ALL ABOUT VITAMINS AND VITAMIN PILLS
Table of contents
1. WHAT ARE VITAMINS?
Vitamins are organic compounds that the human body needs not as a source of energy but for other vital functions. They must be taken in with food and are essential (i.e. vital) substances. Only vitamins D3 and B3 (niacin) can be produced by the body itself.
Vitamins are directly or indirectly involved in many processes in the human organism and therefore play an extremely important role in human health. They intervene in the metabolism, support many bodily functions and perform various protective functions.
Vitamins are directly or indirectly involved in many processes in the human organism and therefore play an extremely important role in human health. They intervene in the metabolism, support many bodily functions and perform various protective functions.
2. WHAT VITAMINS ARE THERE?
The 13 vitamins known to date are divided into so-called "water-soluble" and "fat-soluble" vitamins.
Water-soluble vitamins:
Water-soluble vitamins:
- Vitamin B1- thiamine
- Vitamin B2 - riboflavin
- Vitamin B3 - niacin
- Vitamin B5 - pantothenic acid
- Vitamin B6 - pyridoxine
- Vitamin B9 - folic acid
- Vitamin B12 - cobalamin
- Vitamin C - ascorbic acid
- Vitamin H/B7 - Biotin
Fat-soluble vitamins:
3. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAT-SOLUBLE AND WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMINS?
The difference lies in how they are absorbed, transported, stored and excreted by the body. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored by the body. Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are excreted by the body.
In order for the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, it needs fat from food. If fat digestion is impaired or if a person eats a particularly low-fat diet, only small amounts of these vitamins can be absorbed by the body.
Fat-soluble vitamins are primarily required for the production of various proteins.
However, they also have other important functions in the body. Water-soluble vitamins are practically not stored in the body. For this reason, they must be continuously supplied through the diet. Vitamin B12 is an exception here, as it can be stored in the liver.
In order for the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, it needs fat from food. If fat digestion is impaired or if a person eats a particularly low-fat diet, only small amounts of these vitamins can be absorbed by the body.
Fat-soluble vitamins are primarily required for the production of various proteins.
However, they also have other important functions in the body. Water-soluble vitamins are practically not stored in the body. For this reason, they must be continuously supplied through the diet. Vitamin B12 is an exception here, as it can be stored in the liver.
4. WHAT ROLE DO VITAMINS PLAY IN HEALTH?
Without an adequate supply of all vitamins in the body, humans cannot survive in the long term. The importance of vitamins for humans became clearest long before they were even discovered. In the age of exploration and seafaring, vitamin C deficiency, better known as "scurvy", was a major cause of death among sailors. For example, the ship of the famous explorer Vasco da Gama lost around 100 men to scurvy on a voyage with a crew of 160. The inadequate, vitamin-poor diet on the months-long voyages, which consisted mainly of salted meat and ship's rusks, was the reason for this. If Vasco da Gama had stopped more often on his voyages and distributed fruit to his men, no man would have died of vitamin deficiency.
Nowadays, of course, no one dies of scurvy. Nevertheless, many people suffer from vitamin deficiency and struggle with many health problems as a result. More on this later ...
Nowadays, of course, no one dies of scurvy. Nevertheless, many people suffer from vitamin deficiency and struggle with many health problems as a result. More on this later ...
5. WHICH VITAMINS ARE GOOD FOR WHAT?
Vitamin A (precursor: beta carotene) - important for: Eyes,skinmucous membranes, cells and tissue
Vitamin C - important for:immune system, cell protection, nerves, psyche, energy metabolism, iron absorption, bones, teeth, blood vessels, gums, cartilage
Vitamin D - important for: Bones, immune system, muscles, teeth, cells, calcium levels in the blood Scientific study "Vitamin D and bone health"
Vitamin E - important for: Vitamin E helps to protect cells from oxidative stress
Vitamin K - important for: Bones
Vitamin B1 - important for: Heart, energy metabolism, nerves, psyche
Vitamin B2 - important for: Energy metabolism, nerves, psyche, eyes, iron metabolism, protection of cells from oxidative stress
Vitamin B3 - important for: Energy metabolism, nerves, psyche
Vitamin B5 - important for: Mental performance, energy metabolism,
Vitamin B6 - important for: Immune system, energy metabolism, nerves, psyche, hormone activity
Vitamin B7 (biotin) - important for: Hair, metabolism, energy metabolism, nerves, psyche
Vitamin B9 (folic acid) - important for Blood formation, growth of maternal tissue during pregnancy, cell division, psyche
Vitamin B12 - important for: Energy metabolism, nerves, psyche, immune system, red blood cells, cells
###PRODUCT###
Vitamin C - important for:immune system, cell protection, nerves, psyche, energy metabolism, iron absorption, bones, teeth, blood vessels, gums, cartilage
Vitamin D - important for: Bones, immune system, muscles, teeth, cells, calcium levels in the blood Scientific study "Vitamin D and bone health"
Vitamin E - important for: Vitamin E helps to protect cells from oxidative stress
Vitamin K - important for: Bones
Vitamin B1 - important for: Heart, energy metabolism, nerves, psyche
Vitamin B2 - important for: Energy metabolism, nerves, psyche, eyes, iron metabolism, protection of cells from oxidative stress
Vitamin B3 - important for: Energy metabolism, nerves, psyche
Vitamin B5 - important for: Mental performance, energy metabolism,
Vitamin B6 - important for: Immune system, energy metabolism, nerves, psyche, hormone activity
Vitamin B7 (biotin) - important for: Hair, metabolism, energy metabolism, nerves, psyche
Vitamin B9 (folic acid) - important for Blood formation, growth of maternal tissue during pregnancy, cell division, psyche
Vitamin B12 - important for: Energy metabolism, nerves, psyche, immune system, red blood cells, cells
###PRODUCT###
6. WHAT IS MY PERSONAL VITAMIN REQUIREMENT?
This question about the daily requirement is not so easy to answer, as the individual vitamin requirement depends on many factors. These include
- Gender
- age
- Lifestyle habits (diet, smoking, alcohol consumption)
- Everyday life (physical exertion, time spent outdoors, stress)
Just to give a few examples of how different the individual nutrient requirements can be from person to person ...
- age
- Lifestyle habits (diet, smoking, alcohol consumption)
- Everyday life (physical exertion, time spent outdoors, stress)
Just to give a few examples of how different the individual nutrient requirements can be from person to person ...
- Women who want to become pregnant or are pregnant need a lot of folic acid (vitamin B9)
- Vegans almost always suffer from a lack of vitamin B12 (which is practically only found in meat)
- Smokers need more vitamin C, as nicotine destroys this important vitamin
- People who spend most of their day indoors need more vitamin D. This is because the body can only produce it through sunlight and it is only absorbed in very small quantities through food
- Older people need a lot of vitamin D and vitamin K for their bones
- People who suffer a lot from stress need a lot of B vitamins Scientific study "B vitamins and stress"
This list could go on and on!
- Vegans almost always suffer from a lack of vitamin B12 (which is practically only found in meat)
- Smokers need more vitamin C, as nicotine destroys this important vitamin
- People who spend most of their day indoors need more vitamin D. This is because the body can only produce it through sunlight and it is only absorbed in very small quantities through food
- Older people need a lot of vitamin D and vitamin K for their bones
- People who suffer a lot from stress need a lot of B vitamins Scientific study "B vitamins and stress"
This list could go on and on!
7. HOW MANY VITAMINS SHOULD YOU TAKE PER DAY?
This question is always the subject of controversy. It is often stated that in Germany, Austria or Switzerland "nobody suffers from vitamin deficiency". Lists from the DGE (German Nutrition Society) are used as a reference for the minimum amount of vitamins per day. This statement is correct, but fatally wrong at the same time.
Because ... the DGE recommendations refer to the "basic supply" of vitamins. If the DGE says, for example, that a person should consume 100 mg of vitamin C per day and that this would be ensured by a normal diet, then the individual factors (see above) are not taken into account. How old is the person? Man or woman? Does he smoke? Do they drink a lot of alcohol? Do they do a lot of sport? Is their immune system particularly stressed by their job, etc.? All these factors are completely disregarded!
But even more importantly, the DGE recommendations only refer to the amount (to stay with the example of vitamin C) that a person needs every day in order not to fall ill with scurvy (severe vitamin C deficiency), for example. It is therefore about the absolute minimum daily vitamin requirement and not about serious, long-term health PREVENTION.
In addition to individual factors, this also completely ignores the fact that science has carried out numerous international studies that prove how positive a significantly higher vitamin supply can be for modern people. For example, the increasing incidence of osteoporosis (bone loss) in old age is associated with an insufficient supply of vitamin D3 at a young age. In other words, no one dies directly from vitamin D deficiency if they follow the DGE recommendation. But if you want to enjoy healthy cooking in old age, you should provide your body with plenty of vitamin D at an early age. This is just ONE example!
Because ... the DGE recommendations refer to the "basic supply" of vitamins. If the DGE says, for example, that a person should consume 100 mg of vitamin C per day and that this would be ensured by a normal diet, then the individual factors (see above) are not taken into account. How old is the person? Man or woman? Does he smoke? Do they drink a lot of alcohol? Do they do a lot of sport? Is their immune system particularly stressed by their job, etc.? All these factors are completely disregarded!
But even more importantly, the DGE recommendations only refer to the amount (to stay with the example of vitamin C) that a person needs every day in order not to fall ill with scurvy (severe vitamin C deficiency), for example. It is therefore about the absolute minimum daily vitamin requirement and not about serious, long-term health PREVENTION.
In addition to individual factors, this also completely ignores the fact that science has carried out numerous international studies that prove how positive a significantly higher vitamin supply can be for modern people. For example, the increasing incidence of osteoporosis (bone loss) in old age is associated with an insufficient supply of vitamin D3 at a young age. In other words, no one dies directly from vitamin D deficiency if they follow the DGE recommendation. But if you want to enjoy healthy cooking in old age, you should provide your body with plenty of vitamin D at an early age. This is just ONE example!
8. DO I GET ENOUGH VITAMINS FROM MY DAILY DIET?
The answer is a clear: "That depends". It depends on how high your individual vitamin requirement is and, above all, how rich in vitamins your diet is.
As a rule of thumb, the DGE recommends 5 portions (palm-sized) of fruit and vegetables per day. If you eat these 5 portions a day, you give your body a good "vitamin base". Unfortunately, there is only one catch. This DGE recommendation is based on the assumption that the fruit and vegetables you eat are very rich in vitamins. Unfortunately, this is no longer always the case in the modern world. 4 Reasons for this are:
As a rule of thumb, the DGE recommends 5 portions (palm-sized) of fruit and vegetables per day. If you eat these 5 portions a day, you give your body a good "vitamin base". Unfortunately, there is only one catch. This DGE recommendation is based on the assumption that the fruit and vegetables you eat are very rich in vitamins. Unfortunately, this is no longer always the case in the modern world. 4 Reasons for this are:
- As a result of modern agriculture, arable soils are no longer as rich in nutrients as they were 50 years ago.
- Because many fruit varieties are harvested too early, they do not have enough time to extract all the nutrients from the soil.
- Nowadays, food is transported over long distances. Many vital nutrients are lost during transportation and storage.
- Many substances perish as a result of "vitamin-killing" processing. For example, the vital folic acid (B9) survives practically no processing in the kitchen. Other vital substances are already decimated by slight heating during cooking or frying or in the microwave.
9. HOW CAN I OPTIMALLY SUPPLY MY BODY WITH ALL THE IMPORTANT VITAMINS? ARE VITAMIN PILLS USEFUL?
The basis should of course always be a balanced diet rich in vitamins. Food supplements (vitamin supplements or vitamin pills) can be used as a supplement. Depending on your personal nutritional requirements, multivitamin supplements (which contain all the vital substances in one capsule or tablet), vitamin combinations (e.g. all B vitamins in one capsule or tablet), vitamin supplements (e.g. all B vitamins in one tablet) or vitamin pills can be used . For example, all B vitamins in one tablet) or individual vitamins (e.g. vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin B12) can be taken.
Advantages of such vitamin preparations:
Advantages of such vitamin preparations:
- They are easy to dose
- No matter how you eat in a day, taking them provides the body with all essential vitamins
- Very easy to dose and adjust to individual needs and lifestyle
- Can also be easily taken when traveling
- In times of increased physical demands (physical or mental), they can easily compensate for higher requirements
- They are very inexpensive compared to the same amount of nutrients in food
- They contain no calories, do not increase insulin levels and therefore do not make you fat
10. WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING VITAMIN PILLS ON THE INTERNET?
There are countless different food supplement stores on the internet that sell thousands of different vitamin supplements. So which vitamin store and which nutritional supplement is the right one?
Here are a few general tips for buying nutritional supplements online:
-Only buy from stores you can trust
- The store should have a wide range of products
- It should be Trusted Shops certified, for example
- It should have many positive customer reviews
- Only buy from German-speaking stores
- Also pay attention to the legal notice. Is the store based in the EU? If not, it's better to buy elsewhere!
- Call or send a question by e-mail. Is there expert customer advice available by phone and email?
- The products should all be described in detail (effects, ingredients, recommended intake, origin, test certificate)
- Only buy food supplements from the EU. Never buy products with Chinese characters or products from Russia. These are often contaminated, counterfeit or of inferior quality. Some even contain banned substances.
- The store should have many different payment methods. If you can only pay by credit card or in advance, it is better to avoid this online store.
- The products should be tested for purity and quality by a European institute. The certificate should be available for inspection or be emailed to you before you buy.
- Make sure you only buy vitamin supplements that are of natural origin (more on this later ...)
If you pay attention to these points, you can't go far wrong.
Here are a few general tips for buying nutritional supplements online:
-Only buy from stores you can trust
- The store should have a wide range of products
- It should be Trusted Shops certified, for example
- It should have many positive customer reviews
- Only buy from German-speaking stores
- Also pay attention to the legal notice. Is the store based in the EU? If not, it's better to buy elsewhere!
- Call or send a question by e-mail. Is there expert customer advice available by phone and email?
- The products should all be described in detail (effects, ingredients, recommended intake, origin, test certificate)
- Only buy food supplements from the EU. Never buy products with Chinese characters or products from Russia. These are often contaminated, counterfeit or of inferior quality. Some even contain banned substances.
- The store should have many different payment methods. If you can only pay by credit card or in advance, it is better to avoid this online store.
- The products should be tested for purity and quality by a European institute. The certificate should be available for inspection or be emailed to you before you buy.
- Make sure you only buy vitamin supplements that are of natural origin (more on this later ...)
If you pay attention to these points, you can't go far wrong.
11. WHICH IS BETTER? VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS WITH ARTIFICIAL OR NATURAL VITAMINS?
In our modern world, "artificial" is often superior to "natural". One example is modern fibers for clothing, which keep you warmer, are more stable, breathable and water-repellent. A jacket made from such fibres is undoubtedly "better" than a cotton jacket with down filling, for example. However, this certainly does not apply to vitamins!
As a general rule, NATURAL vitamins work much better in the body than artificial ones.
Why is this the case? Conventional food supplements, such as those you can buy in pharmacies, drugstores or discount stores, usually consist of synthetically produced vitamins (e.g. from petroleum, genetically modified microorganisms, coal tar, etc.) and isolated minerals and trace elements. Over millions of years of evolutionary history, however, humans have adapted to the digestion of natural food and adjusted their metabolism to natural macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements).
The human body can therefore distinguish very well between natural and artificial substances, which has been scientifically proven for some of these substances. This is the reason why vitamins of NATURAL origin have practically no side effects. In contrast to artificial vitamin supplements, which at best simply do not work as well as natural ones, and at worst can even make you ill.
IMPORTANT: Vitamin supplements should explicitly state that they are natural vitamins. You would surely prefer to take vitamin C obtained from acerola cherries or rose hips rather than one derived from crude oil, wouldn't you? Vitamins that come from natural sources are free from known side effects and have been shown to work much better in the body than synthetically produced nutrients. Even if artificially produced food supplements are often cheaper than 100% natural ones - only use natural quality! You don't want to burden your body with cheap and artificial substances! Your health should be worth it!
As a general rule, NATURAL vitamins work much better in the body than artificial ones.
Why is this the case? Conventional food supplements, such as those you can buy in pharmacies, drugstores or discount stores, usually consist of synthetically produced vitamins (e.g. from petroleum, genetically modified microorganisms, coal tar, etc.) and isolated minerals and trace elements. Over millions of years of evolutionary history, however, humans have adapted to the digestion of natural food and adjusted their metabolism to natural macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and trace elements).
The human body can therefore distinguish very well between natural and artificial substances, which has been scientifically proven for some of these substances. This is the reason why vitamins of NATURAL origin have practically no side effects. In contrast to artificial vitamin supplements, which at best simply do not work as well as natural ones, and at worst can even make you ill.
IMPORTANT: Vitamin supplements should explicitly state that they are natural vitamins. You would surely prefer to take vitamin C obtained from acerola cherries or rose hips rather than one derived from crude oil, wouldn't you? Vitamins that come from natural sources are free from known side effects and have been shown to work much better in the body than synthetically produced nutrients. Even if artificially produced food supplements are often cheaper than 100% natural ones - only use natural quality! You don't want to burden your body with cheap and artificial substances! Your health should be worth it!
12. WHY DO WE KEEP READING THAT VITAMIN PILLS ARE USELESS OR CAN EVEN BE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH?
Time and again there are reports that dietary supplements are superfluous or even dangerous. Is this true? The answer is a clear NO! Because ...
- The tested food supplements that generate such headlines are almost always of ARTIFICIAL origin and do NOT come from NATURAL sources. This means that they do not work at all or only poorly (see above).
- Claims regarding allegedly "too high doses" in vitamin pills take the far too low recommendations of the DGE for daily vitamin intake as a reference.
- Some of the studies quoted are decades old and have long been shown to be unscientific or even completely wrong.
- Claims regarding allegedly "too high doses" in vitamin pills take the far too low recommendations of the DGE for daily vitamin intake as a reference.
- Some of the studies quoted are decades old and have long been shown to be unscientific or even completely wrong.
13. CAN TOO MANY VITAMINS BE HARMFUL? CAN VITAMINS BE OVERDOSED?
Here, too, there is a lot of false information in the public domain. The following applies:
- Water-soluble vitamins are simply excreted by the body if the dosage is too high.
- Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are stored in the body. But in order to take such high doses that they could be harmful to health, you would have to consume such large quantities over a long period of time that you would practically have to swallow a month's worth of vitamin pills every day.
There is a medical term for an overdose of vitamins. This is called "hypervitaminosis". This is caused, for example, by years of eating polar bear liver, which is extremely rich in vitamin A. For this reason, Inuits generally refrain from eating polar bear liver. Even if the symptoms disappear quickly as soon as you stop eating polar bear liver, it is still not recommended to include it in your daily diet.
What sounds ironic here is actually a serious fact... "Hypervitaminosis" is a purely theoretical disease that practically NEVER affects anyone. A real overdose of natural vitamins is practically impossible! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Or ask your family doctor if he has ever treated a patient with PROVEN "hypervitaminosis" in his career.
- Water-soluble vitamins are simply excreted by the body if the dosage is too high.
- Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are stored in the body. But in order to take such high doses that they could be harmful to health, you would have to consume such large quantities over a long period of time that you would practically have to swallow a month's worth of vitamin pills every day.
There is a medical term for an overdose of vitamins. This is called "hypervitaminosis". This is caused, for example, by years of eating polar bear liver, which is extremely rich in vitamin A. For this reason, Inuits generally refrain from eating polar bear liver. Even if the symptoms disappear quickly as soon as you stop eating polar bear liver, it is still not recommended to include it in your daily diet.
What sounds ironic here is actually a serious fact... "Hypervitaminosis" is a purely theoretical disease that practically NEVER affects anyone. A real overdose of natural vitamins is practically impossible! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! Or ask your family doctor if he has ever treated a patient with PROVEN "hypervitaminosis" in his career.
THE SUPPOSED STUDY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO PROVE THE DANGERS OF EXCESSIVE DOSES OF VITAMINS:
In reporting on the sense or nonsense of vitamin supplements, a study is very often cited in which increased deaths were said to have occurred as a result of taking vitamin A (beta-carotene) supplements. There is talk of an increase in lung cancer in the test subjects.
The truth about this study is:
The truth about this study is:
- It dates back to the 1970s and is therefore very old.
- The test group consisted of just under 10 participants.
- Of the participants, 2 developed lung cancer during the study and ... here it comes ...
- All participants were heavy smokers! The purpose of the study was to find out whether heavy smokers could benefit from taking vitamin A supplements. Knowing how high the "natural" lung cancer rate is among heavy smokers, it is not surprising that in this case 20% of the study participants developed the disease.
From this study it is then often deduced that vitamins can generally be dangerous in excessive doses. The thousands of studies conducted worldwide over the last few decades, which have proven numerous different effects for each individual vitamin (we are only talking about NATURAL nutrients here), are then quickly ignored.
So don't be misled by such negative reports about dietary supplements!
- The test group consisted of just under 10 participants.
- Of the participants, 2 developed lung cancer during the study and ... here it comes ...
- All participants were heavy smokers! The purpose of the study was to find out whether heavy smokers could benefit from taking vitamin A supplements. Knowing how high the "natural" lung cancer rate is among heavy smokers, it is not surprising that in this case 20% of the study participants developed the disease.
From this study it is then often deduced that vitamins can generally be dangerous in excessive doses. The thousands of studies conducted worldwide over the last few decades, which have proven numerous different effects for each individual vitamin (we are only talking about NATURAL nutrients here), are then quickly ignored.
So don't be misled by such negative reports about dietary supplements!
Conclusion
Vitamins are vital. Incorporate plenty of NATURAL vitamins into your diet and ensure a regular intake. There is countless evidence of the positive benefits of vitamin supplements if the nutrients they contain are of NATURAL origin. Natural vital substances can prevent or even cure many diseases. For example, vital substances can eliminate the causes of fatigue and other symptoms.
Many nutrients can be used as a natural alternative to medication and reduce deficiency symptoms. Overdosing on vitamins is a modern myth! The potential benefit of vitamin pills is many times greater than the risk. However, it is important to ensure that vitamin supplements come from a reputable source so that the quality is right.
High-quality natural vitamins as food supplements are available here.
Many nutrients can be used as a natural alternative to medication and reduce deficiency symptoms. Overdosing on vitamins is a modern myth! The potential benefit of vitamin pills is many times greater than the risk. However, it is important to ensure that vitamin supplements come from a reputable source so that the quality is right.
High-quality natural vitamins as food supplements are available here.