Vitamins are substances that the human body needs to grow and develop normally. (1) Vitamins are efficacious in preventing and curing a variety of ailments ranging from heart conditions, high cholesterol level, eye disorders to skin disorders. Generally, vitamins boost many of the metabolic mechanisms and perform functions that other nutrients don't.
Vitamins can be acquired in various ways, commonly through the foods we eat. However, depending on the cuisine and tradition, our food may be low on certain vitamins. This where the nutrition industry steps in with its production of vitamin-rich food supplements to improve vitamin intake and boost the overall vitamin content in the body.
One of the most popular nutrients …show more content…
Fresh fruits and veggies are the typical sources for vitamin C, particularly citrus fruits, bell peppers and kale. (5) Vitamin C however can also be produced synthetically.
Nutrition experts generally recommend a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, which is thus vitamin C-rich rather than getting this important nutrient from supplements. Fresh home-made orange or lemon squash are a far better choice than ready-to-drink juices. Typically fresh juice is richer in active vitamin C than ready-to-drink juices, and moreover the vitamin C it contains is more active. For optimal results, it is best to drink fresh-frozen juice within one week after reconstitution. If you prefer ready-to-drink juices though, it is advisable to buy it between 3 and 4 weeks before expiry and drink it within one week of …show more content…
It is advisable to take vitamin C two hours before taking antacids which are rich in aluminum; estrogens – the human body normally decomposes estrogens and eliminates them. What vitamin C does is to practically slow down the body's reaction to release estrogens. Therefore, it may decrease the effectiveness of estrogens and increase the side-effects thereof; fluphenazine (Prolixin) – impacts effectiveness of the pill by lowering the amount of fluphenazine absorbed by the body; cancer medications, especially chemotherapy;
HIV medications, especially Protease inhibitors – vitamin C is likely to influence the amount of HIV medication actually retained in the body and decrease effectiveness. Some of these drugs include: amprenavir (Agenerase), nelfinavir (Viracept), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir (Fortovase, Invirase); cholesterol medication (Statins). Among those medications that vitamin C taken in combination with beta-carotene, selenium and vitamin E might reduce efficacy of are: atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor), and pravastatin