B5 deficiencies were common in prisoners of war in the second world war but quite rare these days as it is found in a lot of different foods. Unless you live on burger, fries & cola, you probably don’ have anything to worry about. But what does vitamin B5 do in the body? Read on to find out.
Vitamin D deficiency is more wide-spread than most people realise. In some places of the world, its very difficult for your skin to manufacture this “sunshine” vitamin because of low sunlight levels, people hiding from the heat of the day, or simply because sunblock prevents the UV rays from getting through to your skin.
Biotin is one of the vitamins most people have not heard of. Even by the common name of B7, people still scratch their heads. Biotin is a necessary to help many of the bodies enzymes carry out their functions. Making, storing and releasing energy are three important uses for this co-enzyme.
Vitamin A is extremely important for a number of reasons most notably the maintenance and growth of membranes (including the retina of the eye), but it is also a toxic vitamin in high doses. Read how early artic explorers and their dogs faced death when eating the vitamin A rich livers of polar bears.
If you don’t have enough vitamin B2, your body can’t use vitamin A, folic acid, or vitamin B6, and it can’t make vitamin B3 (niacin). Deficiency in vitamin B3 is extremely deleterious to your health.
Vitamin B6 is essential for so many processes in the body, ranging from brain function to energy production. Deficiency is rare, but can occur in some individuals. Read to find out more.
Vitamin B17 is actually manufactured from the pits of various fruits. However, the body breaks this up into a couple of compunds, cyanide being one of them. Does the body actually have a use for this vitamin? Read to find out.
It is really difficult to be deficient in Vitamin B12 unless you are a vegan. A deficiency develops over years and can lead to pernicious anemia. It’s found easily in animal products.
Vitamin B1 is involved in the release of energy in the body. Together with B2 and B3, they are needed in transforming fats, carbohydrates and amino acids into forms that can be used in the body.
Antioxidants are chemicals that can clean up rogue free radicals in the body. In doing so, they remove potentially harmful free radicals from circulation. However, not all free radicals are bad, and not all antioxidants are good.
PQQ is a powerful antioxidant that helps the mitochondria in the body create energy. PQQ clears up any free radicals, but also controls the mitochondria, letting them know when it’s safe to make more energy.
Deficiency in folic acid can lead to anemia, but besides being really important in the manufacture of blood cells, folic acid is hugely important in the manufacture of DNA in every cell.
Vitamin C is the vitamin we think of when we think of oranges or lemons, but truth be told, you can get a far higher dose of this vitamin from a lot of vegetables. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that mops up free radicals in the body, but it does so much more.
Vitamin E is the free-radical vitamin cleaning up 99.9% of free radicals formed when the body takes in toxic substances.
Vitamin K is one of those vitamins that we tend to forget about. However, it is vital for proper developement of bones as well as other functions within the body.
Niacin is also known as vitamin B3. Not only has it been used in the treatment of anxiety, depression and other mental disorders, but it may also lower cholesterol.
Found in green tea and other plants, vitamin P is not actually a vitamin but a group of compounds called flavanoids. These chemicals are thought to help protect against radiation damage.
Alpha carotene is found in carrots, peppers and other plants. Alpha Carotene may be important in the prevention of cervical cancer but it is also a source of vitamin A, since it can be converted by our body.
Antivitamins is simply the term given to substances which can counter-act or nullify the vitamins we eat in our food and supplements. This article looks at some of the most common “antivitamins”.
Beta Carotene is used by the body to make vitamin A. If you don’t get enough beta carotene your body can get vitamin A from other foods, like oily fish.
