Sunday, July 30, 2006

Vitamin B1 In The Body And The Brain

Vitamin B1, also called thiamine, is one of the eight vitamins that make up the powerful Vitamin B complex. Like all of the B vitamins, this nutrient plays a great role in the health of the body and the health of the mind. Care should be taken to maintain the recommended daily intake levels of this essential nutrient, as the results of deficiencies can be devastating in nature.

Vitamin B1 serves many purposes in the body. It is an essential part of converting carbohydrates to energy, and necessary to the proper functioning of the nervous system, the heart and the musculature system of the body. Thiamine is very important to the brain, particularly in terms of emotional health and well being, as well as being useful for focus and concentration.

There are a variety of physical conditions and diseases associated with deficiencies in Vitamin B1. Symptoms include pain, numbness and tingling in the extremities, muscle weakness and a lack of physical coordination, particularly in the larger muscle masses that make up the leg muscles.

A deficiency in thiamine can cause enlargement of the heart, which can itself lead to congestive heart failure, and lung congestion. A severe deficiency in Vitamin B1 can lead to nerve damage, brain damage and even death. Mental symptoms associated with a serious lack of Vitamin B include fatigue, psychosis, and confusion.

These are a few serious diseases specifically associated with a deficiency of Vitamin B1, including the notorious beriberi disease. There are also two specific types of brain damage associated with severely low levels of Vitamin B1. One, Korsakoff syndrome, results in confusion and short term memory loss. Another, Wernicke’s Disease has symptoms that include vision disturbances and irregularities, an unsteady walk, and mental confusion.

Despite the obvious importance of Vitamin B1 to many of the body’s important functions, a great deal of people regularly fail to meet the recommended daily intake levels. Alcoholics are particularly vulnerable to being deficient in Vitamin B1, because alcohol ruins the B vitamins.

Illnesses that force bodily fluids from the body, such as chronic diarrhea, can deplete the body’s levels of thiamine, because it is a water-soluble vitamin and the body needs to have its supply renewed every day. There are also rare conditions that interfere with the body’s ability to use Vitamin B1 properly.

Dietary supplements are an affordable, safe and effective way to consistently meet the recommended daily intake levels of Vitamin B1. It is especially important, however, when taking supplements to use them with care and attention, because taking too much Vitamin B1 can cause adverse side effects and even serious health problems.

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Monday, July 24, 2006

Roles Of Vitamin B2 In Human Health And Functioning

Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, is a member of the group of eight vitamins that make up the nutritional powerhouse known as the Vitamin B complex. These vitamins are vital to the functioning of the body in almost every way, playing important roles in each of the bodily systems.

In addition to their powerful influence on the physical health of the body, the Vitamin B complex is essential to mental functioning, including cognition and the stability of emotional response. Vitamin B2 has many roles in human health and functioning.

Vitamin B2 is an essential part of the fundamental workings of the blood. It serves in the production of red blood cells, the means by which oxygen, vital to every cell in the body, is transported through the circulatory system. It is also essential in the production of antibodies and the body’s absorption of iron.

It serves the digestive system by helping the body to make use of the energy potential in carbohydrates. It serves to protect the health of the mucus membranes, especially those that act within the digestive process to keep the foods consumed moving smoothly through the digestive tract. It is a cofactor, or partner, in the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids, and certain proteins.

Because it plays a role in the regulation of the activity of the thyroid, it is important to normal growth and development, as well as to the reproductive system. Vitamin B2 serves as a cofactor to Vitamin B6, which could not be active within the body without Vitamin B2, in many processes and also helps in making niacin useful to the body.

It also has a role in adrenal gland function. It is important to tissue repair in the body, and helps to keep the skin healthy, as well as the hair and the fingernails and toenails. It is essential to good vision, and may play a role in the prevention of cataracts.

Deficiency in Vitamin B2, or riboflavin, can cause a variety of physical and mental symptoms. Among these are skin disorders that range from simple dermatitis to open sores on the internal and external parts of the mouth, inflammation of the inner mouth and tongue, hair loss, slow or retarded growth, vision problems, itching, burning and watering of eyes, digestive difficulties, tremors, and oily skin.

Mental symptoms include dizziness, slowed mental processes, and insomnia, which can serve to make any and all of the other symptoms much feel worse. Children, depending on size and weight, need between .6mg to .9mg of Vitamin B2 per day. Adult males generally need about 1.3mg daily of Vitamin B2. Adult females require 1.1mg daily, and should increase the daily dosage to 1.5mg if pregnant or breastfeeding.

The Vitamin B complex nutrients are essential to the functioning and health of the body and the mind, and it is important to avoid deficiencies. Nutritional supplements serve as a safe and effective means of guaranteeing that your body has the Vitamin B2 that it needs each and every day.

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Friday, July 21, 2006

Vitamin B3 Plays An Important Role In Mental Health

Vitamin B3 is one of the vitamins that make up the nutritional powerhouse known as the Vitamin B complex. Vitamin B3 is also called niacin, nicotinic acid and niacinamide, and serves many vital purposes in the functioning of the body and the mind.

Vitamin B3 works with the other B vitamins to change food to energy. It also serves to regulate the appetite, as well as the digestive system. Its primary tasks within the digestive system relate to controlling the levels at which bile and other stomach fluids are secreted.

Among the other important contributions Vitamin B3 makes to the health of the body is the essential role it plays in the respiration of the cells, its role in keeping the nervous system healthy, and its relationship to the production of the hormones associated with reproduction. Vitamin B3 is also important to the health of the body’s biggest organ – the skin.

Vitamin B3 plays an important role in mental health, and recent research has made some intriguing connections between the use of Vitamin B3 supplements and the production of serotonin.

By using the supplements, L-Tryptophan then doesn’t have to be spent by the body in the making of niacin, thus freeing the L-Tryptophan to be taken to the nervous system, where it is processed into 5-http, which leads to the production of serotonin, important for mood and feelings of well-being. Serotonin imbalance has been shown to be associated with anxiety and depression.

Vitamin B3 is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that it is washed out of the body via the urine and the body must renew its supply of this vital nutrient daily. Deficiencies of vitamin B3 can have serious health consequences for both the body and the mind.

Physical symptoms of a niacin deficiency can include muscular weakness and a lack of muscular control, particularly in the larger muscles masses, such as those found in the legs. Other physical symptoms are open sores on the skin and in the mouth, a swollen tongue and chronic bad breathe, loss of appetite, chronic diarrhea, joint pain, low blood sugar and headaches.

It can also cause the disease pellagra, which presents with such symptoms as severe dermatitis, diarrhea and dementia. Mental symptoms of a serious can include depression, fatigue, and insomnia. The insomnia makes all of the other symptoms, physical and mental, that much harder to bear.

Dietary supplements are a safe and effective way to be sure that you meet the recommended daily requirements of B3 in your diet. However, it is important to use dietary supplements according to the standard dose levels, as taking too much can cause other health problems, some serious in nature. There are cases in which higher than standard does may be recommended, such as to combat symptoms that have been brought about by deficiencies.

However, taking does higher than the standard levels should only be done when under the care of a qualified healthcare professional. Dietary supplements, like all medications, should always be kept out of the reach of children.

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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Vitamin B5 Serves Many Important Functions To Keep Body And Mind

Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid, serves the body in many ways. It is a member of the nutritionally elite group of eight vitamins known collectively as the Vitamin B complex. This powerful group of vitamins has a role nearly every major body system and process. The Vitamin B complex serves to keep both body and mind functioning and in good health.

Vitamin B5, like all of the vitamins that form the B complex, is essential to the body’s ability to use the food it takes in as fuel for its myriad of processes, great and small. It works in the regular maintenance and repair of all bodily tissues, from the cellular level up. This makes it an essential part of the body’s efforts to fight the physical damage that excessive stress contributes to.

Vitamin B5 serves many important functions in the nervous system, especially in terms of nerve function and health. Among the contributions that Vitamin B5 makes to the nervous system is the production of neurotransmitters, which are important to the ability of the nerves to communicate.

Because of its important role in the growth and health of the hair and necessity to healthy skin, it is used frequently in a variety of cosmetic products. Vitamin B5, acting as a cofactor to other members of the Vitamin B complex and other nutrients, has an important role in the functioning of the adrenal glands and also serves to promote normal growth of the body, due to its role in hormone production throughout the body.

Deficiency in Vitamin B5 can have a variety of negative consequences for the body and the mind. Physical symptoms include fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakened immune system, abdominal pain, neurological disorders, muscle weakness and cramps, increased insulin sensitivity, acne, digestive problems, and slow or retarded growth.

Mental symptoms of Vitamin B5 include depression, personality disorders and change, sleep disturbances, and insomnia, which generally makes most other deficiency symptoms feel much worse. In general, adults should have about 5mg of Vitamin B5 per day, with women increasing their daily intake to 6mg to 7mg while pregnant or breastfeeding. Children, depending on size and weight, should have about 2mg to 4mg of Vitamin B5 each day.

The importance of the Vitamin B complex to physical health and mental functioning cannot be overstated. For optimum performance of the body and the mind, including cognitive functions and emotional responses and stability, the standard recommended daily intake levels of these vitamins should be achieved every day. Because these are water-soluble vitamins, they are washed away daily with the urine and thus, the body’s supply of these essential nutrients must be renewed daily.

Nutritional supplements are a reliable and safe way to meet these important nutritional goals, provided that attention is given to the accepted limits of dosage. Too much of any nutrient can be toxic, and often can cause as much damage as having too little. The body is a delicately balanced system, and requires that balance to be maintained to function at its best.

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