"It's an age old question when we find ourselves wondering if we should be taking vitamins to safeguard our health. Did you know that our bodies do not have the capability to manufacture vitamins from scratch? Vitamins were first discovered a little over a century ago. At the time when they were first identified they were called micro nutrients because we only needed very small amounts of them. But it's those small amounts that are responsible for some powerful and essential biological processes. So, how do we acquire them and what quantities do we need? We're supposed to be receiving our daily input of vitamins from the food we eat. In years past that was probably a true statement but in more modern times our food choices have been called into question because so many of us seem to be foregoing healthy food choices in favor of quickness and convenience. Consider that the next time you pick up a crème filled donut for breakfast. We really do know what we're supposed to be eating but not very many of us actually follow through on what we know we're supposed to do. That can't be earth rattling news for most of us. And, even if we do try to eat healthy food we can't always sure that we're getting the vitamins we need from the highly processed, chemically treated food available in today's market. Then there are special cases of people who may be taking vitamins faithfully but because of certain conditions that are unique to their lifestyles, may not be getting full benefit of the vitamins they are taking. Women in their child bearing years, people who smoke, alcoholics, patients taking certain medications, breast feeding infants are only a few of those who might fit these groups. Vitamins play a vital role in the body's biological processes like growth and fighting infection as well as act as catalysts in the body's chemistry to help support the processing of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. They're also used to foster growth, strengthen resistance to infection and ensure proper metabolism to name just a few. However, don't count on vitamins to lift your amount of energy. Vitamins have no calories and calories are the ingredients we use when we need energy. What can you expect to happen when you don't get the vitamins you need or the amounts you need them in? You'll probably have a vitamin deficiency and when that occurs there are a variety of symptoms and ailments that become apparent. A brief mention covers hair and nail afflictions, vision ailments and some skin conditions. That doesn't even include some of the really serious afflictions that have been attributed to vitamin deficiency. Lastly, it should be noted that vitamin supplements are grouped into two classifications according to how they are stored in the body: water soluble and fat soluble. Water soluble vitamins stay in the body for very short periods of time and are never stored in the body so that don't build up over time. Any extra amounts that are not consumed by the body are released through the urine. Although unnecessary, it's safe to take these in larger quantities because they can never attain toxic levels as a result of being stored and built up within the body. The second type, the fat soluble form, is stockpiled in the body's fat over a period of time. The excess of fat soluble vitamins is not excreted in the urine; rather it is stored in the body for long periods of time and with each successive ingestion of that vitamin its excess is added to what was previously stored so that the level of stored excess could eventually accumulate to the extent that it could threat to become harmful. So the caution here is to keep in mind that vitamins are to be taken in small doses. If you intend to deviate from the recommendations of the manufacturer, then it's a good idea to do so only under the guidance of a trained professional." Additional aspects concerning the matter at hand please visit Vitamins and try also Vitamin Supplements.
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