Thursday, June 21, 2007

Healthy Hair Vitamins

There a number of different specific hair vitamins and minerals that can play a major role in helping a person have a healthy head of hair. If a person does not have sufficient hair vitamins then the deficiencies can lead to thinning hair or even total baldness in the most severe cases. The fact is that the state of a person’s hair reflects the overall condition of their body. Extra hair vitamins are likely to be needed if a person is generally unwell or is undernourished as their hair will show damage too and may even stop growing.

Some of the most important hair vitamins that a person needs to have healthy hair include B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid. The best way to ensure that a person receives enough of these essential hair vitamins are for them to be taken as vitamin supplements. It is not just hair vitamins that are necessary for healthy hair though as there are a number of minerals that are essential, including magnesium, sulphur, silica and zinc.

The most essential hair vitamin is vitamin a but the best form of this is to include in the diet is beta-carotene. This is because the hair vitamin A can be toxic if consumed in large quantities but beta-carotene has no such problems and is converted by the body into vitamin A that can be used to promote healthy hair. Of course, vitamin A is not just a hair vitamin, it is also needed for a number of other functions including normal growth of bones, skin, nails and the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibers.

Protein is another essential hair vitamin. This is because hair itself is essentially protein. The amount of this hair vitamin that a person consumes in their diet can affect the hair directly. If a lot of protein is included in a person’s diet then this hair vitamin will lead to improved hair growth and a far fuller head of hair. However, a person who has a diet that is lacking in this hair vitamin will suffer from thinning hair and slow hair growth.

Of course, it is not just hair vitamins and minerals that are needed to ensure that a person has healthy, strong hair. There are a number of researchers who have found that there are direct links between the overall health of a person and the condition of their hair. If a person is under a lot of stress or suffers from a lack of sleep then their hair is also likely to suffer and it is likely that their diet will not provide enough hair vitamins to counter these effects. Hair vitamin and mineral supplements can be the solution to weak and damaged hair.
Prevent hair loss or hair thinning

By: Tania

Article Source: http://www.articles411.com/

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Vitamins And Minerals Are Health Magnets For Our Body's Circulatory System

Our body’s circulatory system is made up of the heart, arteries, veins and capillaries. This circulatory system transports oxygen, nutrients, water and blood throughout our bodies as well as assists in the removal of waste products. Obviously keeping this system in tip top shape is essential to its efficiency and to our health.

One of the things we can do to help keep our circulatory system healthy is to make sure that we are properly nourishing it with healthy diet filled with vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C is responsible for strengthening the walls of the blood vessels throughout the body. This has to do with its role in the production of collagen, which is an essential connective tissue. Copper is a mineral that is necessary for the process of making the body’s connective tissue. Biotin is critical to the health of the circulatory system, as well as to the circulatory system’s performance, as it has a function in a number of essential enzyme processes.

Vitamin E helps to promote the healthy functioning of the circulatory system in a couple of ways. It helps to dilate the veins and it has a role in the controlling of blood clotting. Another important aspect of Vitamin E is its antioxidant properties, something that it shares with Vitamin C. These vitamins, with the help of other antioxidants, serve in the essential capacity of bringing free radicals, which if left unchecked can damage body tissue, under control.

Potassium, long known as being beneficial to the heart also serves other parts of the circulatory system. One important function of potassium is to control blood pressure and fluid stability in the circulatory system. Sodium shares in these important functions of maintaining the blood’s balance and pressure. We hear so much about the negatives of sodium that it’s easy to forget that sodium is, in reality, a mineral that is essential to the body’s functioning, particularly in the circulatory system. The key to sodium is moderation, a little is necessary but too much could be dangerous.

It’s apparent that the circulatory system is essential to a healthy body. It makes sense to support its functions with a diet that meets the recommended daily levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Because the proper balance of nutrients is so vital to the functioning of our bodies and its supporting systems, choose your nutritional supplements carefully. Choosing top quality ingredients will insure that you are doing your body good and not spending money unwisely. Make your circulatory system happy, feed it!

By: Holly Dodd

Article Source: http://www.isnare.com/

Friday, June 15, 2007

Vitamins For Your Skin

Everything we eat and drink, or for that matter, some things that we do not eat or drink, have an effect on our skin. Dry skin, acne, psoriasis, and skin eruptions are just a few of the problems that can be helped with vitamins. Vitamins A, C, D, and E are especially important and are often prescribed for dull, lifeless skin. Vitamin A is often prescribed as a very effective treatment for acne. Even today, some people find that over-the-counter and prescription concoctions too harsh and drying for the face. These same people can safely consume a daily dose of vitamin A and their acne will greatly diminish. Selenium is a mineral found in cereals, nuts and eggs. Dietary intake of selenium prevents cancer in laboratory animals. It also shows signs of enhancing the performance of chemotherapy and slowing down the aging process. In terms of sun damage, daily doses of selenium have demonstrated an ability to ease the burning effect of the sun's radiation.

Vitamins are safe, cheap and highly effective. There are 8 different forms of Vitamin E - the synthetic form is only half as powerful as the natural version. It is an incredibly important vitamin for your body health and should therefore be taken in proper doses daily. Vitamin is necessary for proper skin balance. Too little of it causes the face to be oily. Biotin is sometimes prescribed when skin is dull and the pallor is gray. Most people get enough biotin without even trying. It's found in many foods including bananas, eggs, oatmeal, and rice, plus your body also makes some biotin on its own. Most vitamins are water-soluble and are quickly eliminated from the body. It is safe to consume varying quantities of these vitamins. Other vitamins are fat-soluble. That means that they are stored in the body and can build up over time. Mega-doses of these vitamins should be avoided.


Vitamins that Help Skin:

1. Vitamin A.
2. Vitamin C.
3. Vitamin D.
4. Vitamin E.
5. Niacin.
6. Biotin.
7. Vitamin K.

Skin Conditions that respond well to Vitamins:

1. Dry skin.
2. Acne.
3. Psoriasis.
4. Skin eruptions.


By: Juliet Cohen

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com/

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Simple Sources of Natural Vitamins

Both foodies and farmers know that vitamins don't only come in bottles. Our modern marketing and consumerism machines try to get us to believe that vitamin supplement pills are the only answer, but we all know the truth: natural sources are better.

Many people do not have enough natural vitamin sources in their diet and therefore often suffer from a deficiency of one or more needed vitamins. You've heard this before: the key to gaining the correct amount of vitamins from natural vitamin sources is to eat a healthy and balanced diet.

For those on special diets, it may be true that supplements are the best option, as some diets make it difficult to get the right nutrients in the right amounts all the time. It might be too cumbersome for those people to cook in such a way as to get all they need from food alone. Nevertheless, for most people, it is very easy to get all the nutrition we need from ordinary everyday foods.

It is important to be knowledgeable about the different types of vitamins and their best natural vitamin sources so that you can incorporate as many of these as possible into your regular diet. Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored in the body and therefore need to be replenished on a daily basis. Thus it is natural vitamin sources for these vitamins that are the most essential to learn. Many of these natural sources are already in your kitchen pantry, so it may not be hard for you to get started! Here are some common food sources for vitamins:

* Natural vitamin B8 sources can include molasses, vegetables, meat, whole grains, nuts, milk, brewer’s yeast, citrus fruits

* Natural vitamin B1 sources can include brewer’s yeast, brown rice, whole grains, organ meats, egg yolk, blackstrap molasses

* Natural vitamin B3 sources can include potatoes, peanuts, brewer’s yeast, poultry & fish, lean meats, milk, rice bran

* Natural vitamin B15 sources include brewer’s yeast, brown rice, rare steaks, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds

* Natural vitamin B2 sources can include organ meats, brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, blackstrap molasses

* Natural vitamin B15 sources can include pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, rare steaks, brown rice, brewer’s yeast

* Natural vitamin B9 sources include dark-green leafy vegetables, root vegetables, organ meats, salmon, oysters, milk

* Natural vitamin B13 sources can include liquid whey, and root vegetables

* Natural vitamin B4 sources can include brewer’s yeast, egg yolks, organ meats, legumes, wheat germ, fish, soybeans

* Natural vitamin B15 sources can include brown rice, brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, pumpkin, sunflower, & sesame seeds

* Natural vitamin B17 sources can include peaches, whole kernels of apricots, cherries, apples, plums

* Natural vitamin B9 sources can include root vegetables, dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, oysters, salmon, milk

* Natural vitamin B5 sources include salmon, organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, whole grains

* Natural vitamin B7 sources can include liver, legumes, unpolished rice, whole grains, sardines, brewer’s yeast, egg yolks

So you can see there are a variety of ways to get what your body needs. Pill form supplements are not bad; it is simply that natural source vitamins are so much better. You can explore new foods and ways of cooking, and your body will love you for it.

Article Source: http://www.articles411.com/

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Vitamin C -- The Most Famous of Vitamins!

By David Leonhardt

We call Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, "the most famous of vitamins" because it really is the best known. It is the first one schoolchildren learn. It is the most cited cure for the common cold. Most people can rhyme off at least a few foods that contain vitamin C. And vitamin C is the single most searched nutrient on the Internet.

HISTORY OF VITAMIN C: Nobel Prize winning biochemist Dr. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi first isolated vitamin C in 1928. (As someone of Hungarian descent, I find this a touch exciting.)

Vitamin C first got its reputation for beating the common cold in 1970, when fellow Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling published his bestselling book "Vitamin C and the Common Cold". In it, he suggested that taking vitamin C at levels well above the USA RDA (now 60 milligrams per day) could strengthen the immune system and help ward off the common cold.

BENEFITS OF VITAMIN C: Vitamin C helps form collagen, a glue-like fibrous protein in bone, cartilage, tendons and other connective tissue. Vitamin C helps give structure and maintain such body parts as bones, cartilage, muscle, veins, capillaries and teeth.

But recent studies have also linked "adequate dosages" of vitamin C to preventing a number of common cancers, of helping boost the nervous system, of prolonging life, of reducing the risk of heart disease, of softening the symptoms of respiratory diseases such as asthma and cystic fibrosis, and of keeping skin and glands healthy.

SOURCES OF VITAMIN C: Most animals manufacture their own vitamin C. Primates, such as humans, gorillas, and monkeys, have somehow lost this ability.

Which is why we need to get our vitamin C from our diets.

It is well known that citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, tangerines, limes, mandarins and others contain vitamin C.

In fact, vitamin C comes almost exclusively from fruits and vegetables.
Other good sources are tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, rutabagas, cantaloupe, kiwi, papayas, potatoes and watermelon.

One place that is NOT a good source are vitamin C pills, which the body just cannot absorb properly. This is a water soluble vitamin best taken in its natural juice or in a liquid supplement (or both!).

OPTIMUM USAGE OF VITAMIN C: Fortunately, if you consume too much of a water soluble vitamin, your body will get rid of excess. It also means that your body does not store it for long periods of time. You can't "stock up" on it, and you can reach a saturation point quickly; you need vitamin C several times a day.

Being a water-soluble vitamin, you lose it when you boil foods. For instance, if you boil your broccoli, you will lose the vitamin C. However, if you boil your broccoli in a soup, you will get the broccoli's vitamin C in the broth.

Do not soak or store fruits or vegetables in water, for you can lose the vitamin C that way. In short, the fresher cut the fruit or vegetable, and the less cooked, the more vitamin C you will get.

Like all vitamins and minerals, Vitamin C is most effective when combined with other nutrients. For example, one of the big benefits of vitamin C is that it helps the body digest and absorb iron, an essential mineral for good health.

It has also been found that vitamin C and E work together to help stave off Alzheimer's disease.

This is one of the reasons it is so important to take vitamin supplements that contain as many different nutrients as possible, so the body can absorb them together and enjoy the maximum benefits from each one.

VITAMIN C DOSAGE: Most experts agree that the US RDA is only a fraction of what it should be, and that daily vitamin C levels up to 1,000 or even 2,000 milligrams per day are safe and healthy.

Essential Nectar contains 250% of the US RDA, mixing it with 233 other natural, plant-based nutrients...making it a good vitamin C supplement for your diet.

Article Source:http://www.article-search-online.com

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Vitamins Are The Spice Of Life

Many people have busy schedules and do not have the time to eat properly. Their diet does not contain the right ingredients to provide vitamins and nutrients that the body needs to function. To fill this need, there are vitamins available for people to take to supplement the lack of vitamins in their diet.


These vitamins are supplied in pill form, liquid elixirs, liquid vitamin supplements, and powder form. Some of these vitamins are sold in a multi-vitamin tablet form and contain all of the necessary supplements that a body will need to function properly. These multi-vitamins are sold by many manufacturers and in many doses, but the most popular dosage is 500 mg tablets.


There are commercial advertisements that ponder whether you have enough milk in your diet. Vitamin D is found in milk products and is said to help prevent people from getting diseases like multiple sclerosis. Calcium vitamins are sold in two varieties, calcium citrate and calcium carbonate. For calcium carbonate to be effective it must be taken with meals. These vitamins can be taken at any time of the day.

Many people wonder what the benefits are in taking vitamins and herbal supplements. They think their diet is sufficient in vitamins and nutrients and can not justify spending more money on something that they have plenty of in their bodies. The fact is that our bodies do not get enough vitamins, even if we eat a well-balanced diet.

People take vitamins because they help prevent many diseases and help slow the effects of aging too. Some vitamins are not manufactured properly and may lose their potency if they are exposed to heat and light. Vitamins that are found in meat, vegetables and other food groups loose their effectiveness when exposed to heat when they are cooked on a stove.

Vitamins are virtually useless to drug abusers because vitamins can not be absorbed into the body properly. Cigarette smoking affects the way a body absorbs vitamins into the body. Many junk foods contain no nutritional value at all. Fast food restaurants serve food that is high in fat content and low in vitamins. Without the proper amount of vitamins in their diet, children do not grow to their full potential.

Some vitamins will affect how the body absorbs iron into the body. Milk is one of the food sources that hinder iron absorption. If people plan to take iron pills, then they will have to take them when milk is not being ingested. A two to three hour wait is sufficient between dosages.

People rely heavily on the US RDA requirements that are placed on many food packages to determine whether their dietary intake is sufficient to have a healthy life. People do not understand that US RDA requirements might be well below what your body actually needs to live and function properly. The scale that is listed on the food product packets and boxes might be for just one day of nourishment, not a yearly consumption level, or might not consider the total nourishment level different age groups might need to live a healthy life.

By: Linda Polansky -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com