Question: I take Vitamin B to help my mood. I have noticed it helps my mood, particularly when using birth control pills. Is there really a relation between Vitamin B and hormones/mood?
Answer: Well, it depends on what Vitamin B supplement you are taking. There are several "Vitamin B's": B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12. Each one has a different "job." Vitamin B7 (biotin) does help the body make hormones and a deficiency of certain B vitamins can cause tiredness and/or depression. However, like Vitamin C, Vitamin B (all the different types) is water soluble and you simply pee out whatever your body doesn't need. So, it certainly wouldn't hurt anything to take a Vitamin B Complex supplement, but in the same vein, it won't actually help unless you are deficient in the vitamin.
Showing posts with label Vitamins and Minerals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vitamins and Minerals. Show all posts
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Vitamin C
Question: I have been taking Vitamin C because I heard it helps my gums stay healthy. Is there any truth to this?
Answer: Well, yes and no. Yes, Vitamin C is essential for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones and teeth. It is required for the synthesis of collagen, which is an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bone and, when someone if deficient in Vitamin C, it is common to see Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and/or bleeding of the gums. However, more is not necessarily better. In other words, while adequate Vitamin C helps your gums and teeth stay healthy, taking significantly more than you need won't make your gums or teeth "healthier." The recommended daily allowance for women, age 19 and older, is 75 mg per day. Vitamin C is water soluble, so whatever you consume beyond what your body needs, will be excreted in your urine.
Answer: Well, yes and no. Yes, Vitamin C is essential for the repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones and teeth. It is required for the synthesis of collagen, which is an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bone and, when someone if deficient in Vitamin C, it is common to see Gingivitis (inflammation of the gums) and/or bleeding of the gums. However, more is not necessarily better. In other words, while adequate Vitamin C helps your gums and teeth stay healthy, taking significantly more than you need won't make your gums or teeth "healthier." The recommended daily allowance for women, age 19 and older, is 75 mg per day. Vitamin C is water soluble, so whatever you consume beyond what your body needs, will be excreted in your urine.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Vitamin D Supplementation
Question: I recently bought a Vitamin D supplement when my friend told me that it wasn't worth taking unless it was Vitamin D3. Is that true and what is the difference?
Answer: There are two forms of vitamin D that are important to humans --ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3). D3 is the type that is synthesized by humans in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun. However, when foods are supplemented with vitamin D, it may be in the form of D2 or D3. When purchasing a vitamin D supplement, it is largely assumed that it is in the form of D2 and or D3, so it is not necessary, in my opinion, to specifically look for a D3 supplement.
Also keep in mind that Vitamin D is found in many food sources such as (fortified) milk, eggs and fish. As little as 10 minutes of sun exposure a day is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies (leading to rickets and/or osteomalacia).
As for supplementation, I recommend getting a Calcium supplement (women over the age of 50 need 1200 mg Calcium/day and many do not get this consistently from their diet) that contains vitamin D as vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption. This way, you are likely to get enough Calcium and vitamin D and can do it all in one pill!
Answer: There are two forms of vitamin D that are important to humans --ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3). D3 is the type that is synthesized by humans in the skin when exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun. However, when foods are supplemented with vitamin D, it may be in the form of D2 or D3. When purchasing a vitamin D supplement, it is largely assumed that it is in the form of D2 and or D3, so it is not necessary, in my opinion, to specifically look for a D3 supplement.
Also keep in mind that Vitamin D is found in many food sources such as (fortified) milk, eggs and fish. As little as 10 minutes of sun exposure a day is thought to be enough to prevent deficiencies (leading to rickets and/or osteomalacia).
As for supplementation, I recommend getting a Calcium supplement (women over the age of 50 need 1200 mg Calcium/day and many do not get this consistently from their diet) that contains vitamin D as vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption. This way, you are likely to get enough Calcium and vitamin D and can do it all in one pill!
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