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Health & Fitness

HealthLine: So You Want to Be Like Popeye, heh?

We're gonna pump you up!

The word vitamin derives from the term vitamine, first used by Polish biochemist Dr. Casimir Funk in 1912 to describe substances that were found to be vital to life and contained an amine.  Vitamins are a group of nutrients found only in living things, plants and animals.  Vitamins were discovered by Dutch physician, Christiaan Eijkmann, who won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1925.

Vitamins are divided into two classes.  Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed by the body using the processes which parallel the absorption of fat, are stored in the liver and used by the body very slowly.  Water soluble vitamins are used by the body very quickly and the excess amounts are eliminated in urine.

Fat soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A are found in carrots and needed for good vision.  Vitamin D, the “sunlight” vitamin, is produced by the body when UVB rays strike the skin and allows for the absorption of calcium from food preventing osteoporosis.  Vitamin E prevents tissue damage and Vitamin K is needed for proper blood clotting.

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The water soluble vitamins list is longer, but just as important.  Vitamin B1, Thiamine, aids the nervous system and is particularly deficient in alcoholic patients.  Vitamin B2, Riboflavin, helps prevent migraine headaches, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, acne rosacea, dermatitis and eczema.  Vitamin B3, Niacin, is used to reduce blood lipid levels and Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine, aids the production of serotonin and supports a healthy immune system.

Vitamin B5, Pantothenic Acid, is essential for human growth and Vitamin B7, Biotin, metabolizes fat.  Vitamin B9, Folic Acid, is particularly relevant for DNA synthesis and human growth, which is why it is so important in pregnant and lactating women. Vitamin C is essential to life by forming and maintaining bones, blood vessels, skin and strengthens the immune system.

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Poor vitamin intake will lead to various vitamin deficiencies, but too much of a good thing, as in excessive intake of vitamins will lead to their own potential health risks. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council publishes the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) for vitamins based on scientific research and clinical findings.  The RDA refers to the estimate of the average daily requirement to consume in order keep an individual healthy.

Only three vitamins (D, K and Biotin) are manufactured in the body from non-dietary sources, all the others are provided by dietary consumption or supplementation.  One in three Americans, 100 million people, take vitamins on a daily basis which is why it has become a $6.5 billion dollar industry per year.

Vitamin A in spinach gave Popeye all those muscles.  The guy who gave Popeye that tattoo should get a punch in the face for giving him something that ugly.

Dr. Ballard is a Board Certified Internist and Geriatrician with a special interest in Women’s Health.  She practices in Enumclaw, 360-825-1389.  Dr. Ballard’s comments are informational only and not to be construed as medical advice.  Consult your personal physician for any medical issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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