Vitamin Information Detailed Nutritional Breakdown

Vitamin Information - Organic Micronutrients

Vitamin Shoppe Weekly Specials Vitamins are organic substances necessary in very small amounts to control a variety of processes within living cells. Humans require 13 essential vitamins.

Four are fat soluble (Vitamins A, D, E, and K), and nine are water soluble (Vitamins C and the eight B-complex vitamins: thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, vitamin B-12, biotin, and pantothenic acid).

Solubility affects how a vitamin is absorbed, transported, and stored in the body. The water soluble vitamins are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, where they travel freely. Excess water-soluble vitamins are detected and removed by the kidneys and excreted in the urine.

Fat soluble vitamins require a more complex absorptive process. They are usually carried in the blood by special proteins and are stored in the body in fat tissues rather than excreted.

Bodybuilders and athletes can go here for additional vitamin information on supplement recommendations and benefits.

Vitamin Information And The Benefits of Vitamins

Most vitamins help chemical reactions to take place. Even though they offer no energy benefits to the body directly, they do however help unleash the energy stored in carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Vitamins are critical in the production of red blood cells and the protection of the nervous, skeletal, and immune systems. Some vitamins also form substances that act as antioxidants, which help preserve healthy cells in the body.

Key vitamin antioxidants include vitamin E, vitamin C, and the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene.

Vitamin Overdose

Extra vitamins in the diet can be harmful, especially when taken as supplements. Overdoses of fat-soluble vitamins are particularly dangerous because the excess will be stored in the body rather than excreted, increasing the risk of toxicity.

For example, high doses of vitamin A are toxic and increase the risk of birth defects. Additionally, vitamin B-6 can cause irreversible nerve damage when taken in large overdoses. Now that's not good at all.

Deficiencies

If your diet lacks sufficient amounts of a particular vitamin, you could develop characteristics deficiency symptoms. For example, vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness, and vitamin B-6 deficiency can cause seizures.

Deficiency diseases are most often seen in developing countries; they are relatively rare in the United States because vitamins are readily available from our food supply.

However, intakes below recommended levels can have adverse effects on health even if they are not low enough to cause deficiency disease.

For example, low intake of folate increases a woman's chance of giving birth to a baby with a neural tube defect. Low intake of folate and vitamins B-6 and B-12 has been linked to increased heart disease risk. Many Americans consume less than recommended amounts of vitamins A, C, B-6, and E.

Discount Vitamin Sources

Vitamins and minerals are essential for good health, but so are many other factors that are lacking in recent diets. The human body does not produce most of the vitamins it requires and must obtain them from foods.

Life EssenceThey are abundant in fruits, vegetables, grains, and many processed foods such as flour and breakfast cereals. Even so, you may still need to get them from a good discount supplement.

With this in mind, Life Essence was created not only as a multivitamin, but also as a total metabolic support system.

Life Essence provides vitamins and minerals, plus many co-nutrients and phytochemicals to make sure you get complete nutrition and proper balance. In addition, Life Essence is fortified with grape seed, green tea, MSM, alpha lipoic acid, and L-Cysteine for greater antioxidant protection.

Most importantly, Life Essence is packed with nutrient green foods and tonic herbs to further metabolic efficiency by enhancing the actions of every organ and gland.

So if you're tired of supplementing your supplement, try Life Essence and feel the difference complete nutrition can make. Learn more