Vitamins

What are benefits of Vitamin C during cold or viral?

What is vitamin C?
Vitamin C is an important vitamin and antioxidant that the body uses to keep you strong and healthy. Vitamin C is used in
- the maintenance of bones,
- muscle,
- blood vessels.
- the formation of collagen
- helps the body absorb iron

Vitamin C is found naturally in:
- vegetables
- oranges
- other citrus fruits.

This key vitamin is also available as a natural dietary supplement in the form of vitamin C pills and vitamin C chew able tablets.

Vitamin C and Common Cold
- The common cold is caused by several strains of viruses which includes the rhinovirus and the coronavirus.
- However, vitamin C does not prevent the common cold or decrease the severity of symptoms.
- In the 1970s, Linus Pauling argued that vitamin C could significantly decrease the incidence of the common cold.
- Vitamin C for the common cold is such a widely accepted treatment.
- We seek it in fortified juices, cough drops, and tea.
- Vitamin C was first touted for the common cold in the 1970s.

Other facts found are
- The average adult who suffers with a cold for 12 days a year would still suffer for 11 days a year if that person took a high dose of vitamin C every day during that year.
- For the average child who suffers about 28 days of cold illness a year, taking daily high-dose vitamin C would still mean 24 days of cold illness.
- When vitamin C was tested for treatment of colds in 7 separate studies, vitamin C was no more effective than placebo at shortening the duration of cold symptoms.

A prospective, controlled study focuses on:
- 715 students in a technical training facility found that vitamin C in mega doses administered before or after the appearance of cold and flu symptoms relieved and prevented the symptoms in the test population compared with the control group.
- More than 30 clinical trials with over 10,000 participants have examined the effects of taking daily vitamin C in doses up to 2 g/day.
- A review of Cochrane, PubMed, Natural Standard, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine databases found that regular vitamin C intake may reduce the duration of cold symptoms in both adults and children.
- It does not decrease the severity of cold symptoms.
- However, in a subgroup of marathon runners, skiers, and soldiers training in the Arctic doses ranging from 250 mg/day to 1 g/day decreased the incidence of colds by 50%.
- Researchers concluded that vitamin C does not prevent or treat the common cold.
- It is better to consume natural foods such as red peppers, oranges, strawberries and grapefruit.
- It is acceptable to consume vitamin C from a supplement and still maintain adequate intake levels.

Daily Dosage
- The recommended daily allowance for vitamin C in the United States is 75 mg per day for women and 90 mg per day for men
- Taking doses above the RDA may have healthful benefits.
- Typically 70-90% of vitamin C is absorbed in the body but when taken in doses higher than 1 g, absorption decreases to 75%
- Further, it decreases to merely 16% after a 12 g dose.
- Popular vitamin C supplementation products, such as Airborne or Emergen-C, contain much higher doses of vitamins than necessary.

Overdose of vitamin C
- Taking vitamin C supplements in the recommended amounts is safe.
- The RDA or recommended daily allowance is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women.
- High doses of vitamin C (greater than 2000 milligrams per day for adults) may cause kidney stones, nausea and diarrhea.

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Vitamin K – Helps in Blood Clotting and prevents hemorrhages

Vitamin K is a group of vitamins that help in blood clotting and also in proper functioning of liver. It is a fat soluble vitamin. It helps to prevent hemorrhages. Vitamin K is made up in colon by intestinal bacteria. Vitamin K is also important for the production of protein called prothrombin. Hemorrhages occur because there is a fall in prothrombin which is helpful in blood clotting.
There are two forms in which Vitamin K exists. One is Vitamin K1 which occurs only in plants, yellow oil, slightly soluble in water and soluble in fat solvents. Another Vitamin K2 is also found to be produced by many bacteria.

CHARACTERISTICS OF VITAMIN K
- No effect of light.
- No effect of heat.
- No effect on exposure to air.
- Destroyed by strong acids, alkalis, oxidizing agents, x-rays, radiation.
- Absorbed with fat and passed through lymphatic system.

FUNCTIONS OF VITAMIN K IN BODY
- Vitamin K helps in blood clotting.
- Vitamin K prevents hemorrhages.
- Vitamin K helps in the absorption of calcium.
- The hardening of arteries is prevented by vitamin K.
- Vitamin K prevents heart disease.
- Vitamin K prevents heart failure.
- Vitamin K is also important for proper functioning of liver.
- Vitamin K helps in the reduction of menstrual flow.
- Vitamin K helps in osteoporosis.

The best sources of Vitamin K are green leafy vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, spinach. It is also present in yogurt, soy beans. Cow’s milk is better source than human milk.

DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS OF VITAMIN K
- Damage to brain of new born.
- Bleeding of nose.
- Heavy menstrual bleeding.
- Takes lot of time in blood clotting.
- Anemia.
Avoid a great amount of vitamin K because it may lead to liver problems or jaundice in kids.

Some facts about vegetarianism, its types, advantages and disadvantages of vegetarian diet.

Vegetarianism facts include the types of vegetarianism and vegetarianism pros and cons in regards to its health benefits.

TYPES OF VEGETARIANS

- Vegans only eat food that comes from a plant.
- Lacto Vegetarians do not eat meat or eggs but they do eat dairy products.
- Ovo Vegetarians do not eat meat or dairy products but they do eat eggs.
- Lacto-ovo Vegetarians do not eat meat but they do eat eggs and dairy products.
- Pesco Vegetarians eat fish, eggs, and dairy products. They do not eat red or poultry.
- Fruitarians eat only fruits, nuts and seeds. They do not eat meat, eggs, dairy products, or the roots of any plants such as carrots.
- Pollo-Vegetarians eat poultry, such as chicken, turkey, and duck.

ADVANTAGES OF A VEGETARIAN DIET

- Vegetarian diets are low in calories. Not all vegetarian diets are low in calories.
- Vegetarian diets are high in fiber.
- Research has shown that a low-fat vegetarian diet helps to stop progression of coronary artery disease or prevent it altogether.
- Health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, gallstones, kidney stones are much less common in vegetarians.
- A vegetarian diet relies on beans and lentils for its source of proteins.
- Soy products, such as tofu and tempeh, are used to provide isoflavins, such as genistein and daidzein, which help to diminish bone loss, inhibit tumor growth and lower cholesterol.
- Vegetarians develop strong immunity in them.
- Green leafy vegetables have ample supply of calcium.

ADVANTAGES OF NON-VEGETARIAN DIET WHICH IS NOT FOUND IN VEGETARIAN DIET

- Vegetarians face inadequate intake of proteins and B12.
- B12 on the other hand cannot be sourced from plants, only from animals, hence a vegetarian needs to eat foods that have been fortified with B12 vitamins, this is especially recommended for vegetarian children.
- The essential amino acids that the body requires are contained in a diet rich with red meat.
- Red meat contains very high quantities of iron as compared to vegetarian diet.
- The phosphorus content of meat is much more easily absorbed than the phosphorus in cereals and legumes.
- Vitamin D is not found in a plant based diet.