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Author:
Paul Wallace

Vitamins are organic substances that are necessary for normal health and growth in both animals and humans. If a vitamin is absent from the diet, or we don't properly absorb it, a specific deficiency disease may develop.

Even worse, our entire body may start a decline that, over a period of years, may develop into a very serious disease such as, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, etc.

That there is a relationship between what we eat and specific disease was first noted by the Englishman William Fletcher in 1905 while researching the causes of the disease beriberi. He observed that the disease was prevented by eating unpolished rather than polished rice. He concluded that the husk of rice must have special nutrients, which we know today as vitamins.

Even before this discovery, fruits and vegetables were known to prevent and cure many diseases. Even though what we now know as "vitamins" were unknown, many of their benefits were well recognized.

Even today English sailors are known as "Limeys" because, when limes were added to their diets, they no longer suffered from scurvy.

While vitamins prevent and cure some specific diseases, they also are necessary for virtually every function within our bodies.

Because of heavy advertising, we associate Vitamin C with preventing/fighting colds. In truth, Vitamin C does not prevent or fight a cold. It bolsters and strengthens our immune system which attacks the cold germs.

Vitamin C performs many other important functions within the body. A major function is synthesis of hydroxyproline, an important component of collagen and, thereby, all connective tissues.

Vitamin C is essential for growth of cartilage, bone and teeth, and for wound healing. It contributes to the structure of bones, muscles, and blood vessels.

Vitamin C helps support the immune system, aids amino acid metabolism and iron absorption.

Another vitamin - B6 - does not have a reputation as grand as Vitamin C yet it is as essential to good health. Vitamin B6 cannot claim dramatic and immediate "cures" for diseases like scurvy, beriberi, or colds like other vitamins, but it is known as the master vitamin in processing amino acids.

It is estimated that 50% of Americans are deficient in Vitamin B6.

The same is true for virtually every vitamin. Without a proper supply of vitamins, the body develops disease.

Some diseases, such as beriberi and scurvy, show up quickly and dramatically.

Other diseases, such as heart disease and cancer, take years to develop. They go undetected for many years until it may be too late.

Because the body is a "closed system", vitamins, like every other nutrient, must come from the food we consume. The principal sources of vitamins are the fruits and vegetables we consume.

In 1936 the US Government released a report that clearly and emphatically stated that the soils used to grow our food products are so depleted of minerals that: "We know that vitamins are complex chemical substances which are indispensable to nutrition, and that each of them is of importance for normal function of some special structure in the body. Disorder and disease result from any vitamin deficiency. It is not commonly realized, however, that vitamins control the body's appropriation of minerals, and in the absence of minerals they have no function to perform. Lacking vitamins, the system can make some use of minerals, but lacking minerals, vitamins are useless."

Things have not improved in 70 years. In fact, they have gotten much worse.

An entire industry has come into existence because of this fact. Vitamins are consumed by 43% of Americans, yet we continue to suffer and die from preventable diseases that were unknown 50 years ago.

Research scientists have long recommended that nutritional supplements are absolutely essential to our health and wellbeing. This is especially true when we consider our long term health.

And now the American Medical Association, in a significant break from its earlier position that vitamins only produce colored urine, agrees that every American needs to take nutritional supplements.

Not only are vitamins missing from the fruits and vegetables we consume, but antioxidants, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, essential fatty acids, and fiber are also missing.

Nutritional supplements that provide only one, or a limited number of components, can provide a false feeling of wellbeing.

It is unrealistic to believe that the food we eat is lacking only one element needed by our body.

When the body lacks one component it probably lacks many, even most, simply because the source of the components is deficient. Adding only one component to the diet not only ignores the fact that the basic diet is deficient but gives a false sense of security that we are correcting a health problem.









About the author:

Paul Wallace suffered continuing pain long after an accident even though he was taking 64 pills a day. He now takes one product a day and is much healthier and pain free, even though he is 72 years young.

Good health and long life can be achieved by everyone. Sign up for a free 10 part course that will explain why Americans suffer so many diseases. There is a simple method of regaining your health. Sign up at http://www.improvehealth.aweber.com

| Article Keywords: Nutrient Basics

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Nutrient Basics... Vitamin C During Pregnancy Protects Nicotine Babies Whilst most women are aware of the negative effects smoking whilst pregnant can have on their developing baby, many still cannot give up. The good news is that researchers believe that taking vitamin C can counteract some of these effects. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery of the baby, poor growth, and in some instances, is implicated in fetal deaths. It can also affect the way the infant's lungs develop, as nicotine can cross the placenta. As a result, babies may have less lung function and develop more respiratory illnesses. But a group of researchers at the Oregon Health & Science University found that in baby monkeys given both nicotine and vitamin C, the flow of air in the lungs was close to normal. There were three groups of pregnant monkeys in the study - one group was given only nicotine, one given neither nicotine nor vitamin C, and one group given both. The nicotine given was comparable to that which a pregnant mother would smoke. The group given nothing acted as the control group. Whilst this study was done on monkeys, the team behind the study believe that the results are very relevant to humans. But more work needs to be done to determine how much vitamin C is needed for smoking pregnant mothers to get similar benefits. And to ensure that higher amounts of vitamin C during pregnancy doesn't cause other unwanted effects. The researchers did stress that despite the positive benefits of vitamin C during pregnancy, it did not counteract all of smoking's negative effects on the fetus. For example, lower body weight and nicotine's effect on brain development were still a potential issue. Another benefit of taking vitamin C during pregnancy is that it may decrease the chance of their waters breaking too early. This is true for...