Multivitamins and Nutrition

Posts Tagged ‘vitamin supplements’

All children need to take multivitamins?

Many healthy children and teens may be taking vitamin and mineral supplements do not need, say researchers in the February issue of Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine.

Experts indicate that supplements of vitamins and minerals are not considered necessary if it is a balanced diet. Children who really need these supplements are those that have not as good nutrition, are less active and come from low-income households, and thus might not be receiving the doses of vitamins and minerals they need, experts say.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends vitamin supplements for most children older than one year, but for those with chronic diseases, eating disorders, and certain other conditions.

Overdose or poisoning by the use of supplements can be a problem, especially among younger children (2 to 4 years). An overdose can cause vomiting or more serious problems such as kidney or liver damage.

Dr. Ulfat Shaikh, study author and assistant professor of pediatrics at the Davis medical school at the University of California and a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital at UC Davis, said: “We were curious to know why some parents might choose counter multivitamins for children and others not. He explained that the study hypothesis was based on that supplements can be used to reduce adverse effects, if parents think the child is not eating well or are wondering where their next meal would come.

The authors reviewed data on vitamin and mineral supplements, as well as diet, exercise and health insurance factors of about 11,000 children and adolescents between 2 and 17 years of national survey examining the health and nutrition.

Nearly one third (34 percent) of the adolescents had used supplements of vitamins and minerals during the month preceding the interview. As expected, children who were overweight were the ones taking vitamins and minerals.

A healthy and balanced diet is crucial in the care of the skin. Sometimes you may want to include in the diet some natural food supplements for higher profits. Below are a few examples:

Carrot
The carrot is known primarily because it protects the skin, prepares and facilitates tanning, and improves vision disorders.
It is highly valued in herbal medicine because it contains beta carotene, which in the body transforms into vitamin A, but without the risk of hypervitaminosis as it only produces vitamin A needed by the body.
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The importance of vitamin D for growth and development, especially in younger children is undeniable. I invite you to learn more about where food sources are.

There are only a few food sources of vitamin D. To begin, we mention fortified foods and beverages such as milk, soy drinks and margarine. Check the labels on these foods.

Fish, liver and egg yolk are the only foods that naturally contain vitamin D.

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Do we need vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 or cobalamin is found only in foods of animal origin who have a vegan diet need to consume vitamin supplements for preventing diseases that are caused by their absence.

The required daily dose of vitamin B12 is 2.4 mcg per day.

* The lack of vitamin B12 prevents the iron from being absorbed which can cause anemia.

* Cobalamin deficiency causes nervous disorders, irritability, insomnia, depression, loss of memory, reasoning difficulties, including severe mental illness.

* Tingling in the arms or legs, or numbness can also be caused by lack of vitamin B12. Read the rest of this entry »

Nutrition, Dietetics More and more people use vitamin supplements. United States alone, there is a market of 23 billion dollars. We know that multivitamins can compensate for deficiencies due to diet or a special affection, but what it really for people in good health?

The NIH is interested in the issue, and its conclusions are mixed. You should know the United States, dietary supplements are not considered drugs, the law imposes much less control over their production and their use.

Many people believe that taking vitamins and most of their diet will protect them from many diseases like cancer. And it is true in some cases, such as folic acid supplements taken by pregnant women protect their babies against spina bifida. Vitamins C and E, beta carotene, zinc and copper protect against the loss of eyesight in people with macular degeneration. Read the rest of this entry »