Vitamin Supplements
Consumers today are faced with a myriad of information concerning vitamin supplements. Should they take them, should they not? Are they helpful or are they harmful? Are consumers simply wasting their money, flushing it down the toilet so to speak? One day the experts say one thing and the next day there are new studies by other experts. This all creates quite a dilemma for those who are trying to do the best for their bodies. However, through the years there has been a steady stream of overwhelming evidence proving that vitamin supplements are helpful and beneficial for physical health, and moreover, may affect behavior.

Many in the medical community have advised their patients for years that taking multivitamins only gives them expensive urine, since severe vitamin deficiencies such as scurvy and pellagra are all but unheard of in industrialized countries (Gorman 2001). However, evidence amasses that they were wrong.….

Leon Schurgrs and Cees Vermeer of the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands hinted at the superiority of MK7. This is the ability to activate specific vitamin K proteins to bring calcium to the bones rather than the arteries. The recommended daily dosage at this time is 105 mc. Patients taking anticoagulant medications, such as Coumadin, should first consult with their doctors before taking in Vitamin K supplements. They are contraindicated (Zucker).
Prevents Risks of Congestive Heart Failure

According to another experiment, Vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of congestive heart failure or CHF (Schleithoff, Zittermann & Tenderich, 2006). Congestive heart failure is a chronic condition, which is characterized by dyspnea and fatigue. Irregular heart function reduces its ability to supply enough blood flow and oxygen to the tissues and organs. Approximately 5 million Americans and 10 million Europeans have been living with CHF. No improvement in the management of….

It is also charged with ensuring that the body's blood cells and nerves are healthy. Over 30% of elderly people are at risk of developing deficiencies in vitamin B-12, due to the changes occurring in their digestive tract. Combined with the lack of other vitamins, lack of vitamin B-12 contributes to Alzheimer's disease. Early correction of this deficiency is important, and it will help the elderly people to continue with a normal life Giovannucci, 2005.
The correction of this deficiency can only be through prescribed vitamin supplements, as the cause of its deficiency was not because of an unbalanced diet.

Studies have reported that elderly people require more than the recommended dosage of vitamin E daily. This higher level will assist in boosting their immune system which is weakened as they age. By using prescribed vitamin dosages, the elderly people can increase their vitamin E daily intake thus improving their immune….

Vitamin D and Asthmatic Children
USE OF VITAMIN D. AND ASTHMATIC CHILDEN

Literature eview & Synthesis

• Vitamin D has an acute influence on the occurrence of asthma in children. Trollvik et al. (2016) indicate that the fear of living with asthma is devastating for many kids. Yadav and Mittal (2016) indicate that vitamin D has a great significance in the management of persistent bronchial asthma in children. Tachimoto et al. (2016) conclude that involvement of standard treatment and low-dose of vitamin D lowers the occurrences and influences of asthma in children. Moreover, Somashekar et al. (2014) indicate that the deficiency of vitamin D is common in children with asthma just as its association with airway limitation. In all the literary pieces, the fear for asthma in children gives them memories that serve o indicate their state of well-being while living with asthma (Somashekar et al. 2014).

• There are no common disagreements….

On the other hand, too much of a good thing can sometimes be even more harmful than too little. In that regard, it is very important to understand the role of vitamin D, both because of its role in maintaining our health, as well as because of the potential for harm associated with excessive supplementation.
Unlike other vitamins and minerals, vitamin D is not readily available through diet because its primary source is natural sunlight. The U.S. FDA recommends a daily dose of 200 IU, which according to medical authorities, is sufficient to protect against osteomalacia, a medical condition characterized by softening of the bones. However, because vitamin D requirements fluctuate depending on how much sunlight a person receives and are difficult to satisfy through diet alone, 200 IU is considered the RDA in the absence of regular exposure to natural sunlight.

Vitamin D is necessary for the proper absorption of….

Asthma has emerged as one of the most common health problems and chronic diseases that affect children worldwide. Healthcare practitioners have become concerned with the increased prevalence of asthma among children. This study focuses on examining the role of vitamin D in prevention and/or control of asthma among children. The evaluation is conducted on the premise that vitamin D has been positively linked with enhanced control of asthma and decreased exacerbations of the condition. The study seeks to fill gaps in knowledge regarding the role of vitamin D in asthma, which remains relatively unclear. The discussion also demonstrates the clinical implications relating to the use of vitamin D in treatment of asthma.
Background and Significance

Asthma is regarded as one of the most common diseases and long-term health conditions that affect children. This condition is basically defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways involving several cells and cellular elements (Yadav….

Supplements, Fatigue and Lethargy
DO THEY HELP?

Vitamin E (p 1- 1.5)

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and antioxidant, which inhibits the production of reactive oxygen species or ROS when fat is oxidized (NIH, 2013). The body produces ROS when it converts food into energy. As an antioxidant, Vitamin E protects body cells from the ill effects of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules containing an unshared electron. They damage cells and contribute to the development of heart diseases and cancer. Unshared electrons are very active and quickly react with oxygen to form ROS. Health experts conjecture that limiting the production of free radicals may, alone or through other mechanisms, help prevent or delay the formation of these dreaded chronic diseases associated with the action of free radicals. Vitamin E may serve that function (NIH).

As an antioxidant, it also plays a role in the immune function of the body (NIH, 2013). In….

Vitamin D is a group of fat-soluble molecules known as secosteroids. Vitamin D itself is a fat-soluble vitamin that is not available in many foods. However, photochemically, it is produced when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger Vitamin D synthesis. Vitamin D externally, though, is biologically inert in the human body, and "must undergo two hydroxylations in the body. The first occurs in the liver and converts Vitamin D to 25-hydroxyvitamin D The second occurs primarily in the kidney and forms the physiologically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d (VanDen Berg 1997, S76). Although called a vitamin, Vitamin D is not actually an essential dietary vitamin because it can be synthesized in more than adequate amounts from sunlight. Typically, an organic chemical, or group of chemicals, is known as a vitamin when it must be obtained through diet or other means, and cannot be synthesized through bodily processes.
Vitamin D has….

Supplements for Athletes
ipped Fuel © is a weight loss supplement used widely by individuals who are trying to improve their physical and athletic performance (Brown). These capsules are utilized as a method of rapidly burning fat, while quickly gaining muscle; they are popular among athletes because of this. The supplements work in a way that allows the burning of fat -- which is the most difficult part of body shaping -- to occur in a rapid fashion. Desired results are achieved in a limited amount of time, therefore adding to the appeal of this supplement to young athletes who are just beginning their journey through sports and are essentially attempting to make themselves stand out from the hundreds of other athletes. However, the components of these supplements have been of great concern due to their potential undesired effects (Brown). Despite the glorious results that the particular coach at hand has….

Vitamin C for Common Cold
What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble ingredient that is essential for the health of human beings. It is essential for normal growth and development and it has consumed regularly. Since Vitamin C dissolves in water, the excess amounts leave the human body through urine and this means the body needs a constant supply of this vitamin everyday. The body cannot store vitamin C in any form.

One of the primary role of vitamin C is to repair the body cells and tissues and to prevent free radicals and toxins from getting accumulated in the body. It repairs wounds and makes them heal faster. The free radicals are known to play a role in cancer and heart diseases and good amount of vitamin C everyday helps to prevent any damage.

Sources of vitamin C

Most fruits and vegetables contain some amounts of vitamin….

Vitamin D Supplementation
Vitamin supplementation has long been a popular way of ensuring that people receive the sufficient amount of vitamins. However as it pertains to Vitamin D, there is some amount of controversy as it pertains to Vitamin D supplementation (25-hydroxy) concentration and safety. The literature review will discuss the need for vitamin D supplementation and the findings of various studies and Vitamin D trials.

An article entitled "Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and safety" the daily allowance of vitamin D is 200 IU. The medical community has established that this amount will prevent the softening of the bones known as osteomalacia. However, there is also a consensus that more vitamin D is need to avoid other conditions such as hyperparathyroidism and osteoporosis.

In fact an article found in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics confirms that the proper amount of vitamin D can reduce the chances of the development of….

Supplements
There are many reasons that supplements have become popular. One reason is that many people realize that their diets are not adequate and they feel like they can "supplement" for the fact that they are not eating right. Other reasons include the fact that certain supplements are promoted as helping with many different conditions. For example, Gingko Bibola is promoted as helping mental processes. There is a lot of hype about supplementation and this will likely led to the continued growth of the trend.

Most of the supplements that are available are fairly safe. For example, a multivitamin does not need to be regulated and be available only with a prescription. There are some supplements that can have more serious consequences however and it is reasonable to argue that consumers should be protected. A person's primary physician would represent the ideal person to guide a patient in this process.

UNIT 3 DISCUSSSION

All….

Vol. 4. 145-56.
In this article, Drs. McCann and Ames of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in Oakland, California, discuss their findings made in several important studies related to the suggestion that since "Vitamin D deficiency is common in the United States," it seems that the elderly and African-Americans are at a particularly high risk" of vitamin D deficiency (145).

o support this suggestion, McCann and Ames explore three specific topics -- first, the biological functions of vitamin D relevant to human cognition and behavior; second, the effects of vitamin D deficiency on human cognition and behavior, and third, the activity of vitamin D "relative to the pro-inflammatory cytokine theory of cognitive/behavioral dysfunction" (146).

McCann and Ames then conclude that "there is ample biological evidence to suggest an important role for vitamin D in brain development and function;" however, the direct effect of vitamin D deficiency on cognition/behavior in humans "appears….

Vitamin D Supplementation increases Voluntary Physical Activity Levels in Nursing Home Patients
Over the course of a semester does vitamin D3 supplementation, and the resultant increase in muscle strength and bone density, lead to increased physical activity in nursing home residents in the absence of added encouragement?

The elderly often suffer from low serum levels of vitamin D, reduced muscle strength, and decreased bone density (reviewed in: Hamilton, 2010). Muscle biopsies have revealed that the muscle fibers most affected in the elderly are type II, the 'fast twitch' fibers. When a person begins to fall they instinctively attempt to prevent or break their fall and this reaction depends heavily on fast twitch muscle fibers. The elderly therefore suffer from an increased risk of falling down and bone fractures. Although conclusive evidence has yet to be found that low serum levels of vitamin D cause this condition, there is a large body of….

FDA must receive the text of the structure/function claims within 30 days of putting the product on the market. The labels must also include Product labels containing such claims must also include a disclaimer that reads, "This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."
The bottom line: It is important to do research and be careful about the supplements one takes. Although they can be helpful in providing additional minerals and vitamins, they can be a detriment. The best of all worlds is to eat the right foods, so these supplements are not needed.

eferences

Food and Drug Administration (2003). Claims That Can Be Made for Conventional Foods and Dietary Supplements. Website retrieved July 4, 2006. http://arthritis.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=arthritis&zu=http%3A%2F%2F www.cfsan.fda.gov%2F%7Edms%2Fhclaims.html..