In an ideal world, there would be no need for additional vitamins and supplements. The fact of the matter is fewer people eat a varied enough diet to cover all bases. There are some essential nutritional additives that take care of the missing puzzle pieces in a diet. Boosting immunity to protect against disease is an important part of any person’s overall health and fitness. Everyone knows about vitamins A, C, and E, which are important, but are not the only letters in the alphabet.
Certain vitamins are fat soluble and essential to health and fitness. These include vitamins A and E. Vitamin A is the one they call good for the eyes. This is absolutely correct. It is great for eye health and improves one’s vision in darkness. Stored in the liver, it is also beneficial to skin, teeth, and hair, so it hits on human vanity. There is evidence it increases the ability of one’s body to fight infection. Amazingly vision activity can deplete the body’s supply of vitamin A in those deficient, so it needs to be stored on a constant basis. Then there was ‘E’. Vitamin E is an antioxidant. The quest for protection against damaging free radicals is often addressed with vitamin E. Because it is fat soluble, it is best to limit its intake to what is recommended.
Vitamin C is one of the more popular vitamins and also plentiful, especially in citrus fruits. This miracle vitamin contributes to collagen production, which enables body tissues to heal. It is also known to help reduce the severity of the common cold. Pirates and sailors with no access to this vitamin would become afflicted with what is known as scurvy. It caused a loss in hair and teeth, as well as excessive bruising. The downside with vitamin C is that it is readily absorbed and what is leftover is excreted upon urination.
There are some supplements that protect nerves, some that boost immunity, some that protect against aging and free radicals. Whatever a person chooses to use an enhancement in health and fitness should be chosen with great care. Not every supplement should be used by every person and for some, especially those adding fat-soluble vitamins to a daily regimen, it can be damaging. In a best-case scenario, seeing a doctor before adding to diet may help narrow down any deficiencies and allow a physician to help fill in the blanks.