Good Reasons Why You May Need Vitamin Supplements
Many people believe that eating a balanced diet provides all the vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Under ideal circumstances, this is the case, but there are actually a number of reasons why you might need vitamin supplements to live in a twentieth century environment. Taking vitamins when needed is a safe way to optimize your dietary sources of nutrients, provided you follow the directions on the product label.
1. Poor Digestion
Even when your food is
good, inefficient digestion can limit the consumption of the vitamin by your
body. Some common causes of impaired digestion include not chewing too much and
eating too fast. Both of these result in a larger than normal food particle
size, which is too large to allow full action of the digestive enzymes. Many
people with dentures do not chew as efficiently as people with a full set of
original teeth.
2. Hot Coffee, Tea and
Spices
Drinking very hot liquids
or consuming excessive amounts such as coffee, tea or pickles and spices can
cause inflammation of the digestive tract, resulting in reduced secretion of
digestive fluids and reduced clearance of vitamins and minerals from food. She
goes. ,
3. Wine
Drinking too much alcohol
damages the liver and pancreas which are important for digestion and
metabolism. It can also damage the lining of the intestinal tract and adversely
affect the absorption of nutrients, leading to sub-clinical malnutrition.
Regular heavy use of alcohol increases the body's need for B-group vitamins,
particularly thiamin, niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid and vitamins B12, A and C,
as well as the minerals zinc, magnesium and calcium. Alcohol affects nutrient
availability, absorption and metabolism.
4. Smoking
Smoking too much tobacco
is also an irritant to the digestive system and increases metabolic
requirements for vitamin C, all else being equal, well above the normal needs
of non-smokers and less than 30 milligrams per cigarette. Vitamin C, which is
commonly present in foods such as pawpaw, oranges and bell peppers, oxidizes
rapidly after these fruits are cut, juiced, cooked, or stored in direct
sunlight or near heat. Vitamin C is important for immune function.
5. Laxatives
Overuse of laxatives can
lead to poor absorption of vitamins and minerals from food, by speeding up the
time of intestinal transit. Paraffin and other mineral oils increase the loss
of fat-soluble vitamins A, E and K. Other laxatives used in excess can cause a
significant loss of minerals such as potassium, sodium and magnesium.
6. Fad Diet
A bizarre diet that
misses an entire group of foods can lead to serious vitamin deficiencies. Even
the popular low-fat diet, if taken to extremes, can lead to deficiencies in
vitamins A, D and E. Vegetarian diets, which can exclude meat and other animal
sources, must be planned very efficiently to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency,
which can lead to anemia.
7. Overcooking
Prolonged cooking or
heating of meat and vegetables can lead to oxidation and destruction of heat
sensitive vitamins such as B-groups, C and E. Boiling vegetables destroys the
water-soluble vitamins B-group and C as well as many minerals. It is better to
take light steam. Some vitamins, such as vitamin B6, can be destroyed by
radiation from a microwave.
8. Food Processing
Freezing vitamin E-rich
food after it has been defrosted can significantly reduce its levels. Vitamin
E-rich foods exposed to heat and air can go rancid. Many common sources of
vitamin E, such as breads and oils nowadays, are highly processed, causing the
amount of vitamin E to be significantly reduced or missing altogether, which
prolongs storage life but reduces nutrient levels. does. Can do. Vitamin E is
an antioxidant that defensively prevents oxidative damage to all tissues. Other
vitamin losses from food processing include vitamins B1 and C.
9. Convenience Foods
A diet highly dependent
on highly refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, white flour and white rice,
places greater demands on additional sources of B-group vitamins to process
these carbohydrates. An unbalanced diet contributes to conditions such as
irritability, lethargy and sleep disorders.
10. Antibiotics
Some antibiotics,
although valuable in fighting infection, also kill friendly bacteria in the
gut, which would normally be producing B-group vitamins to be absorbed through
the intestinal walls. Such deficiencies can result in a variety of nerve
conditions, so supplementation with B-group vitamins may be advised over a long
course of broad-spectrum antibiotics.
11. Food Allergies
Removal of entire food
groups from the diet, as in the case of individuals allergic to gluten or
lactose, can result in the loss of important dietary sources of nutrients such
as thiamine, riboflavin or calcium.
12. Loss of Crop Nutrients
Some agricultural soils
lack trace elements. Decades of intensive agriculture can lead to overwork and
depletion of soil unless all soil nutrients, including trace elements, are
replaced regularly. This means that food crops may be deficient in nutrients
due to poor soil management. US A government survey found levels of essential
minerals in crops to drop by 68 percent over a four-year period in the 1970s.
13. Accidents and Illness
Burning leads to the loss
of essential trace nutrients such as proteins and vitamins and minerals.
Surgery increases the need for zinc, vitamin E and other nutrients involved in
cellular repair mechanisms. The repair of broken bones will be slowed by an
insufficient supply of calcium and vitamin C and conversely will be enhanced by
a complete dietary supply. The challenge of infection places high demands on
the nutritional resources of zinc, magnesium and vitamins B5, B6 and zinc.
14. Stress
Chemical, physical and
emotional stress can increase the body's requirements for vitamins B2, B5, B6
and C. Air pollution increases vitamin E requirements.
15. P.M.T ( premenstrual
tension )
Research has shown that
60 percent of women suffering from premenstrual tension such as headache,
irritability, bloating, breast tenderness, lethargy and depression can benefit
from a vitamin B6 supplement.
16. Teenagers
Rapid growth in
adolescence, especially in girls, places high demands on nutritional resources
underpinning the accelerated physical, biochemical and emotional development in
this age group. Data from the USA Ten State Nutrition Survey (covering a total of
24,000 households and 86,000 individuals in 1968–70) showed that 30–50 percent
of adolescents aged 12–16 met more than two-thirds of the recommended daily
average for vitamins. Consumed less food. A, C, calcium and iron.
17. Pregnant Women
Pregnancy creates
above-average nutritional demands to ensure healthy growth of the baby and
comfortable confinement for the mother. The nutrients that need growth during
pregnancy are the B-groups, especially B1, B2, B3, B6, folic acid and B12, A,
D, E and the minerals calcium, iron. , magnesium, zinc and phosphorus.
Ten state nutrition
surveys in the United States in 1968–70 showed that 80 percent of pregnant
women surveyed had dietary intakes of less than two-thirds of the recommended
daily allowance. Professional evaluation of nutrient requirements should be
sought during pregnancy.
18. Oral Contraception
Oral contraceptives may
reduce the absorption of folic acid and increase the need for vitamin B6, and
possibly vitamin C, zinc and riboflavin. Around 22 per cent of Australian women
aged 15-44 are believed to be on the "pill" at some point.
19. Light eaters
Some people eat very
little even without a weight loss goal. American dietary surveys have shown
that an average woman maintains her weight at 7,560 kilojoules per day, the
level at which her diet is likely to be low in thiamine, calcium and iron.
20. Elderly
The elderly have been
shown to have lower intakes of vitamins and minerals, especially iron, calcium
and zinc. Folic acid deficiency is often found along with vitamin C deficiency.
Fiber intake is often low. Riboflavin (B2) and pyridoxine (B6) deficiencies
have also been observed. Possible causes include impaired sense of taste and
smell, reduced secretion of digestive enzymes, chronic illness and, perhaps,
physical impairment.
21. Lack of sunlight
Invalid, shift workers
and people who have minimal exposure to sunlight may suffer from insufficient
amounts of vitamin D, which is essential for calcium metabolism, without which
rickets and osteoporosis (thinning of the bone) are seen. has gone. Ultraviolet
light induces the formation of vitamin D in the skin. It is blocked by clouds,
fog, mist, smoke, ordinary window panes, curtains and clothing. The maximum
recommended daily supplemental intake of vitamin D is 400 IU. Is.
22. Bio-personality
Wide fluctuations in
individual nutrient requirements from the official recommended average vitamin
and mineral intake are common, particularly in occupations with high physical
demands, such as athletics and manual labor, taking into account body weight
and body type. Protein intake affects the requirement for vitamin B6 and
vitamin B is associated with 1 kJ intake.
23. Low Body Reserve
Although the body is able
to store stores of certain vitamins such as A and E, Canadian autopsy data
showed that up to thirty percent of the population have vitamin A stores so low
that it could be considered "at risk". Is. Vitamin A is important for
healthy skin and mucous membranes (including the sinuses and lungs) and
eyesight.
24. Athlete
Athletes consume large
amounts of food and experience considerable stress. These factors specifically
affect their needs for B-group vitamins, vitamin C and iron. For example, tests
on Australian Olympic athletes and A-grade football players have shown widespread
vitamin deficiencies.
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