Healing Properties of Vitamins A,C&E
Are you fighting an infection? Expecting to have surgical operation? On a detox ? Working on an anti-ageing program? Then it will be wise to consider the 3 great anti-inflammatory Vitamins. They are vitamins A, C & E.
What is Vitamin A?
Vitamin A is known as Retinol;
1) Retinol is absorbed when eating animal food sources, it is a yellow, fat-soluble substance.
2) Retinal, (vitamin A) is in herbivores and omnivore animals which possess the enzyme required to convert these compounds to retinal.
3) Retinal also has four carotenoids including beta carotene. The carotenes are; alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, gamma-carotene; and the xanthophyll beta-cryptoxanthin
Why do we need Vitamin A?
Vitamin A promotes normal growth and health of the bodies cells and keeps skin healthy. There are animal sources (retinol) and vegetable sources (carotenoids) of vitamin A in foods as well. However, only a few of the carotenoids in foods are converted to vitamin A in the body.
Beta-carotene is the most familiar carotenoid, it, like several other carotenoids, acts as an antioxidant. Antioxidants help slow or prevent cell damage. By protecting cells
from damage, antioxidants may reduce risk for certain cancers and heart disease.
What are the signs of deficiency of Vitamin A?
Inadequate intake of vitamin A can cause night blindness, dry, scaly skin, increased risk for infections, and poor growth.
How much vitamin A do we need?
The recommended intake for vitamin A is given as "Retinol Activity Equivalents" (RAEs). Using RAEs helps account for the difference in activity between carotenoids and retinol. It takes about 12 units of beta-carotene or 24 units of other carotenoids to make 1 unit of retinol in the body.
How can we get enough vitamin A?
We get vitamin A by eating a variety of fruits and vegetables that contain carotenoids, and from dairy products fortified with vitamin A. Vitamin A is also found in liver and egg yolks. Here are some foods and the amount of vitamin A they contain;
● Some Food containing Vitamin A (RAE*) *Retinol Activity Equivalents
l Sweet potato, cooked, 1 medium 1400
l Carrot, raw, 1 medium 600
l Pumpkin, cooked, ½ cup 305
l Cantaloupe, cubed, 1cup 270
l Milk, low fat, with vitamin A, 1 cup 140
l Broccoli, pieces, cooked,1 cup 120
l Apricots, 3 medium 105
l Egg, cooked, 1 large 85
l Cheese, Cheddar, 1 ounce 75
What about supplements?
We don't need supplements, since vitamin A is so widely available in foods, and is easily stored in the body, pregnant women especially should avoid taking retinol supplements. High doses during pregnancy can cause birth defects. Look for beta-carotene as the only vitamin A source in prenatal supplements.
How much is too much?
Taking large doses of retinol can cause nausea, vomiting, headache, and dry scaly skin. More severe health problems from storing excess vitamin A in the body are liver damage, osteoporosis, and nervous system disorders. Vitamin A toxicity can kill you! Keep your total vitamin A intake less than 3,000 µg per day from retinol.
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has a wide variety of uses in the body. It helps slow down or prevent cell damage, it is needed to maintain healthy body tissues and the immune system. Vitamin C also helps our bodies absorb iron from plant foods.
Vitamin C or L- ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms, ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress. It is also a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions including several collagen synthesis reactions that cause the most severe symptoms of scurvy when they are dysfunctional. In animals these reactions are especially important in wound-healing and in preventing bleeding from capillaries.
What happens if we don’t get enough vitamin C?
Scurvy is an avitaminosis resulting from lack of vitamin C, since without this vitamin, the synthesised collagen is too unstable to perform its function. Scurvy leads to the formation of brown spots on the skin, spongy gums, and bleeding from all mucous membranes. The spots are most abundant on the thighs and legs, and a person with the ailment looks pale, feels depressed, and is partially immobilised. In advanced scurvy there are open, suppurating wounds and loss of teeth, eventually resulting in death. The human body can store only a certain amount of vitamin C, and so the body stores are depleted if fresh supplies are not consumed. The time frame for onset of symptoms of scurvy in unstressed adults switched to a completely vitamin C free diet, may range from one month to more than six months, depending on previous loading of vitamin C
Vitamin C is found in many foods we eat and deficiency is rare. Scurvy, the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, was common generations ago. Sailors who lived at sea for months at a time and ate no fresh fruits or vegetables often suffered from it.
How can we get enough vitamin C?
The best way to get enough vitamin C is through foods rather than supplements. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources. Rich sources of this vitamin, include citrus fruits and citrus fruit juices, sweet peppers, papayas, and strawberries.
Some Food Sources of Vitamin C.(mg/serving)
l Papaya, 1 medium 300
l Potato, baked, 1 medium 200
l Strawberries, halved, 1 cup 165
l Cantaloupe, ¼ medium
l Melon 140
l Orange
l Red or yellow sweet pepper,raw, medium 120
l Broccoli, cooked, ½ cup 90
l Cabbage, raw ½ cup 35 mg = milligrams of vitamin C,
What about fortified foods?
Some juices and cereals have vitamin C added. The amount of vitamin C in each product varies. Check the nutrition label to see how much vitamin C the product contributes to your daily need.
How should foods be prepared to retain vitamin C?
Vitamin C is easily destroyed during preparation, cooking, or storage. To retain vitamin C in foods, follow these tips:
l Eat raw fruits and vegetables as soon as possible after buying them.
l Cut vegetables just before eating or cooking.
l Cook vitamin C-rich foods quickly in as little water as possible.
l Microwave, steam, or stir-fry vegetables to retain the most vitamin C
l DO NOT OVERCOOK.
What about supplements?
Healthy individuals who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables rarely need vitamin C
supplements. On the contrary to popular opinion, taking vitamin C supplements does not
prevent colds. However, some studies show that vitamin C supplements may decrease
the duration of a cold.
How much is too much?
If you do take a supplement, do not get more than 2000 mg/day of vitamin C from foods and supplements. Although excess vitamin C is mostly eliminated in the urine, high doses can cause headaches, frequent urination, diarrhoea, and nausea. People with a history of kidney stones should avoid high levels of vitamin C.
What is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is used to refer to a group of fat-soluble compounds that include both tocopherols and toctrienols. There are many different forms of vitamin E, of which y-tocopherol is the most common in the North American diet. Y-tocopherol can be found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine and dressings. A-tocpherol, the most biologically active form of vitamin E, is the second most common form of vitamin E in the North American diet. This variant of vitamin E can be found most abundantly in wheat germ oil, sunflower, and safflower oils. It is a fat-soluble antioxidant that stops the production of reactive oxygen species formed when fat undergoes oxidation.
Why do we need vitamin E?
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps protect the body from the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are substances that can damage the body’s cells. However, free radicals may increase the risk for heart disease and cancer.
Vitamin E deficiency causes neurological problems due to poor nerve conduction. These include neuromuscular problems such as spinocerebellar ataxia and myopathies. Deficiency can also cause anaemia, due to oxidative damage to red blood cells.
Vitamin E deficiency is rare and is almost never caused by a poor diet. Instead, there are three specific situations when a vitamin E deficiency is likely to occur. It is seen in persons who cannot absorb dietary fat, has been found in premature, very low birth weight infants (birth weights less than 1500 grams, or 3.5 pounds), and is seen in individuals with rare disorders of fat metabolism. People who don’t get enough vitamin E may have higher risks for heart disease and cancer.
How much vitamin E do we need?
In food, vitamin E is found in many forms. The form that is most usable in our bodies is called alpha-tocopherol. Vitamin E often is measured as milligrams (mg) of alpha-tocopherol. It also can be measured as International Units (IU). Supplements usually show vitamin E content as IU.
How can we get enough vitamin E?
Vegetable oils, salad dressings, and margarines are the richest dietary sources of vitamin E. Other good sources are nuts and green leafy vegetables. Fortified cereals also are good sources of vitamin E.
Some foods and the amount of vitamin E they contain:
l Cereal, fortified, 1 cup 20-40 30-60
l Sunflower seeds, dry, 1 oz 14 22
l Almonds, dry roasted, 1 oz 8 11
l Wheat germ, ¼ cup 3 4
l Peanut butter, 2 Tbsp 3 4
l Vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp 3 4
l Mango, raw, 1 2 3
l Mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp 2 3
l Broccoli, frozen, cooked, ½ cup 2 3,
l Turnip greens, frozen, cooked ½ cup 1 2 mg = milligrams IU = International Units oz = ounces Tbsp = tablespoons
What about supplements?
Foods can supply the recommended amount of vitamin E for good health. Many people choose to take a vitamin E supplement. Recent studies do not support use of vitamin E supplements for prevention of heart disease.
Before deciding to take a supplement, talk with your doctor. He/she can tell you how much to take and if there may be interactions with other drugs or supplements that you take. For example, vitamin E supplements can be harmful if you take blood-thinning drugs like warfarin (Coumadin“), or aspirin.
How much is too much?
You should not get more than 1000 mg (1500 IU) of alpha-tocopherol per day from supplements. Doses above this amount increase the risk of bleeding problems. When bleeding occurs in the brain it can cause a hemorrhagic stroke.
Nelson Brunton
No comments:
Post a Comment