Articles Archive - Vitamins and Vitamin Supplements
Free Resource for Vitamin-Related Articles On Line - VitaminsLife.netPharmacies throughout the world have been going through growing pains over the last several decades. When our grandparents went to the pharmacy, they chose from only a handful of different vitamins to supplement their diet. For children, there were a few chewable vitamins to pick from and for adults, even fewer choices existed. Most of these multivitamins were taken on the advice of their doctor who told them they “would feel better” if they took them. Today, your pharmacy likely has an entire aisle devoted to vitamins. The sheer number of vitamin options makes for confusion in even the most savvy customers.
To choose a vitamin or vitamins that are best for you, it helps to be clear on the reasons why you want to take them. Think about your situation and explore these possibilities:
• Do you have a specific vitamin deficiency that your doctor wants you to correct?
• Do you have a particular illness and your doctor has recommended a vitamin supplement to treat that illness?
• Are you planning to take vitamins in the hopes of improving your general wellbeing?
• Have you been told that a certain vitamin can help prevent an illness from developing in the future?
All of these are valid reasons to take vitamins. Choosing the best vitamin, however, takes a big more research. Let’s explore the different ways that vitamins can be formulated and packaged in the hope that it becomes less confusing for you.
Many vitamins are sold as single vitamin sources, such as Vitamin E or Vitamin C. Vitamin E, for example, is believed to have an anti-oxidant property which means that it has the potential to reduce your risk of developing certain kinds of cancers. If this is all you are looking for, buying Vitamin E as a single ingredient makes sense. Similarly, if your doctor tells you that you have a Vitamin D deficiency, taking a single-source vitamin D preparation is likely all that is necessary.
A few vitamins are prepared using only a few ingredients. The B vitamins, for example, are commonly packaged as a complex. This is because they generally share physiological responsibilities and work together to maximize your metabolism. It makes sense to buy them as a complex. Calcium, which is not technically a vitamin, is almost always prepared and sold as a complex with Vitamin D. This is because your absorption of calcium depends on the presence of Vitamin D. Taking calcium without vitamin D can mean that you are not absorbing the calcium you have paid good money for.
Multivitamins have their place primarily for children or adults with highly unbalanced diets and for those who feel that a multivitamin will give them more energy and a sense of wellbeing.
Children’s vitamins are easy. Once you find a vitamin whose taste they like, the rest involves reading the back label to make sure the vitamins within contain nearly100% of the recommended daily allowances (RDA) for children. The only exception to this is iron. Some parents prefer to have less than 50% RDA of iron in the vitamin because their children get adequate iron in their diet and too much iron from food and vitamin sources can lead to iron toxicity. The rest of the vitamin choices can safely be taken at 100% RDA.
Adult vitamins today have increasingly become tailored to the specific needs of adults who differ from each other in several ways, including age and gender. There are vitamins for men, for women and for seniors. These multivitamins can even be tailored to the type of diet you’re on. Most adult multivitamins have a long list of vitamins, mostly provided at 100% RDA. Senior versions are nearly identical except for the addition of more Vitamins E and D as well as lycopene for the prevention of heart disease. The brand you choose rarely matters as long as the labeling reflects nearly 100% RDA of the bulk of the vitamins. Certainly, some brands are better known than others and likely have labeling that is complete and accurate. Choosing a well known brand is probably the safest plan.
Is it risky to take vitamins? Generally, no. Your body takes from a vitamin supplement what it needs and discards the rest. The biggest exceptions are the fat-soluble vitamins, namely Vitamins A, E, K and D. These vitamins can build to toxic levels in your system, especially if you take a multivitamin along with another supplement containing even more of these fat soluble vitamins. Reading the labels is your best defense against this complication.
Vitamins are taking an increasing role in healthcare. More and more people are taking vitamin preparations every day. When making your own choices, keep in mind what you’re looking to achieve and read all labels carefully before making your choice.
About The Author
Jerrick Foo has been researching and developing all dry skin care the purpose of offering men and women safe, dry skin care tips. He have created Dry Skin Care Guide to share his 10 years of combined expertise with you. Visit http://www.dry-skin-care-guide.com for essential skin care tips.
Written by: Jerrick Foo
French wild fish stew Fiji Times Like Fijian herbal medicines, some cooking herbs and fruits have hidden vitamins that the ancient civilisations would eat or drink to prevent sickness. So continuing our Sunday journey to explore old civilisations, I wanted to find an old land that has ... |
Vitamin Shoppe Voted #1 Vitamin Store Three Years in a Row by ConsumerLab.com ... Sacramento Bee About Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. (NYSE: VSI)Vitamin Shoppe is a leading specialty retailer and direct marketer of nutritional products based in North Bergen, New Jersey. The company sells vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, herbs, sports nutrition ... |
Chinese Herb Stimulates Hair Growth and Reverses Gray Hair PR Web (press release) Natures Elements, a vitamin and herbal supplement online provider, is pleased to announce the release of Advanced Shou Wu. This new product is an extension of the well-known and successful He Shou Wu, which has helped thousands of users stimulate hair ... |
 Fox News | 10 uses for plastic pill bottles Fox News However. There's one piece of the plastic puzzle that I've found as-of-yet unavoidable. Pill bottles! My vitamins and supplements and over-the-counter medications and, on rare occasions, prescriptions. You can't buy vegan vitamin K2 in bulk (yet!) ... |
Introducing Vital Vitamins for Vitiligo from Merry Clinic San Francisco Chronicle (press release) Dr Merry Li, a renowned Chinese herbalist based in San Francisco, brings you her unique blend of Chinese herbs, Viti-Nutrients, which may help to restore skin pigmentation and encourage healthy skin. Vitiligo is caused by the death or malfunction of ... |
Vitamin Shoppe Voted #1 Vitamin Store Three Years in a Row by ConsumerLab.com ... PR Newswire (press release) Vitamin Shoppe is a leading specialty retailer and direct marketer of nutritional products based in North Bergen, New Jersey. The company sells vitamins, minerals, nutritional supplements, herbs, sports nutrition formulas, homeopathic remedies, ... |
Building Muscle Power Through Vitamins And Minerals
The muscles of the body actually depend heavily on the vitamins, minerals as well as on the other nutrients that we take in so as to ensure that they’re always well taken care of. Consciously taking care of your body through the proper exercise, a...
How to use Hair Loss Vitamins?
Hair loss is a vital problem faced by millions of people all over the world no matter of age or sex. People who are interacting with other people and have a job related to customer care very often have a bigger problem with losing hair or ...
Vitamin A For Better Eczema Control
We’ve all seen the scaly itchy skin associated with eczema. Perhaps you’ve even had eczema at some point or suffer from it chronically. This condition, thought to be hereditary attacks about three out of every hundred people and can manifest itself...
Vitamins for Kids
Do your children need to take vitamin supplements? That's a question that more parents ought to ask of themselves or the doctor before they start pumping kids full of over-the-counter supplements that may or may not be conducive to good...
What Is a Good Source of Vitamin A?
Did you know that vitamin A is one of the less well-known vitamins even though it's actually a very important mineral to our overall health and fitness? Everyone seems to know about the benefits of vitamin C, especially in regards to cold and flu...