Hormonal changes in a woman’s body very well may trigger its symptoms. We do know that during pregnancy the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, increase greatly in a woman’s body. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops and keeps dropping to the amount they were before the woman became pregnant.

A major factor in postpartum depression may be lack of support from others. The steady support of a new mother’s partner is thought to be a comfort during pregnancy and particularly after the birth. Breastfeeding problems can make a new mother feel depressed. If they cannot breastfeed or if they decide to stop, new mothers often feel an unnecessary sense of guilt or disappointment. Thyroid levels may also drop sharply after giving birth. (The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that helps to regulate how the body uses and stores energy from foods eaten). Low thyroid levels cause symptoms that can feel like depression: mood swings fatigue, agitation, insomnia and anxiety. A simple thyroid test can tell if this condition is causing a woman’s PPD. If so, thyroid medication can be prescribed by a health care provider.

Other things that are believed to contribute to PPD are:

Not enough rest often keeps a new mother from regaining her full strength for weeks.

This is particularly so if she has had a C-section delivery

A sense of being overwhelmed with a new, or another, baby to take care of

Stress from changes in work and home routines.

The concept of thinking they have to be “super mom” or perfect

Feelings of loss

loss of identity (who you are, or were, before having the baby),

loss of control,

loss of a slim figure,

and feeling less attractive

Having less control over time and less free time

Having less time to spend with the baby’s father

Copyright (c) 2011 Ann Sandretto

www.AlwaysNewYou.com offers expert advice & tips for women. Blog posts, articles, info from doctors & experts plus celeb insider beauty tips make AlwaysNewYou.com the preeminent site for women looking for info on health, beauty & all women’s issues!

Humans live everyday with the help of minerals and vitamins. Without the daily dose of this minerals and vitamins, our body becomes weak. This causes our body to not perform its tasks the way it is supposed to do. These nutrients and vitamins are acquired daily from the food we eat and for some, from the things that our skin absorbs. To boost the amount of these nutrients and vitamins, there are supplements or multivitamins that are widely available in the market. They are invented to provide humans the daily amount of essential vitamins that our body needs. One of the normally present vitamins on these supplements is Vitamin B and its several types such as Vitamin B1, alongside with Vitamins A, C, E, and others. Vitamin B1, also known as Thiamine, primarily helps in converting blood sugar into energy. It Is one of the water soluble vitamins of the B complexes. It is known to keep your mucous membranes and healthy, and is thus essential to the nervous, cardiovascular and muscular systems of the body. Since the Vitamin B1 is water soluble, all unused thiamine in the body is eliminated in urine. This means that you need to supply thiamine into your body daily. Recommended daily dosage of thiamine for women is 1.1 milligrams a day, and 1.5 milligrams for men. The most common sources of Vitamin B1 are yeasts and liver. It is also found in pork, whole grain cereals, rye and whole-wheat flour, wheat germ, navy beans and kidney beans. Deficiency in Thiamine can lead to beriberi a condition that involves confusion, swelling, tingling or burning sensation in the hands and feet, difficulty in breathing, and uncontrolled eye movements called nystagmus. Lack of Vitamin B1 is common to people who drink large amounts of alcohol. Heavy drinkers should consult professional help on how to quit drinking and whether they need vitamin B1 supplementation. If you want to get the most vitamins possible from your food, refrigerate fresh produce and keep milk and grains away from strong light. Vitamins are easily destroyed and washed out during food preparation and storage. If you take vitamin supplements, store them at room temperature in a dry place that’s free of moisture.
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Have you noticed the publicity level regarding Vitamin D and its health benefits lately? And it’s for good reason. Many times we eat certain foods or take vitamin supplements because we’re told to, not really sure if it’s doing anything for and maybe not even feeling really different because of it, but we continue doing it anyway. But with Vitamin D, when you’re deficient it’s fairly obvious…or more typically, you’ll quickly realize what you were missing as soon as you start increasing your intake. With it being that powerful, I’d like to speak about what Vitamin D deficienty treatment entails, what to do if you’re deal with low Vitamin D symptoms and the Vitamin D sources available to us.Conceptually, what you must do is pretty straightforward…increase your intake of Vitamin D. As a result, you’ll be better prepared to deal with and avoid mental conditions like anxiety and depression, many auto-immune disorders, and a long list of types of caner. With that said, what are the Vitamin D sources, and far more importantly, which ones are the most beneficial?Getting Vitamin D from the SunIf it’s warm enough to go outside without having to cover your whole body in long sleeves and pants, just getting outside for a little sunlight is a fabulous source of Vitamin D.What you will be receiving from the sun are its ultra-violet B (UVB) rays that your skin will then use to make Vitamin D3.There is an anxiety shared by many people in regard to skin cancer and its association to the skin’s exposure to the sun. It’s mainly this reason that many people do not find this particular Vitamin D source to be the most suitable. There is also the often accidental result of getting too much sun when you lose track of time. On the other hand, the profit of increased amounts of Vitamin D are important enough that these concerns can be accounted for if you’ll be watchful of your sun exposure and take it in small doses. So go take a 15 minute walk around the block outdoors on a sunny day with a t-shirt on and no sunblock. You’ll feel good afterwards and have good reason to smile.Vitamin D FoodsVitamin D food sources exist though the list is fairly limited. Egg yolks, fish oil, beef liver, and wild-caught oily fish are the only major sources of Vitamin D from food. Blue fish, tuna, mackerel and salmon have been discovered to have the most significant levels of Vitamin D. Regardless whether you believe in evolution or a divine creator, this fact is remarkable. Humans near the equator get their necessary Vitamin D from their exposure to sunlight. As humans moved further north and settled in areas that can go up to six months without any sunlight at all, having no Vitamin D could impose significant risks to their health. These cultures traditionally have eaten a diet almost entirely focused on fish, and in particular, the fish that naturally carry large amounts of Vitamin D. Accordingly the lack of Vitamin D caused by low levels of sunlight was resolved by happening upon a food source that could provide the Vitamin D necessary.Nevertheless, this source of Vitamin D can rarely be counted on, if ever, to provide all of the Vitamin D we need. Our diets today are such that it is very difficult to get just from the food we eat the amount of Vitamin D we need for optimal health.Vitamin D SupplementsI strongly recommend this Vitamin D deficiency treatment, because even if you aren’t averse to eating egg yolks, fish or beef liver, you are still unlikely to get enough of the Vitamin D3 you need from dietary sources alone (though I urge you to get what you can from clean, whole foods).As a reliable Vitamin D deficiency treatment, take a high quality Vitamin D3 supplement. I use the one from Vital Choice and I love it because it comes in wild-caught salmon oil (pure & natural), so it brings together the supplement with a dietary source of Vitamin D3 at the same time.The significance of Vitamin D is hard to overstate. Take the time to read additional information on Vitamin D foods and other sources (including recommended supplements) and the way this vitamin affects your health.

Vitamin C, which is as well famous as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble
type vitamin which is required by the body many respects. It is needed
for tissue growth and repair, healing of skin hurts, development of
cartilage, bones and teeth. This vitamin is not stored in the body so
the spare in Vitamin C consumption is release of by the human body.

One of the biggest complaints in today’s society is “I’m tired”, “I have no energy”, or “I’m depressed”. Vitamin B, also known as the Happy Vitamin, can help to reduce these complaints. And in today’s world, who couldn’t use a HAPPY Vitamin?Quite often these symptoms are your body telling you it’s missing something. Some necessary ingredient it needs to maintain an energetic, healthy state. If you give your body what it needs, it will maintain and heal itself. Our bodies are amazing machines that only require a little maintenance and raw materials.

B-Vitamins are one of those very important raw materials.The “happy” vitamin, as the B vitamins are rightfully called, are perfect for bringing balance to many systems of the body. But what constitutes a good B-Complex supplement? Here are some rules:First, let’s look at composition.There are eight known B vitamins and all good products have all eight, in a somewhat balanced form. The eight (8) are Thiamine (B-1), riboflavin (B-2) panothenic acid, niacin, vitamin B-6, biotin, folacin, and B-12. They are essential for human metabolism, growth, reproduction, general health, appetite, the normal functioning of the digestive tract, nervous stability and blood cell formation.B vitamins are competitive in the body, thus the balance is important. B vitamins must be taken together in a balanced, complex form in order for your body to use them correctly. Your metabolism can be thrown off by taking an isolated component of the B’s alone.Some of the components of a B-complex are expensive to have in the supplement. Some are very inexpensive. Thus, when one sees 6000% of the recommended daily allowance of one B, (the less expensive one) and 20% of the expensive one, it is best to find out how much research has really gone into the product.B vitamins are like a sports team. There is no “I in TEAM”, we need everyone working together to achieve a winning combination. “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” “Win one for the Gipper” — wait ‘– I think I am getting off track….The FDA does not require vitamin companies to do research on their products. Therefore most companies don’t do much or any research at all – it costs too much. The old saying of “you get what you pay for” really does hold true for vitamins and supplements. It is worth the effort to find a company that does the clinical research and can back up their nutritional claims.Second, you need to think about bioavailability. What happens to a nutrient when consumed? Does it pass through the system unused, or does it get into the blood stream in the correct amount and do the job it is meant to do?It takes the right blend of all eight types of the B vitamin in order for it to be absorbed correctly. Folic acid is a great example of this. It is very difficult to get folic acid into the blood stream. If taken alone a large part of each pill would pass through you and never get absorbed. But if taken correctly in a balanced form, folic acid could reduce hospital charges for women of child bearing age up to an estimated 20 billion dollars per year.B vitamins have many positive effects on our bodies. They are so important they are one of the few nutrients the federal government mandates to be added to certain foods.The problem with depending on only foods for an adequate supply of B is that intense heat, slow cooking, light, baking soda and baking powder all destroy B vitamins.Consuming sugar, alcohol, caffeine and processed foods also causes your body to lose its supply of B. If that weren’t enough, stress is another factor that can lead to a depletion of your body’s reserves.The importance of supplementing your diet with B can be seen every time you eat foods containing carbohydrates. To metabolize carbohydrates, the body requires B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, phosphorous, and magnesium. Since the last four of these are not replaced by “enrichment” of the food product, the body must draw on its own reserves.For every ounce of white flour that we consume, the body must supply the previously mentioned nutrients to digest the flour; Pantothenic Acid, (B5) gets taken from the nerve and muscle tissue; Pyridoxine (B6) is taken from the Brain; Phosphorous and Magnesium are taken from the heart and bones.As we deplete the body of these compounds we start to weaken the nerve and muscle tissue which could result in nerve problems and loss of muscle tone. The loss of brain tissue will affect the memory functions. And finally, phosphorous depletion will weaken muscle and rhythm function, affecting the rhythm of the heart.Processing removes these nutrients and enrichment does not add them in a way that our body can use, thus our diet must be provided with these nutrients in some other way, such as supplementation, or suffer loss of body function later in life.Benefits of B Vitamins include: – Helps convert food to energy – Helps form healthy red blood cells – Has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease – Has been found to reduce or even eliminate PMS symptoms – Helps reduce or eliminate anemia – Minimizes and even eliminates depression. – Helps prevent birth defectsIf you are still unsure of whether you should be supplementing your diet with a good b-complex vitamin, here is a list of some indicators which may suggest you are not maintaining enough of the nutrient in your system: – Mood changes – irritability – nervousness – fatigue- depression – headaches – dizziness – trembling – loss of appetite – insomnia – and sugar cravings.So come on, let’s all get happy!Think about it…——–Michael Tomberlin has been teaching young people for over ten years. He is now directing his efforts to teaching people more about physical, financial and environmental health. He has a website at http://www.healthylife-healthyplanet.com . You can visit him there or contact Michael directly at michael@healthylife-healthyplanet.com with any concerns, comments or questions. Thanks.