My latest article for Examiner.com is focused on keeping yourself healthy as part of your cardio program.  So what should you know about vitamins?

Vitamins

Overview

• Eat a healthy diet.  A multivitamin is not as important or helpful to your body as good, healthy patterns of eating.
• Choose a daily multivitamin as extra insurance.
• Consider an extra Vitamin D pill.
• Say no to megavitamins and mega-fortified foods.
• Avoid super supplements and wild advice from advertisements.
• Vitamin deficiencies are not always due to poor diet.  They can be caused by diseases.

Vitamin A

900 micrograms for men and 700 micrograms for women

1.  How Vitamin A Functions in the Body

Vitamin A stimulates the production and activity of white blood cells.  It plays a part in remodeling bone.  It helps maintain endothelial cell health.  It regulates cell growth and division.

2. Vitamin A Deficiency

It is difficult for someone to get too little Vitamin A.

3. How to Get Vitamin A

Breakfast cereals, juices, and dairy products are often fortified with Retinol, aka Preformed Vitamin A.  Fruit and vegetables (such as apricots, cantaloupe, carrots, kale, mangoes, sweet potatoes, and spinach) and some supplements contain beta-carotene and Vitamin A precursors to turn into Vitamin A.  It is best to choose a multivitamin with all or most of its Vitamin A in the form of beta-carodyne.

4. Vitamin A Overdose

Too much Retinol may increase the risk of hip fractures and may interfere with Vitamin D’s actions.

B Vitamins:  Folate, B6, and B12

1. How the B Vitamins Function in the Body

The B Vitamins may help fight heart disease and some types of cancer.  They also play a key role in recycling homocysteine into methionine.  They help your body transform food into energy.  Folate plays a key role in building DNA.

2. Vitamin B Deficiency

Folate deficiencies lead to an increased chance of a woman having a baby with spina bifeda or anencephaly.  B12 deficiencies are caused by a lack of animal products in the diet or by a lack of intrinsic factor, the substance secreted by gastric cells that binds to b12 and enables absorption or by lack of stomach acid.  Symptoms of B12 deficiency include memory loss, hallucinations, disorientation, and tingling in the arms and legs.

3. How to Get the B Vitamins

Most adults have adequate levels of folate because so many foods are fortified.  Multivitamins are used to receive additional B vitamins.  B Vitamins are found in asparagus, avocados, beans, corn, green beans, onions, peas, pork, whole wheat, and yogurt.

4. B Vitamins Overdose

A healthy intake of B Vitamins has not been set in stone.  There currently is not any information about what too much B Vitamins could cause.

Vitamin C

90 milligrams for men and 75 milligrams for women

1. How Vitamin C Functions in the Body

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that can neutralize harmful free radicals.  It helps make collagen, which is tissue needed for healthy bones, teeth, gums, and blood vessels.

2. Vitamin C Deficiency

Too little Vitamin C can cause scurvy.

3. How to Get Vitamin C

Vitamin C is found in many foods including citrus fruits and juices, berries, kiwi, onions, green and red peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and fortified breakfast cereals.

4. Vitamin C Overdose

There is no good evidence that mega-doses of Vitamin C improve health.  While the upper limit of Vitamin C intake is set at 2 grams, there is not current information on negative effects from heavy intake.

Vitamin D

25-50 micrograms for ages 2+

1. How Vitamin D Functions in the Body

Vitamin D helps insure that the body absorbs and retains calcium and phosphorus.  Both are used to build bone.  Studies have shown that Vitamin D keeps cancer cells from growing and dividing.

2. Vitamin D Deficiency

Decreased Vitamin D intake can lead to an increased risk of fractures.

3. How to Get Vitamin D

Very few foods naturally contain Vitamin D.  It can be found in fortified dairy products and cereal.  Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and tuna also contain Vitamin D.  The sun is our primary source of Vitamin D.  By applying sunscreen just before going outdoors, the body is able to absorb some Vitamin D and then be protected from harmful rays.

4. Vitamin D Overdose

Extremely high amounts of Vitamin D can be toxic and even cause death.

Vitamin E

15 milligrams

1. How Vitamin E Functions in the Body

Vitamin E limits the production of harmful free radicals.  Free radicals can compromise LDL cholesterol, which causes LDL to build up in the arteries and restrict blood flow.  Vitamin E also helps activate Vitamin K.

2. Vitamin E Deficiency

Information unknown

3. How to Get Vitamin E

Vitamin E is found in sunflower oil, safflower oil, sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens, mangoes, tomato puree, avocadoes, oil based salad dressings, almonds, and peanut butter.

4. Vitamin E Overdose

A healthy intake of Vitamin E has not been set in stone.  There currently is not any information about what too much Vitamin E could cause.

Vitamin K

120 micrograms for men and 90 micrograms for women

1. How Vitamin K Functions in the Body

Vitamin K produces 4 of the 13 proteins necessary for blood clotting.  It is involved in building bone by helping to strengthen bones and increase their density.

2. Vitamin K Deficiency

Low levels of Vitamin K have been linked to low bone density.  One in four Americans meets his or her needs of Vitamin K through food.

3. How to Get Vitamin K

Bodies can manufacture Vitamin K, but it is important to obtain it from food sources.  Vitamin K is found in green leafy vegetables such as kale, collard greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, watercress, and parsley.  It is also found in cooking oils.  Not all multivitamins contain Vitamin K.

4. Vitamin K Overdose

A healthy intake of Vitamin K has not been set in stone.  There currently is not any information about what too much Vitamin K could cause.

Source

Harvard School of Public Health:  The Nutrition Source:  What You Should Eat:  Vitamins

(Reminder that I am not a registered dietitian.    I gathered this information through my own research.  Please see my Disclaimer)