Vitamin Supplements--Who Needs Them?
IN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
Water-Soluble Vitamins
These vitamins are easily absorbed by your body. Your body does not store these vitamins well, however, and excess water-soluble vitamins are removed by your kidneys and passed through the body in urine. This does not mean that it is impossible to take too much of these vitamins in supplement form.
- Vitamin B1 helps your body use carbohydrates for energy and helps your nervous system function well.
- Vitamin B2 helps your body process protein, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as helping to maintain healthy skin.
- Vitamin B6 supports your nervous and immune systems, helps your body use protein and fats, helps keep your blood oxygenated, and helps maintain normal blood sugar levels.
- Vitamin B12 maintains healthy nerve cells and red blood cells, is needed to make genetic material in cells, and prevents one type of anemia.
- Vitamin C protects you from free radicals by acting as an antioxidant, bolsters your immune system, and helps form connective tissue.
- Folic Acid lowers the risk of neural tube birth defects, helps your body make new cells, and prevents one type of anemia.
Acids in your body help you absorb these vitamins and store them in your fat reserves for later use.
- Vitamin A is necessary for vision, helps maintain healthy skin, and aids in tissue repair, bone growth, and immunity.
- Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, helps prevent bone diseases, and helps the immune system function. Most people get sufficient vitamin D from sunlight.
- Vitamin E is an antioxidant. It also promotes healthy blood flow and helps body tissues heal.
- Vitamin K helps your blood to clot and helps form bones.
Most healthy adults can get all the vitamins they need from a healthy diet, but only your physician can tell you whether or not you should take a supplement. Although the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans focuses on eating nutrient-dense foods, it recommends that certain people take vitamin supplements.
- People over age 50 should consume vitamin B12 in fortified foods or supplements.
- Women of childbearing age should consume synthetic folic acid in the form of fortified foods or supplements.
- Older adults, people with dark skin, and those exposed to insufficient sunlight should take extra vitamin D in fortified foods or supplements.
| Eat Your Vitamins If you're looking for ways to consume enough vitamins without taking supplements, try these recommendations from the American Academy of Family Physicians (www.aafp.org) for naturally vitamin-rich foods. Consume poultry, clams, sardines, flounder, herring, liver, eggs, milk, or blue cheese to get your daily dose of vitamin B12. Get your vitamin C with broccoli, green peppers, spinach, Brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, and cabbage. Foods rich in vitamin A include fish, liver, dairy products, egg yolks, carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes. Vitamin E can be found in fish, milk, egg yolks, vegetable oils, nuts, fruits, peas, beans, broccoli, and spinach. |
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