Back to the
Basics: Vitamins Part
3
The B Vitamins, Overview.
We are continuing a series talking about those nutrients
which are Essential to Life. A “Back to the Basics Series”.
Basic questions we need to answer are: Why is this molecule
or element Essential, What Purpose does it Serve, In What
Form is it Best Consumed and How Much do we need.
Vitamins A
vitamin is an
organic molecule required by a living
organism in minute amounts for proper
health. An organism deprived of all sources of a
particular vitamin will eventually suffer from
disease
symptoms specific to that vitamin.
Vitamins
can be classified as either
water soluble, which means they dissolve
easily in water, or
fat soluble, which means they are
absorbed through the
intestinal tract with the help of
lipids.
In general, an organism must obtain vitamins
or their metabolic precursors from outside
the body, most often from the organism's
diet. Examples of vitamins that the
human body can derive from precursors
include vitamin A, which can be produced
from
beta carotene; niacin from the
amino acid
tryptophan; and vitamin D through
exposure of
skin to
ultraviolet
light.
The term vitamin
does not encompass other
essential nutrients such as
dietary minerals,
essential fatty acids, or
essential amino acids, nor is it used
for the large number of other nutrients that
merely promote health, but are not strictly
essential.
From
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
B Vitamins
Essential
Pronunciation: ĕs`sĕn´sjal or
i-
sen-ch
l
a
:basic and fundamental a: being a substance that is
required for normal functioning but cannot be synthesized by
the body and therefore must be included in the diet
s
:absolutely required and not to be used up or sacrificed
s :of the greatest importance s :absolutely
necessary; vitally necessary n :anything
indispensable ie don't leave home without it....More
important than Gummi Bears...
B Vitamins
History
Vitamins are either fat-soluble or
water-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins can
be remembered with the mnemonic (memory aid)
ADEK, for the vitamins A, D, E and K. These
vitamins accumulate within the fat stores of
the body and within the liver. Fat-soluble
vitamins, when taken in large amounts, can
become toxic. Water-soluble vitamins include
vitamin C and the B vitamins.
Water-soluble vitamins taken in excess are
excreted in the urine but are sometimes
associated with toxicity. Both the B
vitamins and vitamin C are also stored in
the liver. The vitamins
in the B complex are fragile, water-soluble
substances, several of which are
particularly important to carbohydrate
metabolism.
-
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
and vitamin B2
(riboflavin) help the
body produce energy and
affect enzymes that
influence the muscles,
nerves, and heart.
-
Vitamin B3 (niacin) also
has a role in energy
production in cells and
in maintaining the
health of the skin,
nervous system, and
digestive system.
-
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic
acid) influences normal
growth and development.
-
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
helps the body break
down protein, and helps
maintain the health of
red blood cells, the
nervous system, and
parts of the immune
system.
-
Vitamin B7 (biotin)
helps break down
protein, and
carbohydrates, and helps
the body make hormones.
-
Vitamin B9 (folic acid)
helps the cells in the
body make and maintain
DNA, and is important in
the production of red
blood cells.
-
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
plays a role in growth,
development, the
production of blood
cells, the functions of
the nervous system, and
how the body uses folic
acid and carbohydrates.
|
|
NUTRIENT DATA LABORATORY
Search the USDA National Nutrient Database
for Standard Reference
The Institute of Medicine in
their Dietary Reference Intake Book and
tables
Next month The Vitamin B's one by one, Vitamin B1
Thiamin
From Dr. Sears' Monthly
Newsletter
The OmegaZone E-Magazine
"For years the medical establishment has been telling
Americans that fighting heart disease means a war against
cholesterol. Slowly but surely, like the powerful Wizard of
Oz façade, the cholesterol story has been slowly eroding.
Now the scientific data is shifting more to inflammation as
the underlying cause of heart disease. Of course, this makes
common sense since the number-one drug to prevent a heart
attack is an aspirin. Although aspirin has no effect on
cholesterol levels, it has a dramatic effect on reducing
inflammation. Recent articles in the New England Journal of
Medicine have again confirmed the importance of inflammation
on heart disease. A crude indictor of inflammation,
C-reactive protein, appears to be more powerful than bad
cholesterol levels in predicting future heart attacks.
But what if there was an even more powerful predictor of
inflammation that could predict heart attacks? As I describe
in my newest book, “The Anti-Inflammation Zone,” such a
blood marker exists. It is the ratio of arachidonic acid
(AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This marker of
inflammation precedes C-reactive protein by years. You could
take drugs, such as statins, on a lifetime basis to reduce
C-reactive protein. Of course, there are some side
effects, such as memory loss, muscle weakness, neuropathy,
and liver damage. But statins don’t reduce the AA/EPA ratio
– they actually increase it. On the other hand, taking
high-dose fish oil reduces the AA/EPA ratio, and the only
known side-effect is to make you smarter. The amount of fish
oil you need to reduce inflammation depends on how well you
control insulin in your diet. The more you control insulin
by following the Zone Diet, the less fish oil you need. On
the other hand, the less you control insulin, the more fish
oil you need. The choice is yours. Whatever approach (drugs
or diet) you choose, just keep in mind that controlling
inflammation is a much wiser medical approach to reducing
heart attacks than controlling cholesterol."
Let us know if you want the
AA/EPA test. The Cost is $300 and includes a consult
with Dr. Christian to discuss the results. We also
talk about the AA/EPA test in detail in our Omega Zone
Seminar.
Visit Dr.
Sears Web Site.. Join the Forums and Sign up for his
Newsletter.
Misty Bashara Personal Trainer and Massage Therapist
Misty Bashara is well known in San Antonio
for her contributions to physical fitness and health. She
has personally trained many and is owner of San Antonio
Professional Fitness.
Misty Bashara CFT, AMTA, NCBTMB is the owner of
Professional
Fitness by Misty in San Antonio, Texas. Misty has over
25 years experience in the Fitness Industry and has been a
Fitness Trainer for 21 of those years. Misty holds
certifications as an Advanced Fitness Specialist as well as
the Elite Certification from the Cooper Clinic Center for
Aerobic Research. In addition, Misty has been a Nationally
Certified Massage Therapist for almost 18 years. She holds
the prestigious gold standard for bodyworkers, the National
Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage Therapy and
Bodywork (NCBTMB) credential. She is also certified through
the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and the
Texas Department of Health. Misty received her Yoga Teacher
Training through the Living Yoga Program qualifying as a
Yoga Alliance Yoga Instructor. Misty has the knowledge and
experience to tweak anyone's fitness program giving them an
edge in the hurried world in which we live. Misty is a
Master Trainer who works with individuals who are CEO's,
individuals in management, housewives, secretaries,
overweight, underweight, and unfit; anyone who is
interested in improving their overall fitness and health.
Misty is currently helping top notch professionals from San
Antonio Corporations such as SBC, H.E.B., and others to
maintain their edge.
Benefits of
Massage
Check Out our New Massage Menu...
The benefits of massage are
Occur Via Several Mechanisms:
Biomechanical
Mechanisms: Massage
can produce mechanical pressure, which is expected to
increase muscle compliance resulting in increased range of
joint motion, decreased passive stiffness and decreased
active stiffness . Mechanical pressure might help to
increase blood flow by increasing the arteriolar pressure,
as well as increasing muscle temperature from rubbing
and thus reducing the
severity of muscle soreness.
Neurological
Mechanisms: Mechanical pressure
on the muscle is expected to increase or decrease neural
excitability and muscle spasms as measured by the Hoffman
reflex. The Hoffman reflex is brought about by stimulating a
nerve, particularly the tibial nerve, with an electric shock
and is essentially measuring deep tendon reflexes and the
level of spasm a muscle has.
Physiological Mechanisms:
Changes in parasympathetic activity
(as measured by reduced heart rate and blood pressure
and improved heart rate variability) and dangerous hormonal
levels (as measured by Cortisol levels) following massage.
The immune system may be improved by increasing White
Blood Cells and Natural Killer Cells.
Psychological
Mechanisms: A reduction in
anxiety and an improvement in mood state also cause
relaxation after massage.
MASSAGE THERAPY GROWS IN POPULARITY Fact Sheet
2005 Massage Therapy Consumer Fact Sheet .pdf file
Contraindications of Massage
Seek
medical advice before having a massage if you suffer from
phlebitis, thrombosis, varicose veins, severe acute back
pain, or fever.
Swellings, fractures, skin infections, or
bruises should not be massaged. Lumps and swellings should
be checked by your doctor.
Massage of the abdomen, legs, and feet should
not be given during the first three months of pregnancy.
Cancer patients are best treated by specially
trained practitioners who know which areas to avoid and
which kind of massage is appropriate.
The cultural and philosophical aspects of pressure, massage,
and touch healing as alternative therapies.
Oumeish OY Skinmed.
2005 Mar-Apr;4(2):93-100.
The mechanisms of massage and effects on performance, muscle
recovery and injury prevention.
Related Articles,
Links
Weerapong P,
Sports Med. 2005;35(3):235-56.
Misty
Bashara, Personal Trainer and Massage Therapist
Contact
Misty
Bashara
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