Monday, September 27, 2010

Vitamins B7, B9 and B12

B7 (Biotin)

Biotin is a B vitamin made by the flora of your gastrointestinal tract. It is involved in the metabolism of fats and proteins. Excessive amounts of biotin synthesize with bacteria and kill it. If you take antibiotics all of the time, the bacteria that synthesizes biotin are killed off and you will not make enough.

Functions of B7 in your body

• Increases insulin sensitivity
• Needed for fatty acid synthesis
• Strengthens nails
• Used in energy metabolism

Diseases / disorders that can be treated with B7

• Brittle nails
• Diabetes mellitus
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Seborrheic dermatitis

B9 (Folic Acid)

Vitamin B9 has many functions in the body but is especially important for energy production and the immune system. Part of the B9 you need is made in your intestine, while the rest can be found in food or supplements. The synthetic form of B9 is folic acid; the natural form found in food is called folate.

Functions of B9 in your body

• Detoxifies hormones (such as estrogen)
• Detoxifies phenols (by-products of manufacturing) from the environment
• Essential for central nervous system function
• Essential for DNA synthesis
• Involved in methylation (which decreases homocysteine)
• Metabolic conversion of dopamine, a neurotransmitter
• Needed for proper health of all tissues, especially mucous membrane tissues of the digestive tract, vagina, and cervix
• Needed for the synthesis of hemoglobin
• Produces complex phospholipids for neurological function
• Produces S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), an important compound found in all living cells
• Protects baby from neural tube defects, such as spina bifida

Side effects and contraindications

Dosages should not exceed 400 micrograms per day since folic acid supplementation may mask the symptoms of B12 deficiency. Large doses can cause insomnia, irritability, and gastrointestinal problems. If you are taking phenytoin (an anticovulsant), do not take high doses of folic acid. Folic acid also interferes with seizure medications such as valproic acid, carbamazepine, and primidone, so consult your doctor before taking this vitamin if you are on any of these medications.

B12 (Cobalamin)

Vitamin B12 is called either cobalamin or cyanocobalamin, and is synthesized by bacteria. It performs many important functions in the body, and exists in most animal foods. Vegetarians and vegans should take B12 supplements or eat fortified breakfast cereals, which are a valuable source of this vitamin. Hydrochloric acid releases B12 from food, at which point the vitamin can be absorbed by the body.

Functions of B12 in your body

• Facilitates the metabolism of folic acid
• Functions as a methyl donor, which lowers homocysteine levels (high levels of which can be a risk factor for heart disease and memory loss)
• Helps synthesize proteins
• Involved in the production of neurotransmitters
• Needed for carnitine metabolism (which breaks down fat to provide energy)
• Needed for nervous system function
• Needed for red blood cell metabolism
• Required for proper digestion

Causes of B12 Deficiency

• Antacids (which can decrease absorption from food but not from supplementation)
• Colchicines (gout medication)
• Digestive disorders
• Nitrous oxide
• Potassium citrate and chloride
• Some oral hypoglycemic agents (which lower blood sugar)

USANA Vitamins Body Rox contains balanced amounts of essential vitamins and co-factors that young people need. The Body Rox™ supplement is specially formulated by USANA to help meet the nutritional needs of growing adolescents.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Vitamin B Complex

There are eleven vitamins in the vitamin B complex. The entire complex works together to help you achieve optimal health. The different vitamins are found in many of the same of foods.

They are water soluble, which means they are eliminated from your body the same day they are ingested. Yet it is important to have an adequate amount of B vitamins in your body, so you should consume them at least twice a day. If you are on estrogen replacement therapy or birth control pills, you should take extra B vitamins since hormonal therapy leads to a deficiency. Also, high dose supplementation of a single B vitamin can cause imbalances of other B vitamins. Therefore, you should take a multi-vitamin that contains these vitamins rather than take each vitamin individually.

Functions of B vitamins in your body:

• Help liver detoxify estrogen
• Help relieve leg cramps
• Metabolize glucose
• Stabilize brain chemistry
• Used in thyroid function

Symptoms of B-vitamin deficiency

• Change in appetite
• Impaired metabolism of medications
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Poor scores in personality testing
• Reduced immune system
• Sugar cravings

Causes of B-vitamin deficiency

• Birth control pills
• Estrogen replacement therapy

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)

The first B vitamin discovered was thiamine (or thiamin). Thiamine is involved with many of the body’s reactions, including the burning of carbohydrates for energy. You can find thiamine in individuals supplements as well as supplements that contain all the B vitamins.

Functions of B1 in your body

• Helps the body adapt to stress and avoid adrenal burnout
• Needed for proper metabolism of thyroid hormones
• Needed for synthesis of nucleic acids and certain coenzymes
• Needed for the making of aldosterone, a steroid hormone
• Required for energy production (Krebs cycle)
• Required for proper nerve function
• Used for activation of enzymes in the adrenal glands
• Used in the synthesis of acetylcholine

Symptoms of B1 deficiency

Confusion, fatigue, forgetfulness, gastrointestinal disturbances, general weakness, headache, irritability, loss of appetite, mild depression, nervousness, poor memory, racing heart, sleep disturbance and vision problems.

Causes of B1 deficiency

Alcohol, antibiotics, blueberries, Brussels sprouts, coffee, diuretics, horseradish, oral contraceptives, pickled foods, red beet root, seafood such as fish, shrimp, clams, and mussels, sugar, sulfa drugs, sulfites (a food additive), theophylline (an asthma medication) and Tea.

B vitamins are water soluble and leave the body quickly, so they should be taken twice a day. Therefore, you should take 5 to 50 milligrams of B1 twice a day. High doses of B1 may deplete your body of vitamin B6 or magnesium.

Diseases/disorders that can be treated with B1:

Alcoholism, confusion, dementia, depression, fatigue, memory loss, neuropathy and pain.

USANA Vitamins Essentials™ is a Combo pack of Mega Antioxidant and Chelated Mineral, top-rated nutritionals. Mega Antioxidant is USANA’s daily vitamin and antioxidant supplement for adults. Chelated Mineral is USANA’s daily mineral supplement for adults.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Osteoporosis

“Thinning” and weakening of the matrix of the bones which become more fragile. While a little of this is expected as we age, collapse of vertebrae in the neck and back, fractures of the hip and other bones are becoming increasingly common in younger people, and osteoporosis is the underlying cause.

There are many causes, including changes in hormone level in women as they age, reduced weight-bearing exercise, low calcium in the diet, excess alcohol, poor nutrition, some drugs (especially steroids) and low vitamin D and magnesium levels.

Doctors can

• Give additional calcium in the hope this will enter the bones. Most people do not realize that without magnesium, vitamin D and a little boron, silicon and manganese, most supplemental calcium goes out in the urine.
• Hormone replacement therapy in women (HRT). This does improve bone density but as this has been now shown to increase the risks of heart, stroke and other disease, consider using bio-identical hormones like progesterone.
• Bisphosphonates such as Fosomax, pamidronate, etidronate. Bone is continually being reabsorbed and rebuilt. These drugs bind to the bone and stop the reabsorption, so the bones just keep building.

Lifestyle

• Walking. The most important stimulus to strengthening bone is weight-bearing exercise causing slight jarring on the bones. So walking is perhaps the best thing a person with, or at risk of, osteoporosis can do. But be careful not to jar too hard if you already have osteoporosis; this frequently occurs with jogging. Wear good shoes with well cushioned soles.
• A new weight reduction and muscle building system called “vibration training”, where people stand and hold positions on a very rapidly vibrating plate, should be very helpful for osteoporosis. This technique was, in fact, devised by the Russian Space Agency to stop osteoporosis developing in cosmonauts in the weightlessness of space. These vibration plate units are very effective in strengthening bones.
• Do not smoke or drink excess alcohol.
• Expose your body to a few minutes of sunlight daily to raise vitamin D levels, but avoid the midday sun.

Nutritional supplements

• A good multivitamin/multimineral ensures that bone has all the nutrients and minerals it requires to stay strong and repair itself.
• Calcium and magnesium, 800-1,000mg/day, help the bones retain their strength. Calcium is poorly absorbed without magnesium and a few trace elements such as boron, silicon and manganese.
• Vitamin D, if not already in the multivitamin; at least 400iu/day.
• Omega 3 fish oils, 1-2 grams daily, improve the elasticity and strength of the bone.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Alzheimer’s Disease

This terribly sad disease, where a person’s mind slowly fades into oblivion, has become increasingly common and the incidence continues to rise. The cause is not known; some suspect that infections, toxins or poisons, heavy metals such as mercury from teeth or free radical damage may be precipitating factors. Doctors can do nothing to this disease.

What you can do – Lifestyle

While it has not been shown to slow the progression of the disease, keeping the mind active with enjoyable tasks seems a logical approach to take. Regular exercise (walking) is also valuable.

Nutritional Supplements

Good nutrition is essential for the mind to stay healthy.

• A good multivitamin/multimineral: to ensure that brain tissues have all the nutrients and minerals required to function perfectly
• Omega 3 fish oils, 1-2 grams daily, are very important for good brain function. (children whose mothers had high fish oil intake during pregnancy had higher IQs). In Alzheimer’s disease a high omega 3 intake can be very beneficial
• Calcium and magnesium, 800-1,000mg/day, especially the magnesium, have a very calming effect, help with sleep and enable people to cope better
• Ginkgo Biloba: this ancient Chinese herb has for centuries been used to help mental function in people all over the world. In a study in the USA involving 309 Alzheimer’s patients, 20% had a mild improvement in their symptoms and mental function tests did not change, while those on the dummy tablets became significantly worse
• Antioxidant vitamins: because free radical damage is believed to be a cause of Alzheimer’s, high doses of antioxidant vitamins should help. In one study, elderly people who regularly took high doses of vitamin C (500mg) and vitamin E (400mg) had 78% less cases of Alzheimer’s disease.

Everybody, in addition to eating a diet as good and varied as possible, should regularly take a number of nutritional supplements:

• A good multivitamin/multimineral: to make sure that the body’s cells have all the nutrients and minerals required to stay healthy and fight and recover from disease. (In some countries this will also include selenium).
• Omega 3 fish oils: 1-2 grams daily. These improve the elasticity and strength of tissues, have beneficial effects on brain and nerve function and help with heart health, mental function, joints and skin.
• Calcium and magnesium: 800-1,000mg/day. Calcium is essential for bone health, and both nerve and muscle function. Magnesium is also essential for nerve and muscle function, especially relaxation. Without magnesium it is more difficult to absorb calcium.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Your Health Choice

Hope that your body will get all the nutrients it requires from the food you eat. If you do this, then you need to be very choosy in the type and the quality of your food. Unfortunately, many of today’s chronic degenerative diseases – coronary disease, stroke, cancer, emphysema, arthritis – have flourished in our modern polluted and nutrient-depleted world.

We can accept the logic and evidence that, by providing the body with all the minerals, vitamins and other nutrients it needs to function properly, it will be more resistant to disease and should be able to cope with illness better. This will require the addition of good nutritional supplements.

We must never forget that our main weapon against disease is our own body –its defensive and immune systems. The body can also mend itself when injured or when recovering from disease. These protective and repair systems are incredible. Most modern medicines only provide a crutch, while the body does the work of healing. How can we expect our wonderful bodies to function properly if we starve them of essential nutrients?

Combining this logic with the above compelling scientific data from some of the most prestigious journals in the world leaves no doubt that our bodies do benefit from top quality nutrition.

In today’s world an ideal diet supplying all the necessary nutrients is almost impossible to achieve, so good quality supplementation is necessary. We have emphasized the words “good quality” deliberately. A good supplement should provide a complete range of all the required nutrients, in the right dose, in a form which is easily absorbed into the body – preferably made to pharmaceutical standards which guarantee the quality of contents and ensure the exclusion of potentially injurious impurities. The regulations for supplement manufacture allow them to be made to food standard. Modern drugs are made to a totally different standard, i.e. pharmaceutical standard.

Sadly, most supplements available to the public do not achieve these ideals as their manufacture complies with food standards, which is why so many doctors and health professionals are unconvinced of the value of using supplements. It is worth looking for few good quality supplements which are made to pharmaceutical grade. Independent authorities can provide insight to help you in your search.

USANA Health Sciences develops and manufactures high-quality USANA Vitamins, nutritionals, personal care, energy and weight management products.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

5 Ways to Look Hot Without Breaking the Bank

1 Eat Clean and Drink Your H2O

Your diet definitely affects your looks. Tasty fruits and veggies are a great source of vitamins and minerals that form a foundation for healthy, vibrant skin. But if you’re looking for healthy oils that can improve your skin’s appearance, try eating sashimi or cucumber salad with olive-oil dressing.

Water is essential for youthful looking skin. Stay hydrated and support the growth of healthy, new skin cells by drinking 8–10 glasses of water per day.

2 Get Your Beauty Sleep

Nighttime is when your skin repairs any damage from the day. Sufficient rest also reduces the appearance of circles under the eyes. Get 7–8 hours of sleep a night to allow your skin time to rejuvenate and build new cells.

Give nature a boost and wake up to gorgeous skin. Slather on Night Renewal Crème every night before bed.

3 Take Your Vitamins

Not only do vitamin and mineral supplements provide the essential nutrients you need to stay healthy and energized, they also play a part in your outward appearance. For example, vitamin C is known for supporting collagen production. Essential fatty acids help maintain your skin’s elasticity. And antioxidants help defend your skin against the effects of exposure to harsh environmental factors such as the sun.

Get all the good stuff you need to get a glowing complexion from the inside out with USANA vitamins MyHealthPak™: Beauty Edition.

4 Protect Your Skin From Mother Nature’s Jealousy

You look good, and Mother Nature knows it. Which is why she is constantly finding ways to rob your skin of its natural glow with everything from sunlight to extreme temperatures to harsh winds. USANA Sensé’s proprietary topical nutrient blends are power players in reducing the appearance of environmental damage.

Pamper your skin every day with USANA Sensé Daytime Protective Emulsion.

5 Listen To Your Body

Your body will let you know if you’re doing something it doesn’t like. If you notice that your skin is rapidly losing moisture and forming wrinkles, that’s your body’s way of telling you to look at your lifestyle.

Cut down on excessive caffeine, alcohol, and stress. Then reduce the appearance of damage with targeted anti aging treatments like USANA Skin Care Products - Perfecting Essence, Serum Intensive, and Eye Nourisher.