B-12 & Others - What You Need to Know About Vitamins and Your Health

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If you are taking a test for B-12 levels, you may not know that you should not

eat or drink for about 6 - 8 hours before the test.

" Tell your health care provider about all medicines you are taking, including

over-the-counter and herbal medication. Drugs that may affect test results

include colchicine, neomycin, para-aminosalicylic acid, and phenytoin

(Dilantin).

" Why the Test is Performed: This test is most often done when other blood test

tests suggest a condition called megaloblastic anemiamegaloblastic anemia.

Pernicious anemiaPernicious anemia is a form of megaloblastic anemia caused by

poor vitamin B12 absorption. This can occur when the stomach makes less of the

substance the body needs to properly absorb vitamin B12. Your doctor may also

order a Vitamin B12 test if you have certain nervous system symptoms. Low levels

of B12 can cause numbness or tingling in the arms and legs, weakness, and loss

of balance.

" Other conditions under which the test may be done are for: Delirium,Dementia

causes due to metabolic causes. Normal values are 200 - 900 pg/mL (picograms

per milliliter). These may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to

your doctor about what your specific test results mean.

" What normal results mean: Values of less than 200 pg/mL are a sign of a

vitamin B12 deficiency. People with this deficiency are likely to have or

develop symptoms. Older adults with vitamin B12 levels between 200 and 500 pg/mL

may also have symptoms. Causes of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

a.. Not enough vitamin B12 in diet (rare except with a strict vegetarian diet)

b.. Diseases that cause malabsorptionmalabsorption (for example, celiac

diseaseceliac disease and Crohn's disease)

c.. Lack of intrinsic factor

d.. Above normal heat production (for example, with

hyperthyroidismhyperthyroidism)

e.. Pregnancy

" Increased vitamin B12 levels are uncommon. Usually excess vitamin B12 is

removed in the urine. Conditions that can increase B12 levels include: Liver

disease (such as cirrhosiscirrhosis or hepatitishepatitis). Myeloproliferative

disordersMyeloproliferative disorders (for example, polycythemia vera and

chronic myelocytic leukemiamyelocytic leukemia). There is very little risk

involved with having your blood taken. Veins and arteries vary in size from one

patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Taking blood from

some people may be more difficult than from others. "

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003705.htm

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EXPLORING THE MYSTERY OF VITAMIN D3

" Vitamin D plays an important role in protecting your bones. It may also help

prevent other conditions including certain cancers. Your body requires vitamin D

to absorb calcium. Children need vitamin D to build strong bones, and adults

need it to keep bones strong and healthy. When people do not get enough vitamin

D, they can lose bone. Studies show that people with low levels of vitamin D

have lower bone density or bone mass. They are also more likely to break bones

when they are older. Vitamin D also appears to play a role in reducing the risk

of CERTAIN CANCERS, AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS, cardiovascular disease and other

health problems.

" NOF recommends that adults under age 50 get 400-800 International Units (IU) of

vitamin D every day, and that adults age 50 and older get 800-1,000 IU of

vitamin D every day. Some people need more vitamin D. There are two types of

vitamin D supplements. They are vitamin D2 and vitamin D3. Previous research

suggested that vitamin D3 was a better choice than vitamin D2. However, more

recent studies show that vitamin D3 and vitamin D2 are equally good for bone

health. Vitamin D3 is also called cholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 is also called

ergocalciferol. It is difficult to get too much vitamin D unless a person is

taking a prescription dose (usual dose 50,000 IUs once a week). In that case,

healthcare providers can easily monitor a patient’s vitamin D level with a blood

test to make sure they aren’t getting too much of the vitamin. Problems

associated with getting too much vitamin D are very rare.

" It is difficult to measure the amount of vitamin D that your skin makes. People

with fair skin make more vitamin D than people with darker skin. People who live

in higher latitudes such as New York, instead of lower latitudes such as

Florida, may get less vitamin D from sunlight. Window glass and air pollution

also decrease the amount of vitamin D that your skin can make.

" Vitamin D is naturally available in only a few foods. It is very difficult to

get all the vitamin D you need from food. Foods that have vitamin D include

fatty fish (examples are mackerel, salmon and tuna). Vitamin D is also added to

milk and to some brands of other dairy products, orange juice, soymilk and

cereals. Check the food label to see if vitamin D has been added to a particular

product.

" Subtract the total amount of vitamin D you are already getting each day from

the total amount you need to get each day. For example, a 55 year old woman who

gets 400 IUs of vitamin D from her calcium supplement should take between 400

and 600 additional IUs of vitamin D to meet the 800-1,000 IUs of vitamin D that

is recommended for her age. People most likely at risk for not getting enough

vitamin D include older adults, people who spend little time in the sun, people

living in nursing homes or other institutions, people with certain medical

conditions such as serious diseases of the nervous or digestive systems, people

with very dark skin and obese or very overweight people. "

http://www.nof.org/aboutosteoporosis/prevention/vitamind

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WHAT IS VITAMIN B COMPLES AND WHY DO WE NEED IT

" The Vitamin B Complex group consists of Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, Vitamin

B9 or folic acid and folate and Vitamin B12. Vitamin B Complex is a group of

water-soluble vitamins that are all part of the B vitamin group. Each of them

has a number behind it as well as having alternate names. In addition, all

though they all are similar in certain ways, they each do different things for

our bodies. One is needed as much as the next. Vitamin B vitamins are important

nutrients that we need for development, growth and numerous bodily functions.

They have a large role in the enzyme's activities (proteins) that control the

chemical reactions in our body. One of their main roles is in turning our the

food we consume into energy and other necessary substances.

" B Vitamins are needed to help us avoid many health conditions. Although Vitamin

B9 has been said to have a protective effect against CERTAIN CANCERS, there is

still much more research to be done before we can be certain that any of the B

Vitamins can reduce the risk of cancer. To fully understand the importance of

the Vitamin B complex, you need to understand what each of them does for our

body.

" Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and Vitamin B2 riboflavin) help our bodies to produce

energy from the food we eat. They also generate the enzymes that control our

nerves, muscles and heart. Vitamin B3 (niacin) helps to produce energy in our

cells and is important for the maintenance of our skin, digestive system and

nervous system. Pantothenic acid or Vitamin B5 promotes normal growth and

development from the time we are infants. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) helps to break

down protein in our body as well as the production of healthy red blood cells.

It is also responsible for the health of our immune system and nervous system.

Biotin or Vitamin B7 helps our body to make hormones as well as breaking down

the protein and carbohydrates from the foods we eat. Vitamin B9 helps with the

production and maintenance of red blood cells as well as DNA. Vitamin B12

(cobalamin) is very important in our bodies' growth and development, the

functions of our nervous system, production of blood cells and helping our body

use carbohydrates and folic acid. "

http://tinyurl.com/2e8392b

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FYI,

Lottie Duthu