Vitamins you should know about

Vitamins sound pretty simple, right? It's the things that most people take in order to help enhance or complete their health. Vitamins offer many benefits. The reality, however, is that vitamins are often taken for granted. Let’s review a few:

Vitamin D

To many people, this sounds very familiar as they’ve probably heard it in class or in commercials. This vitamin strengthens bones. Harvard T.H stated that “it is a fat-soluble vitamin that has long been known to help the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus; both are critical for building bone. Also, laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections and reduce inflammation”. And to add more, healthline.com stated that “about 42 percent of people are vitamin D deficient,” which has many consequences. Some of these are poor bone health such as osteomalacia. This condition is a disorder where the bone softens and creates a bowing of the long bone. This is due to prolonged deficiency of vitamin D. Other potential consequences include cancer and heart disease. Aside from supplements, foods that contain vitamin D include cod liver oil, salmon swordfish, tuna fish, orange juice fortified with vitamin D, sardines, beef liver, egg yolk, fortified cereals, dairy and plant milks fortified with vitamin D.

Vitamin C

According to Harvard T.H, vitamin C does many things such as healing wounds and controlling infections. It is also an antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals that are harmful to the body. This vitamin is also responsible for collagen production which is a fibrous protein that is located in the connective. This connective tissue can be found in numerous areas in the body like nervous, immune, bone, cartilage, blood and more. This vitamin also aids in creating hormones and chemical messengers that transport signals in the brain and nerves. It also reduces the risk of getting a cold. It is recommended that men consume 90 mg daily, while women consume about 75mg. Food sources that contain a good amount of Vitamin C are oranges, lemons, kiwis, grapefruits, bell peppers, strawberries, tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and white potatoes.

Vitamin B12

Another very important vitamin to the body is B12. According to the National Institute of Health “Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep your body’s blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, a blood condition that makes people tired and weak.” This vitamin prevents certain blood conditions and is crucial for nerve tissue and brain function.

Vitamin A

According to Harvard T.H, vitamin A helps with maintaining health of the eyes and stimulating the production of WBC (white blood cells), remodeling of the bones, regulating cell growth and division, which is important in preventing unwanted conditions and also maintaining endothelial cells. Great food sources that include this vitamin are leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, broccoli), orange and yellow vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and other winter squash, summer squash), tomatoes, red bell peppers, cantaloupe, mangoes, beef liver, fish oils, milk, eggs and fortified foods.

By Robert Tengker