The Importance of Vitamins to your Body

The body needs a minimum amount of vitamins and minerals each day to remain healthy and function properly. A balanced diet normally supplies sufficient vitamins. However, serious disorders can still develop if the diet does not meet your body's needs. Symptoms of a deficiency in vitamins and minerals usually appear when the lack is already in a relatively advanced level. For instance, people who do not have enough of the vitamins A, B1 and B2 suffer from recurring tiredness, mental or emotional disturbances, loss of appetite and chapped lips, among others.

The common causes of these vitamin deficiencies include poor eating habits, alcoholism, emotional stress, the improper absorption of vitamins and minerals (usually due to liver or intestinal disorders), the intake of medicines that interfere with the ingestion of vitamins and lack of exposure to sunlight. If you constantly feel sluggish and suffer from chronic health-related inconveniences, you might be short of the vitamins your body needs to function properly. Doctors will usually prescribe supplements that address the lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. However, also keep in mind not to overdo it, as an excess of vitamins can also be harmful. Do you still need to take vitamins even if you maintain a healthy diet? The answer is yes.

Proper food consumption should be accompanied by the right vitamins and minerals. Vitamins serve as buffers in the event that your diet does not meet your daily requirements fully. Surely you can't calculate how much vitamins and minerals your body takes in with every meal you consume. And while most people take vitamins to avoid common deficiency-related diseases, not all products available cater to what your body requires. There are those that still lack what you need.

The key components you must look for in a supplement are the vitamins B6, B12, D, E and folic acid. Aside from being dietary supplements, these so-called B vitamins have been known to help combat certain types of cancer and heart ailments. While there remains no hard-lined link between cancer and a daily intake of B vitamins, studies that suggest their preventive powers have helped raise the importance of daily doses of vitamins and minerals into our system.

Standard RDA-level vitamins can easily be bought over the counter at a reasonable price. Yes, the old belief that a proper diet is enough to keep you going has become a myth. It is time to invest in our health. Whether we admit it or not, we need vitamins. Sure, it does lead to added costs; but when we really think about it, vitamins are probably the cheapest type of insurance readily available in the market right now. Who are we to say no?

Benefits of Cod Liver Oil

What is Cod Liver Oil?

Cod Liver Oil is a nutrient rich oil that is derived from the liver of Cod fish. It is available in both oil form as well as in capsules.

What are the Benefits of Cod Liver Oil?

Cod liver oil is a wonderful nutritional supplement which provides multiple health benefits. It is rich in nutrients such as:

• Vitamin A: helps to maintain a healthy immune system, helps resist bacterial and viral infections, and beneficial for eyesight and healthy skin.
• Vitamin D: helps maintain strong and healthy bones.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: have anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve the symptoms of arthritis, improve brain function, reduce stress, prevent allergies, relieve asthma, and help with learning and behavioral disorders including bipolar syndrome.
• EicosaPentaenoic Acid (EPA): is great for the cardiovascular system and helps reduce inflammation throughout the body. Also works as a natural anti-depressant.
• DocosaHexaenoic Acid (DHA): is also a fatty acid which is vital for good eyesight, a healthy nervous system, and healthy skin.

Research has also shown that consuming 1-2 teaspoons of cod liver oil daily can help to prevent serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, musculoskeletal pain, kidney problems, and high cholesterol.

Uses of Cod Liver Oil

Home Remedy for Arthritis

Consuming a small amount of Cod Liver Oil each day helps prevent arthritis, as well as provides some relief from arthritis pain. A recommended dosage is 1 to 2 teaspoons daily, or follow the directions on the bottle if you are using capsules. 

Home Remedy for Muscle Aches and Pain

Bone and muscle pain are two of the primary symptoms of having low-levels of vitamin D. Many people with such low vitamin D levels notice signficant pain in their legs and have difficulty climbing stairs. Numerous studies have shown that 1 to 2 teaspoons of Cod Liver Oil daily can increase vitamin D levels in the body which helps to improve muscle strength and reduce muscle pain. 

Home Remedy for Preventing Heart Disease

Taking 1 to 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil everyday can greatly improve heart function which helps prevent heart disease. It can also improve heart conditions even after a heart attack and after heart surgery. This is attributed to the omega-3 fatty acids which alters the linings of the arteries in such a way as to improve healing after damage. Vitamin A and D also play important roles in facilitating mineral absorption, improving muscle function, and supporting elasticity of the blood vessels. 

Home Remedy for High Cholesterol

The fatty acids in Cod Liver Oil help lower the amount of bad cholesterol in our body. A simple remedy is to consume 1-2 teaspoons of Cod Liver Oil daily. 

Lowering Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Children

Studies have found that pregnant women that took 1 daily teaspoon of cod liver oil have a lower risk of giving birth to children with type 1 diabetes. However, if you are pregnant, it is recommended that you consult your doctor before you begin taking cod liver oil regularly.

What are the Side Effects of Cod Liver Oil?

Cod liver oil is generally safe to take in moderation, and studies have not found any major adverse reactions to it in the general population. However, a If you are pregnant or currently taking medication, it is recommended that you contact your physician before using cod liver oil on a regular basis. Otherwise, cod liver oil has been found to be safe for the general population when taken in moderation. It is important not to consume extremely large doses of cod liver oil, since this can lead to high blood pressure.

Where and How to Buy Cod Liver Oil

Cod Liver Oil can be bought in most pharmacies and drug stores. It can also be found in liquid form. A high quality cod liver oil should be pale-yellow in colour and have a fish-like taste. 

Do you need a Multivitamin?

Many people take Multivitamins. They can also be very expensive. But do we need to take the one-a-day pill in order to fulfill a healthy lifestyle, especially with an increase in physical activity?

Claims: Athletes have increased needs for many micronutrients involved in the metabolic and physiologic pathways of exercise. Multivitamin supplements help meet these needs.


Facts: Regular exercise, especially long and intense exercise, may result in increased needs for certain vitamins and minerals, but supplementation isn't necessary for most athletes. Nonetheless, a deficiency in one or more of the micronutrients may result in impaired health and performance. The most common deficiencies are for the B-vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin D, calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. Athletes most at risk for deficiencies are those who restrict caloric intake to achieve or maintain a low body weight, those who don't eat a well-balanced diet, those who frequently eat fast foods, and those who eat too few fruits and vegetables. Most athletes serious about performance eat a diet sufficient in calories to meet increased energy needs, which usually results in a diet supplying adequate amounts of micronutrients, making supplementation unnecessary.


Bottom Line: More isn't better. Vitamin and mineral supplements won't improve performance in athletes consuming adequate diets. Athletes at risk of vitamin deficiencies may be able to improve performance by taking a multivitamin that contains about 100 percent of the daily value for most vitamins and minerals, which should be taken once daily or every other day with food.

Unusual Supplement Advice

Taking a look at some of the more unusual supplements that you may not have heard of which may help you towards your health goals. Up today - Choline.

Claims: Improves performance and focus and delays fatigue during long and intense exercise.

Facts: Choline plays a central role in various physiological pathways that are stressed by endurance exercise. Most important, choline is involved in forming acetylcholine, a chemical necessary for nerve cell communication. A deficiency in choline during exercise may result in impaired muscle performance because of a decrease in acetylcholine synthesis, as well as increased muscle damage and fatigue. Long, strenuous exercise bouts such as marathons or triathlons may create a significant, short-term decrease in free choline. It's estimated that an effort of longer than 2 hours at greater than 70 percent of VO2 max is necessary to produce such a change.

This is a difficult effort to reproduce and test in research studies, and to date only one study has been able to produce a notable decrease in choline during exercise in both treatment and control conditions. In this study, supplementation with choline one hour before and halfway through a hard 20-mile run prevented a decline in free choline, resulting in delayed fatigue and improved performance. Other studies have failed to find improved performances following choline supplementation before long and intense exercise. Raising the free choline concentration above normal blood levels doesn't appear to have a beneficial effect on endurance performance.

Bottom Line: Choline supplementation may be useful when taken before and during a long, intense exercise bout such as the marathon; it's not useful for shorter races such as 5K or 10K. Choline salts (such as choline citrate) are the best sources, but the recommended dose is quite high -- 2.5 grams before and 2.5 grams during the long, hard run, which could add up to five to 10 capsules at a time. Choline supplements are relatively safe, with the major side effects being related to the GI system, but 3.5 grams per day have been recommended as the tolerable upper intake level.

Nutritional Supplement Advice

There are lots of different kinds of supplements, fat burners, vitamins, and pills you can take when trying to lose weight, build muscle, and get into shape. So, how do you know what ones are safe to use, and how to use them wisely? Here are some tips to help you use nutritional supplements wisely.


First, talk to your GP about what kind of supplements you want to use, and why. If you aren’t sure if you should be using nutritional supplements or not, ask them what they would advise. Multivitamins are a common supplement that is generally recommended for everyone to take because you probably aren’t getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs in your daily diet. 
Next, once you have spoken to your GP, decide what types of supplements or fat burners you want to take and what brands. You should always read the labels thoroughly to find out what is in the products you buy, how often you should take them, and what they are supposed to do for you. 


If you are having trouble finding a product that does what you want, or that doesn’t contain a certain ingredient, such as something you are allergic to, you can talk to the company or store you are buying from to get some personal advice. 


Always use your products according to the directions. Some people seem to think that you can never have too much of a good thing, but this isn’t true. Only take the recommended dosage for best results. 


You should also carefully choose where you buy your supplements from. Choose a store or Web site that looks professional, and which is staffed by knowledgeable people who can answer your questions. 


Also, remember to maintain a healthy diet and get regular exercise and sunshine.