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Can vitamins help to fight Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)? More than a million people in the United States have RA, develops between the ages of 25 and 50, a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints that affects an estimated 1.3 million Americans.

Disease occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the thin membrane that lines the joints resulting to joint damage, ongoing pain, inflammation, loss function and disability. The joints most commonly affected by RA are those of the hands, feet, wrists, knees, elbows, and ankles, where the primary site of the attack is in the thin layer of tissue that is around the joints.

Studies have shown that Americans with RA have vitamins deficiencies, most common vitamin deficiencies in RA is folic acid, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin E, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, and Selenium. Food is the preferred source for getting the vitamins and minerals, vitamin supplements will work in getting the vitamins and minerals that you don’t receive from food.

Research has made a case that Vitamin D helps protect older women against RA, studies has also linked deficiencies of Vitamin D to other disorders such as certain cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. Studies indicate that about one in three people are Vitamin D deficient especially during the winter months. The easiest way to make sure you are getting the proper amount of Vitamin D is through Vitamin Supplements, now to get the benefits of all vitamins, it would your best option to take a multi-vitamin.

Majority of Americans suffer from at least one vitamin deficiency. It’s easy to pass off that fatigue as not getting enough sleep, or attribute the brittle hair to stress, however, and it helps to know what you’re looking for so you can live a fuller life.

The SAD (Standard American Diet), one of the more varied diets on the planet have access to so many different foods that it should be easy to get all or most of the vitamins we need, so many foods are processed that they’ve lost the majority of their nutrients where some of the most important vitamins are replaced. That is why you’ll find cereals and milk that are fortified with things like iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. Many don’t realize is that there are far more vitamins and minerals that are required in order for our bodies to function properly.

While the ideal solution would be to eat the perfect combination of foods, that is to get the right amount of vitamins. It isn’t very practical in today’s hectic world, most people simply don’t have the time to meticulously plan and source their meals for maximum vitamin absorption. Eating right is definitely a step in the right direction and you will probably need to use supplements, as well.

Vitamin supplements can be purchased individually or in multi-vitamins, multi is a good choice. For those who are receiving what they need in their diet and are only deficient in one or two things, individual supplements can be the way to go allowing you to tailor the mix to fit your individual needs.

RDA’s (Recommended Daily Allowance) are used to set standards in many programs, but many nutritional scientists consider them to be out of sync with the needs of many Americans. RDA takes the stand of the mythical “average” that was created from a lot of scientific and mathematical “averages”. It is computed from a group of people somewhere on the planet, averages have become grossly oversimplified, where fixed but arbitrary set points have been established for a variety of factors.

Many consumers today take vitamins and minerals in amounts that far exceed the recommended doses to prevent chronic illnesses, like heart disease, and they rarely have reliable sources for direction. The fact is food alone cannot supply some nutrients in amounts sufficient to prevent disease, vitamin E at levels considerably higher than the current RDA has been linked by a number of researchers with the prevention of heart disease and improved immune function. Calcium-fortified orange juice, Vitamin-enhanced waters, Fortified cereals and energy bars, new products are showing up on supermarket shelves touting added vitamins and minerals.

If you already take a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet, add a calcium or vitamin E supplement. Eat a few fortified food products along with a fairly healthy diet and you are now out of balance with too many vitamins and minerals. Americans tend to think that more is better, or that if it’s natural, it can’t harm you. That is particularly true when it comes to vitamins and minerals, but that’s not always the case, people habitually overdoing it with vitamins and minerals and suffer the consequences.

Three types are the natural vitamins, crystalline vitamins, and synthetic vitamins.

Natural Vitamins- those vitamins that can readily be found in natural foods processed into a commercial food supplement, the vitamin must have all of its components intact, including its enzymes, co-enzymes, minerals, mineral activators, and co-vitamin helpers.

Crystalline Vitamins- those vitamins that are extracted from natural food sources but were already treated with various high-powered chemicals, solvents, heat and distillations to separate the specific vitamin from all other synergistic components attached to it, these vitamins have a very simple structure compared to the complex structure of natural vitamins.

Synthetic Vitamins- those vitamins that were chemically formed in laboratories by scientists, they are not derived from any natural source, the structure of these vitamins would usually resemble that of their crystalline counterparts.

Natural Vitamin Supplements-our body needs 13 vitamins for proper bodily functions. These vitamins are composed of the vitamins A, C, D, E, K and the B vitamins, the B vitamins, on the other hand, are composed of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folate.

All these vitamins are available in drug stores in various concentrations, all of these 13 vitamins can also be found on natural food sources. A person having a variety of foods in his diet must already be taking minute amounts of these vitamins every day, and as have previously been said, only a minute amount of all these vitamins are needed by the body to function properly.

Vitamins are the complex organic substance essential in small quantities to the metabolism or nutrition in most animals which are found in minute quantities in food, and in some cases are produced by the body, and are also produced synthetically. The human body totally needs them to work properly, so that we can grow and develop just like we should, plus it is important to know that their deficiency results in many serious disorders.

Vitamins are divided into two major groups:

1. The ‘fat-soluble vitamins’ – designated as vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K, and the ‘water-soluble vitamins’ which include vitamin C. Members are from the group of molecules referred to as the vitamin B complex, each of them has its own special role in the development of human body.

2. Vitamin A- a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a really big part in eyesight and helps us to see in dim light and also at night. It is also involved in the formation and maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and mucous membranes, it is necessary for proper bone growth, tooth development, reproduction and for the development of epithelial cells. That line any opening to the body like  nose, throat, lungs, mouth, stomach, intestines and urinary tract. Vitamin A can be found in eggs, milk, carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, fish oil, liver of pork, lamb, chicken, turkey or beef, butter, broccoli, apricots, nectarines, cantaloupe, and orange or yellow vegetables or fruits. The deficiency of vitamin A causes two major disorders like, night blindness and drying of skin.

Antioxidants are substances that remove toxic byproducts of chemical reactions in the body apart from vitamins for cardiac health, the reason why you hear so much about antioxidants. They are responsible for clearing out highly reactive chemicals that circulate in the body, making sure they don’t cause cell and tissue damage that is believed to cause heart disease, cancer and premature aging

Other vitamins for cardiac health include folic acid. Other B vitamins reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, according to a detailed analysis of more than three dozen scientific studies. These nutrients work by quenching homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood attacking blood vessel walls and promotes cardiovascular disease.

Homocysteine pronounced as (ho´-mo-sis´-teen) has emerged after 25 years of research as the “new cholesterol.” Researchers estimate that it is a major risk factor in 10 to 40 percent of heart attacks and strokes in the United States, this amino acid is a short-lived byproduct of methionine metabolism, but a diet short on B vitamins prevents its breakdown.

It is confirmed that high blood levels of homocysteine were clearly associated with cardiovascular diseases and that folic acid lowered levels of the amino acid, other studies have reported that vitamins for cardiac health also include B6, B12, and choline also lower homocysteine levels. High blood levels of homocysteine, pose a risk of cardiovascular disease independent of other risk factors, such as cholesterol, triglyceride, smoking, and so forth. Up to 50,000 coronary heart disease deaths could be prevented by increasing folic acid intake-by eating more fruit and vegetables, fortifying foods with the vitamin, or taking supplements.

Vitamin C, Vitamin E, beta-Carotene (pro-Vitamin A) and Carotenoids (Lutein & Zeaxanthin) are strong antioxidants. They protect the eye against free radical damage. Strengthening of the eye defenses by increasing the intake of these vitamins would be helpful in preventing the chronic AgingEye diseases. Recent studies seem to support this assumption, lycopene, a different type of carotenoid found in tomatoes protects against prostate cancer and heart disease.

The eye, especially the lens and the retina is particularly vulnerable to the effects of unchecked free radicals byproduct of oxygen, cellular processes and environmental contaminants. Antioxidant vitamins help to combat free radicals, the primary antioxidant vitamins include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. promoting healthy cells and tissues in the eye. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two more valuable antioxidants that recent research has found to be especially effective in maintaining the good health of the eyes.

Vitamin C found in fruits and vegetables such as; oranges, strawberries, rosehip, broccoli reduces pressure in Glaucoma, slows deterioration in macular degeneration and reduces the risk of cataracts.

Vitamin A found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and liver. Deficiency is tied to blindness, and corneal ulcers. Use may reduce risk of cataracts, and night blindness.

Vitamin D: This vitamin is vital for the metabolism of calcium and regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract, a deficiency of vitamin D results in rickets in young children; irritability, weakness, and softening of the bones in adults. Vitamin D may have a direct effect on the eyes, and it is vital for maintaining overall good health.

Some people do not eat a sufficiently balanced diet to provide them with all of the vitamins that they require. This has led to a boom in the multi vitamin supplement industry. Multi vitamin supplements are available in a number of different forms which includes tablets, gel capsules and even liquids.

The most obvious benefit to taking multi vitamin supplements is convenience, it is far easier for a person to take one dose of a multi vitamin supplement that contains all of the necessary vitamins compared to taking each one individually. Especially the case for children as it can be difficult for them to take a large number of vitamin supplements but one dose of a multi vitamin supplement is far easier, a liquid multi vitamin supplement is the most suitable form for children, it is also a beneficial to anyone who has difficulty taking supplements in traditional tablet form.

The increase in the availability of multi vitamin supplements has led to a great variety in the brands and actual content of the multi vitamin supplements. Names of some of the nutrients in these multi vitamin supplements can be a little bewildering. Many people simply do not know which ones they require.

It is important to consider the contents of any multi vitamin supplement before consuming too many of them. There are some vitamins that can be toxic if too much is absorbed. This can occur more easily with multi vitamin supplements as some of the content may be overlooked.

People who look after their hygene always talk about what are the vitamins to take for healthy skin.  A complete nutritional supplement is the best choice, a nourishing cream is also important. Here’s a look at some of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are particularly important to the skin’s health.

Vitamin C & A- vitamin C for the skin health is well known, because vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) causes the destruction of collagen fibers that are located in the dermis, the deepest of the skin’s layers, give the skin its firmness and elasticity and vitamin C is needed as a cofactor for the body to create new collagen fibers.

The importance of vitamin A is less well understood, it is still a subject of study. The primary condition associated with acute vitamin A deficiency is blindness, but the appearance of red bumps on the skin is commonly seen, as well. It has been used to treat acne and other skin conditions.

As one of the vitamins to take for healthy skin, look for a product that lists Carotenoids or beta-carotene on the label, but too much vitamin A can be toxic. Beta carotenes are converted to vitamin A on an as-needed basis, any excess amount passes out of the body, causing no problems.

For topical creams, vitamin C is not recommended as it can cause redness and itching. Creams containing extract from wakame kelp supply beta carotenes to the skin, without causing the irritation that is seen with retinol.

Vitamin C- also called ascorbic acid and a water soluble vitamin essential for teeth, gums and bones. It promotes strength in the arteries helping to heal the ulcers. It increases resistance in the body, an antioxidant that prevents poliomyelitis, as well as the deficiency produces scurvy. Some of the major sources of vitamin C are sweet fruits and citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables promoting vitality, vigor and youthfulness and efficiency in work in a person.

Vitamin D- a fat soluble vitamin essential for growth of bones. It is required for proper absorption and utilization of phosphorus and calcium, deficiency of the vitamin in children produces, thin and weak bones called rickets. In adults its deficiency produces osteomalasia and caries of teeth. Sunlight is the major source of Vitamin D as well as it is found in milk.

Vitamin E- said to be an anti- sterility vitamin. Its deficiency leads to frequent abortions and it is useful for metabolism of fats and it controls catabolism. It prevents diabetes, heart diseases, thrombosis, asthma and bones degeneration. It can be found in vegetables, sprouted wheat and dried fruits.

Vitamin K- regulates the normal blood clotting and regulates prothrombin level in the body, its deficiency causes bleeding or hemorrhages in the body, some of the natural sources of vitamin K are green and fresh leafy vegetables.

Vitamin P- called Bioflavonoids necessary for maintenance of blood vessels and normal blood pressure. It is found in vegetables and citrus fruits.