Getting Your Daily Source of Vitamin Supplements

Supposedly, Vitamin A was discovered around 1906 out of an effort to keep livestock healthy. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates were already part of the cattle diet, but other nutrients such as vitamin A were lacking. A decade or so later, the substance was independently discovered by Lafayette Mendel and Thomas Osborne at Yale University and Elmer McCollum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the time, vitamin B had already been discovered and named, so researchers logically named the substance "fat-soluble factor A" or vitamin A. The nutrient was first synthesized into a working vitamin by two Dutch chemists, David Adriaan van Dorp and Josef Ferdinand Arens, in 1947.

Vitamin A only becomes only becomes a "vitamin" once it's at work in the body. Before that, it is a compound known as beta-carotene, which provides the orange, yellow and red pigments in plants. Unsurprisingly, raw carrots, cantaloupe, winter squash and sweet potatoes are all good natural sources of beta-carotene. Note: You don't always have to ingest a supplement to get vitamin A into your system.

Vitamin A helps the human body maintain good vision, immune function, skin health and bone metabolism. It can help prevent the onset of cataracts and night blindness, amongst other ailments.

Can you believe there was a time that we, as a species, believed that the eight water-soluble B vitamins were actually one vitamin like vitamins A or C. In reality, there are eight coexisting vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12), which can be found naturally in foods such as bananas, turkey, tuna, molasses and potatoes. Foods with all eight vitamins are said to be "vitamin B complex."

The eight B vitamins are chemically distinct, synergistic and play important roles in maintaining healthy skin, immune function, cell growth and preventing pancreatic cancer. Deficiencies in B vitamins can lead to a whole range of general health problems like acne, anemia, depression, irregular heartbeat and diarrhea amongst others.

Vitamin B12 is absent from most plant products, which should raise concern for vegans or other strict vegetarian dieters.

Scurvy has ravaged sailors and pirates for ages, and although it hasn't threatened those at sea since the 1800s, vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) and the citrus fruits that contain it are still very useful today. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for a majority of life on Earth - notably primates, birds, some fish, guinea pigs, bats and obviously humans. Ascorbic acid was isolated in 1933 and formally synthesized into the vitamin C we know today a year later.

Unlike many other creatures, humans cannot manufacture vitamin C in their own bodies. Therefore, we must ingest foods that contain the nutrient naturally. As mentioned above, citrus fruits and juices such as oranges, lemons or limes and grapefruits are excellent sources of vitamin C. It also can be found in other foods such as strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, potatoes and red pepper.

There are several different schools of thought concerning the daily intake of vitamin C and it preventative abilities. However, a few things are definite. Vitamin C synthesizes collagen in our bodies, which is vital for structuring blood vessels, bones, ligaments and tendons. Vitamin C is also an effective antioxidant, and it synthesizes necessary neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine as well. Vitamin C, whether it's taken from your diet or through a supplement, greatly reduces the risk of most cancers, stroke and cataracts. It is also extremely helpful in treating the common cold and diabetes. And, if you should somehow contract scurvy, you know what to do.

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Vitamin D is actually a group of prohormones (Vitamin D2 and D3) that are fat-soluble. The term also refers to metabolites. Vitamin D3 is produced when your skin is exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet B radiation.

Natural sources of Vitamin D include shitake mushrooms, beef liver, egg and several species of fish including salmon, mackerel and tuna. Eating a diet rich in these fish oils and fats will guarantee a healthy level of Vitamin D to help maintain your organ systems.

Vitamin D is also essential for the regulation of calcium and phosphorus in the blood. This accounts for the sustained health of your bones and kidneys in particular. The essential nutrient also plays a role in preventing tumor formation and compensating for a lack of vitamin K due to blood thinners and/or other drugs.

Like the B vitamins, Vitamin E is actually the collective name for a set of eight tocopherols, which correspond to four tocotrienols - antioxidant fat-soluble vitamins.

Alpha-tocopherol is the only form that is consistently recognized to meet human requirements. Therefore, dietary supplements of vitamin E can contain other tocopherols and tocotrienols, but they usually focus on alpha-tocopherol, as it is more compatible with the liver.

Vitamin E deficiencies are comparatively rare, although premature babies weighing less than 1,500 grams may be subject to vitamin E deficiency. If untreated or unsupplemented, symptoms may expand to include ataxia, retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, skeletal myopathy and impaired immune function.

To avoid such problems, it is best to get your vitamin E through a healthy diet rather than dietary supplements. The essential nutrient occurs naturally in such foods as spinach, almonds, hazelnuts, avocado, asparagus, milk, olive oil and rice. In other words, sauté your meats and vegetables in olive oil rather than butter.

Maintaining a healthy intake of vitamin E can also reduce the risk of contracting chronic diseases associated with free radicals such as cardiovascular disease and the dreaded cancer.

Because the human body is incapable of manufacturing essential fatty acids, we must supplement it with omega-3s and omega-6s (including linoleic acid and gamma-linoleic acid). You hear these terms thrown around a lot these days. Perhaps it is because the masses are finally realizing how important fatty acids are to a healthy a balanced diet. They keep our hormone levels balanced, our immune systems tweaked and our cholesterol levels regulated in addition to several other functions. Sometimes, these valuable fatty acids are appropriately referred to as vitamin F.

Believe it or not, there are more vitamins that correspond to our alphabet. However, in the meantime, it's up to you to pursue more information on those such as vitamin G (riboflavin), vitamin H (biotin), vitamin I, J and even K to see if these nutrients apply to your customized nutritional needs.

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