Amino’s + has all of these
“How can I make sure I’m getting my vitamins?” is actually a very loaded question. The answer? It depends on who you ask. . A traditional MD might just plainly direct you to buy a bottle of multivitamins and quit worrying about it, while a registered dietician might start listing from their encyclopedic vegetable knowledge, confusing you in the process.
It’s hard to get a straight answer. This is partly because experts don’t know the exact answer and the science of nutrition it constantly changing as researchers try to figure it all out. What we do know, however, is that there are 13 essential vitamins, so named because your body truly could not function without them. These compounds keep your heart pumping, your cells growing, and your food digesting. Without them, people develop old-timey-sounding conditions including scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), anemia (iron deficiency), and rickets (vitamin D deficiency).
We also know quite a bit about each one of the vitamins’ basic properties. Some vitamins are fat-soluble, such as vitamin D, meaning your body can store excess amounts of them. But others, such as the B vitamins, are water-soluble, meaning that you’ll just pee out the excess, rather than stocking up. Luckily (as you’ll see in this article), it’s pretty easy to get everything you need just by eating a balanced, healthy diet and going outside every once in a while.
Vitamin A helps keep many of your organs working properly, including your kidneys, heart, and lungs. It’s also necessary for maintaining healthy teeth and skin. It’s especially important for vision.
People with vitamin A deficiencies have trouble seeing in low light. And vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Your body needs vitamin C to repair itself. That includes making collagen, a protein you need in order to heal wounds, as well as keeping your teeth, bones, and cartilage in good shape. Plus, vitamin C can help your body absorb iron from other foods.
Vitamin D Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium and you need both to keep your bones healthy. As a kid, vitamin D was especially important to make sure your skeleton grew with you properly. But you still need it as an adult. Vitamin D deficiency can make you feel especially fatigued and lead to conditions like osteoporosis as you get older.a big vitamin C punch, as well. Some cereals are also fortified with extra vitamin C, so be sure to check the label.
When you’re exposed to UV rays, your skin converts a hormone into D3, a form of vitamin D that we can’t readily use. That then gets sent to your liver and kidneys, which turn it into the active form of vitamin D. There are reports that vitamin D deficiency has been increasing rapidly in the U.S. in the past decade or so. But the exact cutoff for a deficiency has made this a little confusing. Some medical organizations believe that you’re insufficient below 20 ng/ml while others start counting insufficiency below 30. However, everyone agrees that anything below 10 ng/ml is definitely worrying.
Your doctor can order a blood test during a regular check-up if you’re concerned about your vitamin D levels. If they’re low, she can suggest a course of supplements to help boost them.
Vitamin E: Your immune system needs vitamin E in order to keep you safe from viruses and bacteria. It also helps you use vitamin K (more on that later). Vitamin E is also an antioxidant, which means it helps protect the body from damage to tissues and organs caused by free radicals. These are molecules that are thought to play a role in the aging process. However, researchers are still figuring out exactly how helpful antioxidants are (if at all).
Vitamin K: Vitamin K’s role is simple and vital. Without it, your blood wouldn’t clot. People who have conditions in which the blood doesn’t clot properly, such as hemophilia, bleed longer after an injury than others and may suffer from internal bleeding. That can damage your organs and even be life-threatening.
Vitamin B1: (Thiamine) : Thiamine is especially helpful for converting carbohydrates into usable energy — glucose. Your body, brain, and nerves need that to function normally
Vitamin B2: (Riboflavin) : Like all B vitamins, riboflavin helps your body convert carbs, proteins, and fats into energy that you can use. But riboflavin deficiency has also been linked to vision problems and migraines. Researchers are still figuring out exactly what that association means.
Vitamin B3: (Niacin) Niacin helps the other B vitamins create energy in the body. It’s also necessary for keeping the digestive system, nerves, and skin healthy. Plus, it also helps your circulation and can keep inflammation in check. In the U.S., the most common cause of niacin deficiency is alcoholism. Will it help me study?
There are plenty of internet anecdotes out there claiming that taking niacin supplements helps brain function, including memory enhancement. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that people who take niacin are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, a memory-related illness. But there’s no research to suggest that niacin will turn you into a superhuman study machine if you’re already getting the amount you need. Vitamin
Vitamin B5: (Pantothenic Acid): Pantothenic acid aids in the production of stress- and sex-related hormones in your adrenal gland. It also helps you make cholesterol, which your body needs to produce hormones, vitamin D, and a few other compounds. Plus, pantothenic acid keeps your digestive system humming along.
Vitamin B6: (Pyroxidine) : Pyroxidine does a lot within the body — it’s involved in over 100 enzyme reactions — but mainly, it’s focused on converting protein to energy. It also helps create a few neurotransmitters that your brain relies on, including serotonin and norepinephrine.
Vitamin B7: (Biotin): Also sometimes called “vitamin H,” biotin is actually another helpful B vitamin. It helps keep you skin, nails, hair, and eyes healthy. Biotin is often advertised on cosmetic products for its potential hair- and nail-strengthening powers, but there’s not much conclusive evidence that getting any more biotin than you need is going to help
Vitamin B9: (Folic Acid) : Folic acid is especially important for brain functioning and mental health. Low levels of folic acid have been linked to depression, memory issues, and irritability. It also helps build DNA, tissues, and red blood cells..Why is folic acid so important during pregnancy?
Pregnant women (and those who are trying to become pregnant) are recommended to increase their daily intake of folic acid. That’s because it’s even more crucial to get enough B9 early in your life when you’re growing quickly — like when you’re in the womb. Otherwise, folic acid deficiency can lead to to serious birth defects.
Vitamin B12: B12 helps your body create healthy red blood cells, regulate neurological functioning, and synthesize DNA. Plus, along with the other B vitamins, B12 helps metabolize food into energy.Fun fact: It’s actually made by bacteria. B12 is somewhat unique in the fact that animals and plants can’t actually make it. Instead, that task falls to bacteria and a class of microorganisms called archaea. So even though you can get it from meat, it’s really being made by bacteria present in that meat. Yum?