Most of us purchase food supplements and vitamins for our family, but do we truly understand what are vitamins and what are they for our body? The hype for balanced diet, active lifestyle stirs and healthy living stirs the popularity of supplements and vitamins. Now, more and more people choose to take vitamins and food supplements everyday, assuming to compensate them to their lifestyle and have a healthier body.
But, have you ever ked yourself what are vitamins really are? And are the vitamins in your food not really enough to keep your body healthy? Vitamins and minerals are substances, which in small amounts, is essential to sustain life. These vitamins should be regularly obtained from healthy food, as our body can’t make its own vitamins. Particular amount of vitamins and minerals are needed to sustain growth, vitality and well being of human body. Deficiency from one particular vitamin or mineral can cause disease, which symptoms can only be cured by getting the right amount of vitamin.
Vitamins are organic substances, and are actually chemically unrelated. Vitamins come from living products such as animals and plants, or some that were once living such as coal or petroleum. Life without essential vitamins is just impossible to sustain.
Vitamins are actually divided into two categories, and these are the water coluble and the fat soluble. Only vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble and they need right amount of supply of fats and mineral to be effectively digested, stored in our liver and absorbed by our body. The remaining vitamins are water soluble and these key vitamins should be replenished as frequently as possible to maintain a healthy body.
What are vitamins do in our body?
Almost every organ in our body needs a particular type of vitamin; this is why balanced diet is very important for everyone. The combination of various substances of vitamins and minerals like enzymes and proteins brings certain chemical reactions. Each vitamin has its specific purpose in our health, and maintaining the right level of it inside our body is crucial for both everyday living and reproduction. Yes you’ve read it right – reproduction. Healthy babies are generally attributed to health genes of their parents.
Vitamins and minerals also play a big role in our body’s metabolism; many vitamins influence our appetite, mental awareness, digestion, resistance from foreign particles such as bacterial infections. The right amount of key vitamins needed for metabolism allows our body to absorb essential nutrients and flush out unnecessary substances which can be harmful for the body, such as toxins.
Also, satisfying the body’s need for essential vitamins to protect it from disease-causing foreign particles such as bacteria and viruses, and prevent the deficiency disease, right amount of specific type of vitamin such as Vitamin C and Zinc are needed.
Certain vitamins contain therapeutic effects to combat diseases too. Niacin for example, lowers the cholesterol level of the body, and keeps the body’s fat percentage balance. Vitamin A and its derivatives on the other hand, can fight acne problems. Large amount of these vitamins may slow, or even reverse the effect of certain diseases in our body and even treat certain aging and hereditary health problems such as heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, nerve degeneration, impaired immunity and other chronic health issues.
