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What it's good for:
Promotes growth and repair of body tissue, healthy eyes, good night vision
and a strong immune system. What they're good for:
Building blocks that make up
proteins like
hormones, enzymes and proteins in tissues and muscle. There are nine
essential amino acids that we need to get from food; the body can make the
other 11. What they're good for:
A family of VITAMINS, all water soluble, somewhat related in
function and often occurring together in foods. They include
vitamin B1 (thiamin),
vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine),
vitamin B12 (cobalamin),
niacin(Nicotinic acid), folacin (folic acid, also called
pteroylglutamic acid or PGA), PANTOTHENIC ACID and
biotin. What they're good for:
Helps convert food into energy, nerve functions, growth and muscle tone.
The chief function of this VITAMIN is to cooperate with other members of
the B-COMPLEX in converting GLUCOSE to energy, which fuels the body. It is
also important for a healthy nervous system. For years doctors blamed
beriberi, a devastating nerve disease that once rampaged through Asia, on
something harmful in food. Only with the turn of the twentieth century did
scientists discover that rice bran, removed to create the polished white
rice Asians preferred, contained something that prevented beriberi. And
only in 1926 were crystals of this "beriberi vitamine" used to cure
beriberi in people. Today we know this substance as thiamin or vitamin B1
and it is one of the nutrients added to grains and flours during the
enrichment process. What they're good for:
Releases energy, keeps red blood cells healthy, makes hormones. Like
thiamin, this
vitamin helps
the body metabolize CARBOHYDRATES. But it also aids in the metabolism of
fats and proteins. In addition, it's essential to the proper function of
three other B vitamins (B6, FOLIC ACID and NIACIN), to the making of red
blood cells and maintenance of body tissues, especially those of the skin
and eyes. What they're good for:
Releases energy, important for a healthy digestive system, blood
circulation, nerve function, appetite. Without this VITAMIN, an important
member of the B-COMPLEX (sometimes called vitamin B3), the body cannot
utilize CARBOHYDRATES, FATS and PROTEINS to provide energy. Thus the
amount of niacin the body needs depends on the number of calories
consumed. But that's not niacin's only role. It also helps ensure the
health and vitality of the skin, digestive tract and nerves. In the early
1900s, when impoverished Southerners subsisted on highly refined corn
breads, asylums were full of patients whose dementia was traced to
pellagra, a debilitating niacin-deficiency disease. Niacin supplements
effected miracle cures and led, ultimately, to the enrichment of cornmeal
down South much the way the federal Enrichment Act of 1942 required food
processors to restore the IRON, THIAMIN, RIBOFLAVIN and niacin lost in the
milling of wheat. What they're good for:
Converts food into energy, necessary to make important hormones, vitamin
D, and red blood cells. What they're good for:
Helps convert food into energy, keeps red blood cells healthy, makes
antibodies, maintains nerve function, enhances the immune system, helps
prevent heart disease. Tidbit:Vitamin B7,
also called vitamin I, was a factor extracted from rice polish. Its
deficiency caused digestive disorders in pigeons. It is not established
that this applies to humans. The term "vitamin B7" was later reused by
some researchers to denote biotin. Tidbit:Vitamin B8 is
the nucleic acid adenylic acid, also known as ergadenylic acid. Its
deficiency decreases RNA synthesis, as well as ADP and ATP synthesis. A
deficiency will inhibit the breakdown of food into energy and deteriorate
hormone functions. This substance was not widely recognized as a required
vitamin. The term "vitamin B8" was later reused by some researchers to
denote inositol. Tidbit:Vitamin B9 was
later found to be a mixture of multiple B vitamins which were later
isolated to different substances. The term "vitamin B9" was later reused
by some researchers to denote folic acid. Tidbit:Vitamin B10,
also known as factor R was later determined to be pteroylmonoglutamic acid
mixed with other B vitamins. Its deficiency caused slowed growth and
deteriorated feather development in chicks, along with blood problems. It
was believed by some researchers to apply to humans. Some early
researchers used the term "vitamin B10" to denote para-aminobenzoic acid. Tidbit:Vitamin B11,
also known as factor S was related to vitamin B10. It was also believed to
have similar properties, and was also later determined to be a mixture of
substances. What they're good for:
Releases energy from food, keeps red blood cells healthy, helps maintain
the nervous system, boosts the immune system, helps prevent heart disease. Tidbit:Vitamin B13 is
a factor extracted from whey called orotic acid. Its deficiency causes
anemia, large abnormal blood cells, heart problems, skin problems, and
liver deterioration. It is recognized more widely in europe, but has not
been widely supported in the United States. It should probably be grouped
with the "sub-vitamin B complex" of substances that are useful to the
body, but may not be required in food. It is most often used similarly to
ascorbate to combine with minerals for better absorption. This also allows
vitamin manufacturers to include it in vitamin formulations without
listing and/or claiming it as a separate vitamin. Tidbit:Vitamin B14
was not clearly isolated to a specific chemical. It was extracted from
yeast, organ meats, grains, legumes, and eggs. Its deficiency caused a
kind of anemia. It might have been similar to vitamin B10 and B11. Tidbit:Vitamin B15 is
dimethylglycine (or trimethylglycine). It was mostly researched in the
former Soviet Union. It is believe to help oxygen absorpsion, aiding with
heart problems, stress, cancer, and premature aging. The Russians used it
primarily to increase the performance of their olympic athletes. It is
very controversial and is not officially recognized in the United States.
Later researchers referenced diisopropylamine dichloroacetate as being
"vitamin B15", either believing it to be an alternate chemical form with
the same properties, or a more accurate isolation of the chemical. Tidbit:Vitamin B16
was also researched in the former Soviet Union, but never resulted in
widespread use by that government. Tidbit:Vitamin B17 is
any of the nitrilosides. It was researched by Dr. Krebs as a cancer cure.
It is very controversial in the United States, and is outlawed as
fraudulent and/or dangerous in many states. It is still recognized in some
other countries. What they're good for:
Metabolizes fats, proteins and carbohydrates, helps in the transfer of
carbon dioxide and assists in various metabolic chemical conversions.
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