Health - Vitamins

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Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy skin, bones, teeth, hair and even vision. Good natural sources of Vitamin A include eggs, fruits, vegetables and liver.

Vitamin B² is needed for normal growth. Good natural sources of B² include green, leafy vegetables, dairy products and whole-grain foods.

Vitamin B³ is needed for the body to be able to release energy. It plays a vital role in physiological functions such as blood circulation, functioning of the nervous system, synthesizes insulin, sex hormones, cortisone and thyroxin. Good natural sources of B³ include nuts, protein-rich foods and whole-grain foods.

Vitamin B⁶ is needed to prevent anemia. Anemia occurs when the number of red blood cells diminishes to what could be dangerous levels. Good natural sources of B⁶ include beans, nuts, legumes, eggs, meat, breads and cereals.

Vitamin B¹² is needed to maintain the nervous system, the brain and the spinal cord. It is also needed for the development of red blood cells and the body’s metabolism. Good natural sources of B¹² include fish, poultry, red meat, dairy products and eggs.

Vitamin C is needed for the body’s connective tissue and helps the body fight against infections and colds. Good natural sources of Vitamin C include potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, citrus fruits and dark, green vegetables.

Vitamin D helps to maintain strong bones and teeth. The body makes its own Vitamin D but it needs a good amount of sunlight to do so. Good natural sources of Vitamin D include liver, fish and eggs.

Vitamin E helps to maintain good, healthy red blood cells. Good natural sources of Vitamin E include green, leafy vegetables, margarine, vegetable oils and whole-grain foods.

Vitamin K is needed for bone formation. It also helps in blood clotting. Good natural sources of Vitamin K include milk, liver, and green, leafy vegetables such as cabbage.

Vitamin Deficiencies

What happens if you don’t get the proper amount of vitamins and suffer from vitamin deficiency? As each vitamin provides a vital contribution to a healthy body, the lack of that vitamin can cause a number of illnesses and deterioration of the body. So now let’s look at what can happen when you do not have enough of the earlier named vitamins.

Vitamin A deficiency can cause night blindness. If the deficiency is severe, it can lead to total blindness. It can also slow the body’s healing process and reduce your ability to hear, smell and taste.

Vitamin B² deficiency can cause the lips to crack, the eyes to burn, develop skin rashes, anemia and have persistent sores in the mouth.

Vitamin B³ deficiency results in the lack of energy, chronic headaches, insomnia, irritability, nervousness and forgetfulness.

Vitamin B⁶ deficiency can lead to having convulsions and epileptic seizures.

Vitamin B¹² deficiency causes the lining of the stomach to thin out resulting in ulcers. In milder forms it can make you weak, tired and light-headed. It can also cause rapid breathing and a rapid heart rate.

Vitamin C deficiency can lead to a number of health issues including constant fatigue, mood changes, chronic joint and muscle pains, easy bruising, sudden weight loss, gum disease, dry hair and skin and it impairs the body’s immune system.

Vitamin D deficiency can result in suffering from dementia and Alzheimer as you age. You can have severe memory loss and even get to the point that you don’t recognize people, even family. In addition, Vitamin D is crucial to having healthy bones. It can also lead to cardiac (heart) problems.

Vitamin E deficiency will inhibit the body’s ability to absorb healthy fats.

Vitamin K deficiency will make it more difficult for blood to clot so if you have a cut, it will continue to bleed. A severe deficiency could cause a person with a cut to literally bleed to death.

When you are young it’s easy to think that you don’t need all these vitamins and it will be something you will think about when you get older but the truth is that having a lack of a sufficient amount of vitamins over a long period of time is what causes the most damage. The damage doesn’t begin at age 40 or 50 or 60. It begins the moment you are born. So learning and becoming aware of the importance of vitamins is crucial for your overall immediate health, as well as your future health.

Okay, so now let’s see what you have learned about vitamins. Check out the following ten questions and see if you can find the right answer without having to look back at this introduction.