In the year 1928, Vitamin C was separated. It is also referred to as ascorbic acid. This is an excellent vitamin which functions like an antioxidant and has the capacity to offer protection to the brain cells and eye cells as well. Since the eye is a sensitive organ, it is highly vulnerable to environmental damage caused by sunlight, pollutants or harmful chemicals. An increasing level of pollution and depletion in the ozone layer heighten the risk of eye damage, especially in the Western Hemisphere,

The Higher, the Better

From the time when Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling eulogized the advantages of excessive dosage of vitamin C, medical community raises the question about the particular intake defining the optimal dosage of vitamin C. Since earlier decades many heath care professionals argue that 60 mg of RDA is sufficient to fulfill the needs of antioxidants and makes the optimal dosage of vitamin C, many contemporary researchers believe that additional vitamin C dosage ensures extra supply of antioxidants.

Ideal Amount

This is one of most controversial answers ever, if you wish to inquire about the ideal dosage of vitamin C. Probably, different healthcare professionals have different opinions. People taking healthy diet rich with fruits and vegetables may not even need additional supplements of vitamin C. However, those not having good diet may need to take 50 to 300 mg dosage of vitamin C once or twice per day. The ideal formulation must include bioflavonoids. Ideal daily dosage of vitamin C offers protection against heart disease, eye health, and other degenerative conditions.

Cancer Prevention

Vitamin C has a significant role in cancer prevention. Research has shown patients intervened with high dosage of vitamin C have longer lifespan than patients without having additional vitamin C dosage. Medical researches conducted during 1970s first emphasized the possibility of treating cancer by implementing high dosage of vitamin C, however many follow researchers raise their doubt against this claim. During 2005, studies have shown lymphoma cells are mostly influenced by vitamin C intervention.

Additionally, various researchers suggest that vitamin C has the capability to boost up the production of hydrogen peroxide, which destroys cancerous cells, while keeping the healthy cells intact. Moreover, vitamin C can successfully slow down the growth of few tumors. The requirement of vitamin C supplements for cancer patients may typically vary between 50mg to 300mg once or twice per day. The content must be rich with bioflavonoids. However, more researches are needed in order to understand the specific role of vitamin C in cancer treatment.

Getting the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals in our diets is extremely important for good overall health.  Our bodies need these nutrients to function properly and to stay healthy.  Each nutrient plays a part in our nutritional health, and becoming deficient in any one of them can be severely detrimental to our well-being.  Vitamin C plays a vital role in the growth and repair of body tissues, as well as providing a boost to our immune system and a variety of other functions.  But what happens if we are suffering from a vitamin C deficiency?

Symptoms

Vitamin C deficiency takes a large toll on the body, not the least of which is an increase in infections and illnesses.  In fact, one of the most well-known advantages of vitamin C is that it boosts our immune system, helping us ward off infection.  When suffering from a deficiency, our bodies lose some of that ability to keep infection at bay.

Because vitamin C is so important for the repair of tissues all over the body, a lack of vitamin C has repercussions in terms of the body’s ability to heal itself.  Wounds take longer to heal, as the body has much less to work with to form scabs and begin regenerating tissues.

Bleeding gums and gingivitis, along with dry, splitting hair are also symptoms of vitamin C deficiency.  Rough, dry, scaly skin, nosebleeds and easy bruising are also signs that you may not be getting enough of the vitamin in your diet.  It also lowers the body’s metabolism, which can result in weight gain.

Vitamin C is important in the maintenance of cartilage and bone as well, and a deficiency may lead to swelling and severe pain in the joints.  It can also lead to anemia, which is a shortage of red blood cells, resulting in a reduction in the amount of oxygen getting to the body’s tissues.

Scurvy

The most severe form of vitamin C deficiency is known as “scurvy”.  Scurvy was once common among sailors and those who spent long periods of time out to sea.  Though it is uncommon today, left untreated, scurvy can be deadly.

The symptoms of scurvy are easy to spot, though they can be grotesque.  Initial symptoms range from dark, purplish liver spots on the skin to a marked pallor.  The gums become spongy, which leads to tooth loss, and the bleeding of mucous membranes is common.  In the advanced stages of scurvy, open sores form on the skin.

Prevention

Both the prevention and treatment of vitamin C deficiency are simple – consume more foods rich in vitamin C, or take a supplement.  Including foods in your diet such as citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, sweet and white potatoes and green peppers will provide a good source of the nutrient, as they all contain high amounts of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is one of the most commonly-referred to supplement in magazines, on websites and around the doctor’s office.  While most people know how to get it, few know exactly what it does: they only know they should have it, and think twice about skipping the orange juice at breakfast.  But if the benefits and powers of vitamin C are not understood, then the dangers of deficiency are not understood either.  More often than not, the consequences of vitamin shortages are more important to know than the advantages.

Too Little

Vitamin C is found in animals as well as plants, but it is predominately associated with fruits of the citrus variety.  In fact, the association between the vitamin and ascorbic acid was not discovered until, in a sense, it was too late.  Scurvy tormented humanity for centuries, and was first written about by Aristotle in 450 B.C.  A syndrome characterized by gum inflammation, tooth decay, hemorrhaging and lethargy, it destroyed entire navies during the 1700s.  When lemon juice was found to cure the disease, the mystery of vitamin C was uncovered.

In a normal, primitive diet, vitamin C deficiencies would not exist.  Fresh fruits and fresh vegetables contain enough of the vitamin to adequately supply any human, as long as they eat them of course.  But in a modern society defined by fast-food and the microwave, vitamin deficiencies before unheard of are becoming commonplace.  While scurvy is no longer a probable fear, the other effects of low blood levels of vitamin C are still experienced.  Depression, infections, common colds, ulcers, allergies, arthritis, high blood pressure and gallstones are all medical problems that can be avoided with a diet that includes at least a minimal amount of the vitamin.  Sadly, these symptoms do not even require gallons of orange juice to prevent; a little goes a long way with ascorbic acid.

Too Much

Unlike many other vitamins, vitamin C poses no real risk of overdose.  The vitamin is nontoxic and is not stored in the body; the excess amounts are released in urine.  Some side effects can occur when people ingest too much of the vitamin in processed forms, including diarrhea, dysuria, hemolysis and skin irritation.  There may be a relationship between vitamin C overdoses and kidney stones, but the relationship is uncertain and rare.

Just Right

There are a few controversies surrounding the use of vitamin C in clinical settings.  While it is widely known that the vitamin can help prevent the common cold, it is debatable how much power it truly has over disease.  There are ethical concerns surrounding its use as a cancer treatment, mostly focused on the seriousness of the disease and the weakness of the argument.  Either way, vitamin C is an antioxidant, and the support it gives to the immune system can help many people battle sore throats and sniffles.

Aside from the immune system, vitamin C can help many other parts of the body.  It increases metabolism and helps skin and other aging tissues to heal faster.  It is a natural laxative, and can also ease the withdrawal symptoms associated with drug addictions.  It may even reduce the negative effects of pollution, protecting the body and fragile organs from carbon monoxide, lead and even mercury.

Vitamin A, also referred to as retinol, is an essential nutrient required in a small quantity in order to ensure normal and healthy functioning of different bodily systems including vision, growth and development, safeguarding of epithelial cellular integrity, improved immune function, and reproduction. Essentially, the functions of vitamin A in the human body system can be categorized under two distinct segments – (1) vision and (2) rest of the body. In this article, we will shade light on these segments in order to find out the significant functions of vitamin A in human body.

Maintenance of Visual Cycle

The maintenance of visual cycle within the retina located in the eye is one of the most significant functions of vitamin A. Vitamin A is carried to the ocular tissue as well as to the retina. The production of the visual pigmentation, known as rhodopsin, is greatly influenced in the presence of vitamin A. In fact, the absence of vitamin A obstructs the photochemical reactions responsible for seeing objects in the dim light, hence causing night-blindness. In fact, night-blindness indicates there is strong deficiency in vitamin A supply in the system.

Integration of Epithelial Cells

The growth and development of epithelial cells through the body is strongly influenced by the presence of vitamin A. Without the presence of vitamin A, the growth and development of epithelial cells is highly disrupted. This is one of the most critical functions of vitamin A. When vitamin A deficiency (VAD) occurs, it leads to the reduction of goblet cells production in the epithelial tissues, resulting in a decrease in mucous secretion. Both the decreased level of mucous secretion and inadequate cellular integrity leads the body to become vulnerable towards different pathogenic health conditions.

Deficiency of Vitamin A

Since too many overlapping conditions are possible, the diagnosis of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is difficult. However, the significance of different functions of vitamin A is unquestionable. As defined by World Health Organization, VAD may be associated with irreversible blindness, poor reproductive health, vulnerability to anemia, slow bodily growth and development, and non-specific symptoms contributing to high rate of mortality. However, it is very difficult to identify whether there is any deficiency caused by vitamin A only, since all of these symptoms may be associated with other inherent problems as well.

As we can understand from the above discussion that vitamin A plays a significant role in human health system. So, it is better to consider a diet rich with valuable nutrients in order to keep various health complications at bay.

We’ve all heard it since we were children: “Eat your veggies!” Most of us balked at the idea, but begrudgingly ate them anyway, never once believing that there was good logic behind that motherly directive.  Vegetables are storehouses for various vitamins and minerals, all of which are essential for human health.  One of these all-important compounds is vitamin A, and having a vitamin A deficiency can have severe health implications.

Symptoms Of Deficiency

So how do you know if you’re suffering from a vitamin A deficiency?  There are several symptoms associated with this problem, mostly revolving around the eyes, skin and immune system.

The first of these eye symptoms is reduced night vision or night blindness.  Night blindness is, simply put, a decrease in a person’s ability to see in low light situations.  This particular symptom is also one of the first signs that you may be suffering from a vitamin A deficiency.
Another symptom is dry eyes.  This usually follows after night blindness, as tear production is slowed down due to a buildup of a keratinized secretion that will eventually progress into erosion, and then destruction, of the cornea.  If allowed to get to this point untreated, total blindness will eventually take place.

Rough or dry skin is also a symptom caused by vitamin A deficiency.  You may notice patches of scaly or extremely dry skin.

Also important is the effect that being deficient in vitamin A has on the immune system.  People suffering from vitamin A deficiency often experience increased respiratory or urinary infections.  Once again, this is due to the keratinizing of secretions on the lining in the bladder, lungs and upper respiratory passages.

Causes

A few underlying causes for vitamin A deficiency are malabsorption, inadequate diet, malnutrition, and lipid lowering medications.

Malabsorption is nothing more than the body’s failure to properly absorb the nutrients it’s given.  Malabsorption itself can be caused by several factors, including hypo- or hyperthyroidism, diabetes, HIV and diverticulitis.

Inadequate diet is pretty self-explanatory.  It is important to eat a variety of vegetables and lean meats to get adequate amounts of all vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A.  Diets low in foods such as broccoli, peas, leafy vegetables, carrots and spinach are more likely to cause deficiencies.

Malnutrition is caused by either an improper or insufficient diet.  It can also be a result of malabsorption.  Either way, the body is not receiving the necessary amounts of nutrients it needs to function properly.

Certain lipid lowering drugs, such as those given to patients who have high cholesterol, can also affect the absorption of vitamin A, thus causing a deficiency.

Conclusion

Vitamin A deficiency is serious business.  Like most dietary deficiencies, it has a large impact on the health of those suffering from it. Oftentimes, it can be hard to tell if you have such deficiency because the symptoms can be associated with other illnesses as well.  If you suspect that you may be experiencing the effects of a vitamin A deficiency, please make an appointment with your family physician.

So you have taken decision regarding your body purification. This is crucial to every human being since we accumulate so many toxic wastages in our body through different modes. One of the most significant modes is of course our diet. Since you have planned to purify your system, you must be concerned about making few alterations to your diet. Let the top antioxidant juices handle it for you.

The Significance of Antioxidant

Before considering top antioxidant juices, you may wonder why specifically we are talking about only antioxidants when it comes about purification of the system. It is due to several reasons. First of all, a major number of serious diseases and health complications are associated with degenerative health complications, which primarily occur as a result of free radical formation in the body.

Free radicals, in short, are the unstable molecules, which, while reacting with other healthy molecules, ’steal’ electrons from others, hence converting the healthy molecules to an unstable one. This is occurred like a chain reaction, damaging the nearest molecule. This chain reaction is eventually fatal, leading to serious damages to the cellular system, causing different degenerative health conditions.

Antioxidant helps protecting our bodies from free radical production, since it donates the free radicals one of its electrons and makes the unstable molecules to the stable ones, leading to a cessation of the chain process. Since many toxic contents accumulated into our system contribute significantly to the formation of free radicals, with the help of top antioxidant juices we can ensure the maximum possible purification.

Changing Diet

Although they are termed as top antioxidant juices, the most interesting part is that all of the ingredients of top antioxidant juices are easily available in the market or you can say in nature as well. If you would like to continue your journey with citrus fruits, a great source for vitamin C antioxidants, you may choose an orange and a grapefruit and put them to mix with the help of a fruit juice mixer. Don’t forget to mix lime as well. This combination not only belongs to the top antioxidant juices, but also offers an excellent support to the health of the immune system.

Now, when you consider about the purification of your digestive system, you should care to prepare another combination of top antioxidant juices with mango, pineapple and lemon juice. Another combination of top antioxidant juices can be made by using cantaloupe, papaya, honey dew, white grapes and melon together. This offers great protection against kidney problem. You may also combine strawberries, lime juice, white grapes and apples together which not only benefits skin but also offers protection to liver and kidney health.

When the average diner sits down to a meal, he or she is not concerned with how much vitamin E is on his or her plate.  Vitamin B, maybe. Vitamin C, definitely.  But vitamin E is often lost in the hustle and bustle toward healthier living.  The vitamin exists in eight forms, but each of these forms is a powerful antioxidant.  However, most of the foods that contain the vitamin, including vegetable oils, nuts and cereals, are often overlooked in the search for low-fat, carbohydrate-free diets, as are the benefits of this diversified antioxidant.

Avoidance

Vitamin E deficiency in humans is rare.  The body does not require extensive daily intake of the vitamin, and for the most part, the grains and nuts and other sources of the vitamin are consumed at least once a day.  However, for some people, vitamin E deficiency is a serious matter.  Premature babies and adults with fat metabolism disorders or genetic abnormalities are at high risk for this deficiency.  Vitamin E deficiency can lead to numerous neurological problems, including nerve degeneration in the feet and the hands.

Individuals with Crohn’s Disease and Cystic Fibrosis cannot absorb fats or vitamin E naturally and must take supplements in order to avoid certain intestinal disorders.  Sometimes, the absence of the vitamin can cause blindness, muscle weakness and even the loss of the ability to walk, and for these people in particular, finding a method of absorption is crucial to survival.

Indulgence

Vitamin E can act as an anticoagulant if taken in too high doses, which can lead to hemorrhaging and other forms of excessive bleeding.  However, the vitamin itself is not really toxic, and for the most part, it is not stored in the body.

Harmony

Due to its status as an antioxidant, vitamin E has numerous health benefits.  Its ability to fight off free radicals, or foreign cells in the body, has given it the status of a potential cure-all.  The vitamin may delay coronary heart disease by inhibiting the effects of bad cholesterol.  Long-term supplementation may even provide protection against cardiovascular disease.

Vitamin E and other antioxidants are known to strengthen cell membranes, providing them the power to ward off free radicals.  Free radicals contribute to the development of numerous chronic diseases, including cancer.  So far the studies have been inconclusive, but the vitamin may help decrease the incidence of breast cancer and prostate cancer in particular.

Antioxidants may also prevent or at least delay the growth of cataracts.  Lens clarity is often stronger in regular users of vitamin E supplements.

Vitamin A is an essential component of the human diet.  The vitamin is present in numerous foods, including liver and other animal meats, carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, eggs and butter.  Sometimes it is absorbed as a vitamin, and sometimes it is absorbed as a provitamin and must be converted by the body.  This vitamin is stored in the liver, and is necessary for the proper functioning of many parts of the body, from the immune system to the eyes and everything in-between.  However, like many minerals and supplements, vitamin A can be toxic if taken in exorbitant doses.

The Good

Vitamin A is one of the most essential factors in good eyesight.  From pigments to the cornea itself, the vitamin influences how well a person sees, what they see and when they see it.  The vitamin aids in the creation of rhodopsin, a pigment in the eye capable of producing night vision.  It also protects the corner and retina from drying out.

Vitamin A also plays a role in the health of skin and mucous membranes, normal bone growth, tooth development and reproduction.  It can also act as an antioxidant, reducing the risk of cancer.  Many cosmetic and medical companies use the vitamin as acne treatments and anti-aging products.

The Bad

The manifestations of vitamin A deficiency are numerous, although one of the first signs is an increase in acne and reduced night vision.  The most devastating affects of this deficiency occur in the eyes; the cornea can literally erode without the presence of sufficient vitamin A.  Nearly 500,000 malnourished children in third-world countries go blind each year from lack of the vitamin.  The deficiency can also result in a reduced immune system and as well as changes to the cells lining organs and air passages.

The Ugly

Because vitamin A is stored in the body, excess traces of the vitamin are hard to dispose of.  The vitamin is toxic in large doses, and this toxicity can result in nausea, headaches, weakness, altered mental status, jaundice and blurry vision. In more serious cases of vitamin A toxicity, fever, weight loss, bone fractures, peeling skin and insomnia are present as well.

While the acute symptoms are uncomfortable, the long-term effects of a vitamin A overdose are devastating.  Birth defects, hair loss, osteoporosis and liver disease are all possible when too much of the vitamin is ingested over a long period of time.

Some sources of vitamin A contain too much of the vitamin, and ingesting these products can result in an immediate overdose.  One meal of polar bear liver can make a sled dog sick and can kill a person.

You may have thought about changing your lifestyle and living healthier is one of your goals. You can diet and exercise but to get the maximum affect you need to start taking a vitamin. You could take one of each; vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Vitamin E, Thiamine, but this could take a few minutes trying to swallow those pills before you go to work each morning. You could break them up and take some in the morning and some in the afternoon. But what is most recommended is that you take a one a day vitamin.  Everyone can benefit from a one a day vitamin; men, women and children.

For a woman, a one a day vitamin my contain enough vitamins to help balance the system and allow for changes from pregnancy, Osteoporosis, and menopause. Although each one of these conditions affect every woman differently the lack of a vitamin can imbalance the entire system. When taking a one a day vitamin a woman may feel better within a week but the results may take longer. Sometimes just knowing that you are making an effort can make you feel better. It’s not easy to remember to take a one a day vitamin so you may need to take the vitamin when you take your other pills, as long as the vitamin will not interact with your pills.

For men, a one a day vitamin is very important to balance their systems as well. Men need to feel good and stay active all the time. They work hard and they need something that will work fast and efficiently. One great benefit to a man taking a one a day vitamin is that they can have enough energy to get through work and come home to work out, go to a gym, shoot some hoops, or work on something around their house. Feeling tired all the time is not a great feeling. Sometimes the tired feeling may be a result of a iron deficiency.

Even Children need Vitamins

For children, their growing bodies need a one a day vitamin. Their needs change everyday and because of that a children’s vitamin is something that keeps them in balance. Sometimes a parent doesn’t know that a child has a deficiency until the child starts to exhibit some symptoms such as extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, weight gain, weight loss, brittle nails, dry skin, hair breakage and more. These symptoms could mean that one or more vitamins are missing and needs to be balanced. But if a child takes a one a day vitamin regularly than they may not become deficient in a vitamin.

Once you start a one a day vitamin regimen you will slowly balance your system and be able to feel confident, look great, have energy and feel healthy all the time.

Everyone can use natural antioxidants in their bodies in order to function normally without any problems. There are several different ways to get the right amount of antioxidants. Because natural antioxidants are something that you don’t pay much attention to your body does and it is very important to keep track of. All too often natural antioxidants can affect your health so it is very important to do your research before you get started taking your natural antioxidants regularly. Today there are several ways that you can purchase your antioxidants in order to balance your system. It is vital that you do research on sites that are very dependable and reliable.

It is very important to learn the foods that contain the natural antioxidants that you need in order to work well in your body and to keep your body functioning in the normal pace for you. Not everyone is normal in the same way. For example, some one may require more vitamin A than vitamin C while someone else is the opposite in order to maintain their current health condition. In order to get the natural antioxidants to work in your favor you need to make sure that you don’t get too much of something. The way to do that is to sit down with your doctor and figure out which natural antioxidants you will need in order to balance your system. Your doctor may need to draw some blood to determine how you are doing in terms of iron and other important antioxidants.

Try these foods

It is very important to plan your menu around the following foods:
fruits
vegetables
whole grains
poultry
lean meats
fish
legumes

If you don’t include a little bit of everything you may find that you are deficient is something but trying to figure out what it is may be a problem. Some symptoms of deficiency may include exhaustion, sick, decrease in appetite, aches and pains and more.

It is very important to get enough natural antioxidants in the cold season so you can build and boost your immune system to avoid all the illnesses that will be around you. If you do get sick you can use natural antioxidants to boost your system and get over your cold faster. You may even avoid going to the doctors completely if you use a combination of natural antioxidants, drink plenty of water, and use home remedies in order to heal quicker.