Best Multivitamin Brands

3 Secrets of Finding the Best Natural Supplement Revealed

If you really want to improve your health the easy and fast way, then finding the best multivitamin brands should be your next step. I have personally used what I consider to be the best multivitamin brands for a very long time.

I can tell you from personal experience that they work wonders on your health and happiness. You see, the human body requires the nutrients that the best multivitamin brands contain today. This is why it is so important to find a high quality product that contains a slew of different nutrients.

A few examples are vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, flavonoids, neuronutrients, carotenoids, standardized herbal extracts and specialty ingredients, such as resveratrol. So how do you find a high grade supplement? That's what this article is about so let's look at three ways you can locate them.

1. Company. Always begin by looking at the company. Do they follow strict pharmaceutical guidelines to ensure the highest quality in their multivitamin? How long have they been in business? The longer a company has existed the better the chance that they are legit.

2. Proof. You should always look for clinical trials and evidence of their products and the ingredients used in the supplements. The best websites will list their ingredients on their websites and give links to scientific research confirming the effectiveness.

3. Quality is last but definitely not least. By quality I mean that you should look for a product that uses natural ingredients and not synthetic ones. Many cheap supplements today use synthetic vitamins to save money, but that is one reason why they are so cheap. So make sure you buy the best multivitamin brands if you really want to take advantage of the new scientific breakthroughs that have been made.

By Henri K. Junttila

Essential Vitamins In Foods

Which Foods Have Essential Vitamins?

Vitamins are crucial for your overall health, and the best place to get natural vitamins is through the foods you eat. Learn which foods are the best source for vitamins:

A (retinol)

Has a positive effect on skin, overall immunity, tooth and bone growth, vision and reproductive fertility. You can find vitamin A in foods like mangoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, pumpkin, butternut squash, tomato juice and even beef liver.

B1 (thiamine)

Your body needs B1 for improved energy metabolism as well as for nerve functioning. It's found in many foods, such as: sunflower seeds, lean pork, spinach, tomato juice, green peas and soy milk.

B3 (niacin)

B3 is good for metabolism, healthy skin, nerves and your digestive system. To improve your intake of B3, eat plenty of potatoes, chicken breast, liver, spinach, tomato juice, lean ground beef, tuna and shrimp.

B6 (pyridoxine)

This vitamin is necessary to create new red blood cells as well as amino acid and fatty acid metabolism. It's found in foods like broccoli, acorn squash, potatoes, bananas, tomato juice, watermelon, white rice and chicken white meat.

Vitamin B12

Your body uses B12 to help create new cells, metabolize fatty acids and amino acids. It also supports the maintenance of your nervous system. B12 is found mostly in animal products such as meat, fish, milk, poultry, eggs and shellfish.

Biotin

Biotin aids in the metabolism of amino acids, synthesis of fats and overall energy metabolism. Biotin is found in too many foods to list.

C (ascorbic acid)

The health benefits of vitamin C include an improved absorption of iron, amino acid metabolism and collagen synthesis. It also helps your immune system and is an antioxidant. You will get vitamin C when you eat oranges, strawberries, snow peas, tomato juice, red bell peppers, broccoli, spinach and mangoes.

Vitamin D

The main function of vitamin D is the promotion of bone mineralization. It's found in milk that has been fortified with vitamin D, egg yolks, fatty fish and beef liver. Fortified vitamin D used in processed foods is lab made synthetic substance. They have been proven to be not safe and effective.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant, and it also supports the stabilization of cell membranes. For extra vitamin E, you should eat sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, avocado, tofu, shrimp, wheat germ, cod fish and polyunsaturated plant oils (such as corn, canola or soybean).

Folate

Folate's main role in the body is the synthesis of DNA as well as the formation of new cells. It's found in many foods, including: green beans, spinach, asparagus, lentils, pinto beans, okra, tomato juice, broccoli and black-eyed peas.

Vitamin K

You need vitamin K to help maintain blood-clotting functions and to keep the levels of calcium in your blood stable. Foods like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, liver and other leafy green vegetables all contain vitamin K.

Pantothenic Acid

This final vitamin compound is directly involved with overall energy metabolism and is found widely in too many foods to list out.

A Note on Food Safety

Because of harmful and questionable practices of conventional farming and food processing methods, locally, naturally and organically grown foods should be consumed whenever possible.

Fish, especially tuna has mercury and other industrial waste contamination. Deep-water fish like wild Alaskan salmons are much safer to consume.

By Ray Chowdhury

B Vitamins

What is Vitamin B?

Eight different vitamins make up a vitamin B complex. Each separate B vitamin has a different function. That is why one can buy individual B vitamins or all of them together in a complex.

There are two kinds of vitamins in general fat soluble and water soluble.

Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K are absorbed through the intestines with the help of lipids (good fats). They are then stored in the liver and fat and are slower to leave your body than water soluble vitamins. That is why, when taking supplements like A, D, E & K, you need to make sure you don't take too much. (Also taking things like copper can be easily overdone; so one should probably do some research before taking various supplements)

Water soluble vitamins, such as B or C, dissolve easily in water. Sorry here, but that is why urine is much more potent and changes colors when one is taking a vitamin such a B complex. These vitamins leave the body rapidly and therefore need to be replaced often by either diet or supplements. One reason supplements have become so popular and important is that even when we try to eat healthy our food is not always as fresh as we would like to believe, it takes a long time to get to us and then sits on a shelf waiting to go to our home, meanwhile losing many nutrients. Also when we cook food it tends lose a lot of nutrition. Foods high in vitamin B are numerous. Vitamin B is found in meat, animal byproducts, grains and vegetables. The confusing part is that there are so many different B's it take allot of research to figure out which B vitamins are coming from which foods but if you are really determined you can figure it out.

Vitamin B has many benefits. My personal favorites are increased energy and metabolism. Vitamin B also helps to lower stress and ease PMS, a benefit my family greatly appreciates. It has always amazed me that vitamin B seems to be recommended more often than anything else when researching an ailment. Vitamin B has been shown to be beneficial in aiding the effects of depression, carpal tunnel syndrome, heart disease, strokes, fibrocystic breast, ringing in the ears, fatigue, and much more.

Vitamin B supplements come in a variety of potentcies and combinations. Vitamin B complex 50 is probably the most well rounded and basic. Most of the time (depending on the manufacture) it contains a combination of the b vitamins at a dosage appropriate for most people. Vitamin B 100 is normally the same combination as B complex 50 just made at a higher dosage for people with a more severe B deficiency. Vitamin B absorption can be hindered by factors such as drinking and smoking. The majority of people are deficient in B vitamins. B vitamins are water soluble and if you get to much one will probably flush out the excess with no problem. That being said one could get to much B vitamin and that can result in nasty side effects. A link to a great resource for Vitamin B complex side effect is located in my reference box. It is rare but there is such a thing as vitamin B overdose.

I feel the need to point out that my knowledge of supplements is a passion not a profession. I have studied this subject a great deal and will always personally attest to benefits of supplements.

By Sierra Miller

Getting a Multivitamin

Getting a Multivitamin That's Worth Taking

A good nutritional supplement program builds its foundation on a multivitamin/mineral. But not just the first one you lay your hands on. I recommend TwinLab Daily One Without Iron. Why? That 's what I'm here to discuss.

I pretty much don't know how to be casual about my recommendations, so, after 30+ years spent studying the vitamins and minerals we all need, I spent days doing computer research on multi ingredients, then more days going to health food stores to read labels and talk to people. I had ingredient labels floating through my dreams.

To arrive at my recommendation, I matched what we need against what each multi offered.

I have no connection with the TwinLab company. I receive no compensation of any sort from them. I based my choice strictly on the merits.

So, what are the merits?

TwinLab enjoys a good reputation as a quality provider of nutritional supplements. I like that.

This multi offers significant amounts of minerals. Many multis come up short in minerals, which I don't understand. Studies show we all need more minerals. People dealing with fatigue and endocrine problems REALLY need more minerals. I want a multi that packs a punch.

The minerals are balanced, too. You can't take minerals willy-nilly. For instance, zinc and copper have to hit a proper ratio to be a blessing and not a problem. And different forms of the minerals are preferable to others; this multi has good minerals. (More on that later.)

And my recommended multi has a simple formulation, another plus. It covers the basics well, with no frills. I like that. Today's multis make me tense with their large array of herbs. We have very little solid research on individual herbs and NO research on combinations of herbs. Bunches of herbs create an unnecessary risk.

I'm not opposed to herbs. I take a few herbs, and I'm researching more, but throwing them in by the handful is nuts.

Simple, straightforward supplements acknowledge our uniqueness. We're all different, our needs are different and we react differently to everything we take in. By keeping things simple, we can spot and fix problems pretty quickly.

I also like the idea of one pill getting the job done. Taking pills doesn't make anybody's top ten list of things to do, so having to take only one increases the chances it'll happen. And one-pill adds flexibility. With a known problem of absorbing nutrients, I take two a day. And I'd build, say, a cancer patient up to three a day, for a while, to maximize the cancer-fighting components. So, you can ramp up without reaching overwhelming numbers. And the minerals stay in their proper ratios.

Never take a multi with iron. Long story. Just don't do it. This multi has molybdenum, which does a lot of what iron does-plus adds a few benefits of its own-but without the risk.

As I said, this is the best multi I could find. But I can't declare perfection.

I wish it had a different form of chromium. However, it does have a goodly amount of chromium, which significantly compensates.

I wish it included boron. Among its several talents, boron helps us absorb the minerals we get.

Finally, I wish it didn't include soy lecithin. Soy gets me crazed. But my research says lecithin doesn't wreak the havoc of most soy. Plus, it shows up near the bottom of the ingredient list, so there's not much. Also, it's in all the other multis of value, too. Sigh.

To sum up then, no other multi matches my positives, but all the other multis offer a bunch of negatives. Add the fact that TwinLab Daily One Without Iron is reasonably priced and widely available and you have it.

If I ever find something even better, I'll let you know.

By Bette Dowdell

Liquid Multi Vitamins and Minerals

Nutritional Supplements

Among the hoards of nutritional supplements, it is certainly not easy to choose without any help from expert. Rather it is said to be a good practice to seek expertise while doing such job so that you do not go wrong and select the right supplement suitable for you. As the life expectancy is increased these days, everyone wants to have a life filled with energy and joy. But our changed lifestyle and stress ma not allow us to have the optimal life we desire. This is when nutritional supplements come into consideration.

But one thing is sure. Hasty selection of nutritional supplement will always land you in trouble. Proper assessment of the ingredients of the supplements and checking the legitimacy of the supplier are necessary before proceeding further. Moreover, experts suggest that you should always opt for natural and herbal nutritional supplements and not synthetic ones. This will help you curb your chances of developing nasty side effects. After all, you want good health not attached with side effects! Broad spectrum vitamin and mineral supplement is better over the narrow spectrum because the broad spectrum ensures that concentration of vitamins, minerals, as well as trace elements are maintained in the formulation so that they can be absorbed in desired concentration upon consumption.

The natural supplement must possess vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and B-complex vitamins like riboflavin, pyridoxine, thiamine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, and cyanocobalamin. Biotin should also be looked for in this supplement. The powerful fruit extracts are an additional plus in these health or nutritional supplements. The fruits like amalaki, pomegranate, wolfberries, lyceum, acai, mangosteen etc are potent anti-oxidant boosters in the system. Also they are rich sources of calcium, iron, and other trace elements.

You should also look for herbal supplements in these products. Glucoronalactone, L-carnitine, Eleuthro, Schizandra, Aloe Vera etc are some of the ingredients one should bear in mind while selecting from the ready-to-use supplements. The supplements should naturally energize your body and not destabilize the existing flow. They should also boost the metabolism in positive way so that fat stores are mobilized and weight reduction ensues.

No doubt these nutritional supplements act as the wonderful anti-aging formula too. The ingredients like Aloe Vera are examples of defying age by beatifying the skin and stimulating the anti-oxidants to fight against free radicals. Also the ingredients like lycopene, lutein, quercetin, turmeric, alpha lepoic acid etc should be present in these supplements that help one fight against the aging attributes.

One must also remember that for action of all vitamins and minerals properly, the formula should be just perfect. Mere synergistic mixture many times causes harm rather than doing any good. For example, some nutrients or vitamins act well if certain other nutrient is present. The B complex group of vitamins is utilized by the body properly if the ingredient list comprises of Choline bitartrate. So, such minute details must be studied beforehand so that you grab the best possible natural nutritional supplement for yourself!

By Koua Her

Water-Soluble Vitamins

Water-Soluble Vitamins Your Body Needs

This article will discuss some of the main water-soluble vitamins you need to maintain good health and keep your body fully energized. Some of the foods that you can eat to help you get these vitamins naturally will also be discussed. There are a total of 8 B vitamins and Vitamin C that are water-soluble.

Thiamin B1 is needed to help convert carbs into energy. It will also assist your body in keeping your brain, nerve and heart healthy and running smooth. If you don't get enough, it can cause depression, cramps, and severe nerve damage. You can get plenty of B1 by eating red meat, soy, oatmeal and other grains.

Riboflavin B2 also provides a means to generate energy and is required for good vision and healthy skin, as well as assisting your body in the production of red blood cells. If you don't get enough B2 you can become sensitive to light, and skin becomes dry and scaly. You can get your B2 from high protein foods like milk, eggs, yogurt, meat and green leafy vegetables.

Niacin B3 also helps with healthy skin, nerves and certain digestive functions. Large doses can cause liver damage, deficiencies can cause death if it is extreme. You will get plenty of B3 from meat, eggs, cereals and peanut butter.

Pyridoxine B6 is important for chemical reactions in your cells and assists in red blood cell production and brain functions. Deficiencies of B6 can cause dementia, anemia and convulsions. You can get plenty of natural B6 by eating meats, fish, whole grains and bananas.

Cobalamin B12 can help with red blood cell production and keeping your nervous system running smooth. Strict vegetarians can run the risk of not getting enough B12 because it is mainly found in foods related to animals. You should be able to get enough by eating meat and milk products.

Folic acid is mainly found in leafy vegetables, and it is known to help prevent birth defects. It is needed to make DNA. It is also known to help prevent certain cancers. Collard greens, spinach and asparagus are foods high in folic acid.

Vitamin C is perhaps the best known water-soluble vitamin. It serves to keep bones and teeth healthy and can boost your immune system. It also helps you absorb iron. Fruits, berries, and even peppers contain good doses of vitamin C.

No that you know what foods to eat to get your vitamins, you can pay more attention and take a supplement if you are not getting enough of certain ones.

By Steve Morse

The Best Vitamin K Rich Foods -

Astonishingly Simple Sources of Vitamin K You Have to Know About

Finding the best vitamin k rich foods is essential if you want to avoid a vitamin K deficiency, which might not be problematic now, but can turn into something bad down the road.

Vitamin K rich foods help your blood to clot as it should, protects against osteoporosis and helps your body transport calcium.

Deficiency Symptoms

Common deficiency symptoms are:

• Gum bleeding
• Hemorrhaging
• Easily bruised
• Osteoporosis
• Osteopenia
• Fractures
• Liver Cancer

As you can see, there is a lot of bleeding that happens if you are deficient. It can also cause some birth defects if you're expecting a child, so make sure you have adequate amounts of it.

Best Vitamin K Rich Foods

A lot of the best vitamin K rich foods are vegetables, which a lot of people don't get enough of. A good way to make sure you're getting enough nutrients to your body can be to eat more vegetables, or even take a high quality multivitamin supplement.

With all that said, here are some of the best vitamin K rich foods:

• Parsley
• Kale
• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Mustard greens
• Brussel sprouts
• Broccoli
• Romaine lettuce

The Different Forms

There are three different forms: vitamin K1, K2 and K3. K1 (phylloquinone) is the plant form, which you can find in the vegetables that I listed above.

K2 (menaquinone) is the one that has shown the best health benefits for humans. It is also very expensive when used in multivitamin supplements, but it is the best if you want to improve your health. K2 is produced from K1 by the bacteria that can be found in animal and human intestines.

K3 (menadione) is a synthetic form that has been used in the treatment of cancer, but it is not allowed in multivitamin supplements because it can have dangerous side-effects.

The Best Way to Get Vitamin K

The best way is to eat both vitamin K rich foods and use a multivitamin that contains vitamin K2, because it is very powerful in keeping you healthy and well.

Finding a multivitamin that not only contains K2, but other nutrients that synergistically enhance the health benefits of the whole supplement is one of the best ways to go.

By Henri K. Junttila

B-Vitamin Foods

Top B-Vitamin Super Foods

The B-vitamin complex consists of 11 essential vitamins for your health. They work synergistically and are better taken as a complex in whole food form, rather than individually. It is essential to have B complex vitamins from a variety of foods in your diet.

B vitamins are critical for mental health, for the metabolism to function properly and for a healthy nervous system. Common B-vitamin deficiency symptoms are depression, suicidal tendencies, panic attacks, fear, irritability or nervousness. Correcting these deficiencies is as simple as including the following super foods consistently in your diet. They have high concentrations of the B-vitamin complex.

• Nutritional yeast-loaded with the b vitamins and amino acids.
• Spirulina-algae that supports life. It is a rich source of many minerals and vitamins and used as food for the astronauts.
• Bee pollen-rejuvenates the body and stimulates organs and glands and enhances vitality.
• Dark-green leafy vegetables-powerhouse of nutrients for your whole body.
• Whole grains-soaking or fermenting overnight neutralizes the phytic acid that causes digestive problems and increases the nutritional content.
• Whole wheat-soaked or fermented wheat.
• Brown rice-the nutrition is in the bran. Don't eat white rice.
• Oatmeal-soaked or fermented. Oats are soothing for the nervous system.
• Yogurt-full of probiotics for digestion.
• Kefir-also full of probiotics. Essential for good health.
• Wheat germ-don't eat white flour products. The germ is a part of the wheat kernel. Remove it and the nutrition is lost.
• Blackstrap molasses-still contains minerals and vitamins that are lost in the next steps towards processing sugar.
• Dried beans-powerhouses of nutrients. Soak or ferment for 12-24 hours to neutralize the compounds that cause digestive problems.
• Nuts and seeds-super nutrients in tiny packages. Great for snack and essential fatty acids.

Include these super foods throughout your weekly diet and cut down or eliminate processed foods. The more whole foods you eat, the healthier you will be. And you will reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of B vitamin deficiency!

©2009 Shanna Ohmes

By Shanna Ohmes

Vitamin D Supplements

Do We Really Need Extra Vitamin D to Be Healthy?

Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. Research has discovered that the majority of people today are deficient in it. One of the best way to get enough of it, especially during winter time, is to use high quality vitamin D supplements.

The best form is called D3, which has been proven to be the most beneficial for the human body. An even better way to take advantage of not only the health benefits of vitamin D, but also other nutrients, is to take a multi-vitamin supplement that has been proven to be safe and pure.

Vitamin D has been proven to help with the development of strong bones, prevent cancers, reduce depression, help with diabetes and a host of other things.

It is especially important if you're not getting enough sun all year around. This means being in the sun 15 to 30 minutes per day, preferably with as few clothes on your body as possible.

For most people this is not possible, and many people also use sun blocks that prevent the sun from giving your body sufficient levels of vitamin D.

One of the best ways to ensure that your body gets not only enough vitamin D, but also other important nutrients is to take a multinutrient formula that has been proven to be safe by following strict pharmaceutical guidelines.

Some of the best sources of vitamin D are:

• Salmon
• Tuna fish
• Milk
• Cod Liver Oil
• Mackerel
• Egg
• Liver

But studies have discovered that even though some people eat a lot of these foods, they are still deficient in vitamin D, which shows you that taking a supplement that ensures that your body has enough of it can really make a difference in your health.

We really do need extra vitamin D. Many researchers have found that even people living in warmer climates are often deficient.

By Henri K. Junttila

Vitamin D For Your Health

Getting Enough Vitamin D is Important For Your Health

Today, most people are aware of the negative aspects of too much. There is the possibility of sun damage leading to premature aging and skin cancer. This has lead many people to stay out of the sun where possible. However, experts are now thinking that many people are missing out on important levels of Vitamin D and sunlight is the body's best source of this important vitamin.

Vitamin D plays an essential part in bone and muscle health. People who are low in Vitamin D are susceptible to osteoporosis later in life and helps with muscle coordination. There is some evidence that this vitamin can also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, a variety of cancers, diabetes, depression, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune diseases.

So, what is the answer? You need to get the balance right between not damaging your skin and getting enough Vitamin D. Short, frequent exposures to the sun are the best way to do this.

Here are some other tips:

- Determine what you need for your skin type. The darker you are, the more exposure you need. Fair skinned people will need less sun.
- Look up the UV index. If the level is below 3 then it is safe to walk around without any protection.
- On average, you will need only 10 minutes in the sun a day. You'll need more in winter.
- The more skin than is exposed to the sun, the less time you will need.
- You should be in the sun long enough to get burnt.

These tips are most important for those high at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. This includes:

- the elderly;
- people who don't get much exposure to the sun;
- dark skinned people
- breastfed babies
- people with osteoporosis
- those on immunosuppressants.

By Fannie R. Marshall

Buying Liquid Vitamins

Things You Should Know

People have a lot of different reasons for buying liquid vitamins. Some people just can't swallow pills and capsules, others have children that need an easy way to take vitamins and most people realize now that to get the best absorption and benefits, a liquid vitamin is the way to go. The problem most people run into when trying to buy liquid vitamins is not only finding one but finding a quality product.

Benefits of Liquid Vitamins

After learning all the benefits liquid vitamins offer it is surprising to find so many pill forms of vitamins still out there. The first and most important difference is the absorption rate. The traditional vitamin pill has a very poor absorption rate which directly affects how much or how little benefit a person will receive from the vitamins. A pill has binders and fillers added to help keep the pill together and is then compressed with 60,000 foot/pounds of pressure to form the pill. The body's digestive system can't break down most pills because of how hard they are. In fact many nurses in hospitals call vitamin pills bed pan bullets because even after going through the body you can still read the name on the pill. This means that no matter how much nutrition is in the pill, the body is only absorbing a very small percentage. Liquid vitamins however are readily available to be absorbed by the body so they deliver much more of the nutrition. There are even 'isotonic' vitamins available. Isotonic means 'same as' your body fluids like your tears, blood and sweat. The liquid is isotonic so that when you drink it your body recognizes it as already digested and absorbs it immediately. An isotonic vitamin will absorb 95% to 98% in 5 to 10 minutes. For this reason people actually start to notice health benefits when using liquid vitamins and supplements. To learn more about isotonic supplements visit Market America's website.

Cost of Liquid Vitamins

People are many times surprised at the cost of most liquid vitamins. They are usually more expensive per serving than pills. But if you put into perspective the the amount of actual nutrition that is absorbed into the body, the price of the liquids will almost always be more reasonable. For example, if you are spending $10 for a 30 day supply of vitamin pills that had 50mg of vitamins per serving in it, but only 10% of the nutrition was being absorbed (which is good for a pill), your paying $0.07 per mg being absorbed. On the other hand the same 50mg liquid vitamin that seems more expensive at $30 for a 30 day supply which absorbs at 90% would break down to about $0.02 per mg being absorbed. Again, this superior absorption rate is why people actually notice results when they take liquid vitamins. So, what is the point of paying less for something that isn't going to be effective anyway. It may seem more expensive when buying liquid vitamins, but in the long run they will actually do what they are supposed to and will usually cost less than that soda or coffee you buy everyday anyway.

By David Eigenfeld

New Vitamin

Buzzwords in the Vitamin World

Talk about overwhelming! New vitamin buzzwords are constantly emerging, but what do they all mean and how do they play a role in our everyday lives?

Omega 3

Omega 3 is found in fish oils and can be consumed by eating tuna, salmon, herring, trout and anchovies. But for those not so keen on fish, it can be taken in supplement form. Over 25,000 international scientific studies confirm that long-term consumption of Omega-3 fish oils provides benefits to the heart, joints, and skin health as well as memory. In more recent studies, it has been proven that Omega 3 fish oils can even improve emotional well-being.

Riboflavin

Riboflavin, Vitamin G or Vitamin B2, is a member of the B-complex family. Small quantities of this water soluble vitamin are in almost every type of plant and animal tissue. Vitamin B2 is accountable for several important bodily functions including helping with the metabolisation process of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is the most common occurring form of coenzyme Q, needed by and found in every cell in the human body. Its main purpose is to ensure the production of adequate energy within the cell mitochondria, but coenzyme Q10 is also a powerful anti-oxidant, and is particularly significant because it is the only fat-soluble anti-oxidant which can be manufactured within the body. Like other fat-soluble anti-oxidants, such as vitamin E, coenzyme Q10 is vital for the protection of fatty structures within cells from the damage and deterioration which may be caused by oxidative reactions and free radical activity.
Free Radicals

Free radicals are molecules with electrons that do not have a "pair", so they are looking for oxygen atoms to join with. There are oxygen atoms in the cell membranes that attract these free radicals. The free radical particles steal the oxygen atoms from our cells and this allows them to multiply and damage our cells causing them to mutate in some cases. They are simply another factor deteriorating our bodies because of the modern lifestyle and environment that we live in. Free radicals in our body come from outside sources like toxins and pollutants we are exposed to, as well as from the cellular processes in our body that can cause the creation of the said molecules. Antioxidants are a popular ingredient in vitamin formulas because they prevent free radical damage to the cells in the body.

Beta Carotene

Beta Carotene, as an anti-oxidant, assists the cardiovascular system. After the body transforms Beta carotene to Vitamin A, it helps maintain the health of the skin, immune system and eyes. Beta carotene both lowers cholesterol and helps reduce arterial hardening. It may also benefit sufferers of cataracts, cancer, AIDS, high blood pressure, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, headaches and asthma brought on by exercise.

Natural Vitamins

Natural vitamins are vitamins extracted from natural ingredients rather than synthetic ones. Natural vitamins are thought to be better absorbed, and are often used in better quality supplements.

Organic Minerals

This is a term that means that the mineral has been bonded to plant or animal based ingredients. Organic minerals are more bioavailable than inorganic minerals, which means that the body digests and absorbs them better. Look out for ingredients with the words "amino acid chelate" listed after the mineral.

By Ralph Lauren

Include Vitamin B12 In Your Diet

Why Vitamin B12 Must Be Part of Your Diet

Vitamin B12 is the largest and most complex of all the vitamins. It is commonly found in milk, cheese, shellfish, meat and eggs and various other dairy products. It is also known to help maintain the health of the body's nerve and red blood cells, as well as being essential for making DNA. Vitamin B12 is a popular ingredient in anti-aging creams, since a lack of the vitamin in the body contributes to the aging of skin. It is available in injection form, as a stand-alone topical product and as an ingredient in many anti-aging creams.

Deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency is most commonly the result of inadequate absorption. Deficiency symptoms and disorders associated with low levels of this vitamin are pernicious anemia weakness, personality changes, mood changes, and abnormal sensations like tingling in the arms and legs. Deficiency is more commonly linked to the inability to absorb the vitamin due to lack of intrinsic factor than to insufficient dietary intake. Since the body stores vitamin B12, symptoms of deficiency can take up to four to five years of poor dietary intake or lack of intrinsic factor production to appear. Additional symptoms related to deficiency are poor appetite, tiredness, nervousness, neuritis, degeneration of spinal cord, depression, and lack of balance.

Body

Body stores of vitamin B12 can be managed by a daily oral supplement of B12. Vitamin B12 needs an intrinsic factor in order to be fully absorbed by the body. It also helps strengthen the capillaries in the body. As any excess vitamin B12 is naturally excreted by the body, it is not thought to be a dangerous supplement to take, although of course you should mention taking it to your doctor. This vitamin is very efficiently conserved by the body, with high re-absorption rates common.

Anemia

Anemia is the first sign that the body is not getting an adequate supply of Vitamin B12. Anemia can result from a variety of medical problems, including deficiencies of this vitamin, vitamin B6, folate and iron. Anemia may also be due to folic acid deficiency, folic acid also being necessary for DNA synthesis.

Supplements

This vitamin is available in a number of different forms, such as injections, topical creams and supplements to be taken orally. There are vitamin supplements, which do not contain animal products for those who prefer to have a vegetarian diet. The Food and Nutrition Board advises adults to limit their folic acid intake (through supplements and fortification) to 1 mg per day. Large intakes of this vitamin from food or supplements have caused no toxicity in healthy people. The principal form of this vitamin used in supplements is cyanocobalamin.

Healthy Diet and Lifestyle

A healthy diet and balanced lifestyle will add immeasurably to one's general feeling of well-being and enjoyment of life. It is something to strive for continuously.

By Alan Wortman

Liquid Vitamin Supplements

Brief Guide to Liquid Vitamin Supplements

Are you interested in bettering your life by taking vitamin supplements? There are many products on the market that will allow you to implement them into your life easily and effectively. A liquid vitamin is the easiest way for many consumers to take a vitamin because they don’t have to swallow a large pill or incorporate any powders or grains into their diet. Vitamins are not something that everyone enjoys taking, but they can help our bodies be much healthier so we can live a happier life. There are many different forms in which vitamins are available; you simply have to find the one that is right for you. Considering liquid vitamins is a great idea for people of all ages.

One of the popular liquid vitamin options on the market today is MangoXan. This is a juice that is made from the mangosteen fruit which comes from Southeast Asia. The fruit has been known to locals for thousands of years, but has just recently become known to people all around the world. Locally, the fruit is known for providing healthy vitamins that are needed to achieve good health. The rind of the plant has been steeped in hot water by locals for centuries, and they believe that consuming the liquid can quiet digestive problems as well as to improve the overall health of the urinary tract. Locals in the area consider the fruit the queen of fruits because of all of its healing properties. Today consumers can purchase fruit purees as well as fruit juices that contain the mangosteen fruit, allow for them to benefit as those in Southeast Asia have been benefiting for ages.

There are many discount vitamins available to consumers today, and these include the liquid vitamins such as the MangoXan juices. There are many online resources for discount vitamins and often times if you purchase large quantities of the vitamins you can receive large discounts and be assured that you are getting a quality product. When buying discount vitamins you should simply be sure that you are getting what you are paying for, meaning that the products you are buying contain the ingredients that you want. Many times the products that are sold at a discount are not quality products and their benefits are limited. Simply protect yourself by researching the resource as well as the products that they carry to be sure that you are getting vitamins that will improve and support your overall health.

By Caitlina Fuller

Vitamin Supplements

Is a Multivitamin Pill Sufficient?

Many people these days take daily vitamin supplements. These can be either in the form of a multivitamin pill or individual pills of the various vitamins required. Which is best? Well obviously if you can get all the vitamins you need in one pill you would opt for the multivitamin pill or capsule. However the simple fact is that a multivitamin pill usually contains minimal quantities of each supplement in order to squeeze them all into one pill. For instance many multi pills contain 50 or 60 milligrams of vitamin C and maybe 50 units of vitamin E. Although these amounts will help toward the daily minimum requirements they are by no means the optimal dosage.

To prevent or treat common colds Dr. Linus Pauling suggested taking 2000mg or more of vitamin C. It is impossible to get this quantity by consuming vitamin rich fruits and veggies. You must take a supplement to get amounts that big. The multivitamin pill just won,t do it for you. The same is true for Vitamin E which is usually recommended in 200 to 800 unit dosage daily.

So don't expect to get the optimum amounts of all vitamins just by taking a single multi pill daily. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for most vitamins is simply the very minimum amount required to avoid nutritional deficiency. It is not the amount needed to provide optimal health. You may get all or nearly all of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals in a multivitamin pill but you need much more for the best health and nourishment in many cases. Taking a multivitamin pill daily is however good insurance that you are getting at least minimal amounts of all the supplements in the pill.

Which is best a pill or a capsule? Pills are less expensive and contain more vitamins in a very compact form. Disadvantage is that they may dissolve too slowly in the stomach to provide the best absorption of the contents. Many pills are packed very hard and hence dissolve slowly. They may also contain magnesium stearate which is added to facilitate manufacture of the pills but also makes them slow to dissolve. A tablet should dissolve in 30 to 60 minutes to be fully effective and not all of them do.

The capsule form is more expensive and contains less of each supplement as a rule. However it dissolves readily in the stomach providing full use of the contents. It is an individual choice and may depend on your budget since capsules are considerably more expensive. The lower cost multivitamins may also contain less of the essential supplements and fewer in total. Read the contents listed on the package before purchasing and compare the total number of supplements contained in each pill as well as the amounts of each. Finally consider how much extra supplementation you need to take to get optimum amounts of some of the vitamins you need most.

By John Mowatt