Many people are familiar with supplementing and perhaps even taken
them. It is estimated that,
nearly half the American population.
alone takes a multivitamin or another supplement regularly. Considering this
let's pause to ask ourselves - what are supplements and why do we take
them?
Dietary supplements are intended to add or supplement the
diet and a different from conventional food.
Often they help deliver nutrients to our bodies.
Nutrients are substances the body needs for energy, building
materials and control of body processes. They may be classified as essential meaning they cannot be synthesized in our bodies
so we get them from the diet, or non-essential
which means they can be synthesized in the body,
but they're also generally obtained from the diet.
There are many types of dietary supplements, that
come in many forms. For example: tablets, capsules, gummies, powders and much more
The main reason why someone may like to supplement is
to get an adequate amount of nutrients.
This may be beneficial if you do not eat,
nutritious variety of foods. Some dietary supplements can improve overall health and help manage some conditions.
However it is important to note that some supplements
require more research and may pose health risks. Later
on we will examine one health concern
and a respective dietary supplement used to address it - Vitamin A deficiency and supplementation.
Vitamins are organic compounds with diverse biochemical function,
They generally act as a coenzyme, which is a ‘helper’ molecule that is required for enzymes in our body to work.
They are a type of nutrient called micronutrients.
which means that our body needs something small amounts to function,
and maintain health.
There are fat and water soluble vitamin.
This difference is important because the solubility affects factors
such as if and how the vitamin A stored and
whether going to much or not enough will cause harm.
Today,
we are going to focus on vitamin A.
Vitamin A is an essential fat soluble vitamin.
Once in our body, it is stored in the liver until required and is bound to protein before being transported to where it is needed.
Vitamin A is important for many physiological processes such as
growth, vision, immunity, cell division and reproduction.
The recommended daily intake of vitamin A differs between men
and women.
There are
many derivatives of vitamin A,
Our body works to convert these derivatives to the necessary molecules.
to the necessary molecules. There are two main sources in the diet.
One preformed vitamin A which comes from animal sources, fortified foods, and vitamin supplements
and two, provitamin A which is converted to retinal in the body and comes from plant sources
Vitamin A is founded.
in a diverse assortment of foods
the fields, plant sources include green,
orange,
yellow, and red,
vegetables, and fruits animal sources include milk and eggs,
beef liver and fish oil.
Now, lets look into how Canada regulate supplements,
regulation of
Natural Health Products is governed by the natural and non-prescription
Health Products directorate formerly known as the Natural Health Products Directorate
This came into force on January 1st.
2004. These regulations ensure natural health products are safe to be used as an over-the-counter product and do not require a prescription. All manufacturers
importers, packagers and labellers of NHPs
use good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and have site licenses. All NHPs have either a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM).
Vitamins are regulated as a subset of drugs because they
are considered a natural Health Products.
They must have instructions for use on their label because they are intended to be used for health benefits.
It can be shocking to know that micronutrient deficiencies are
actually really common in developing countries given the wide availability
of nutrient-rich foods.
Some of the common metal and vitamin deficiencies in North
America include iron copper manganese vitamin-a,
C and E.
Vitamin deficiencies in,
particularly are relatively common globally and they often coexist with mineral deficiencies
like zinc, iodine, iron, affecting almost all age groups
Since pregnant,
or lactating women
and young children have high needs and are more susceptible
to these deficiencies,
These groups of people are the most vulnerable to vitamin
deficiencies.
There's a major lack of awareness about how many supplements
to include in one's diet since excessive consumption of certain
vitamins and minerals could have severe consequences on the health
and development of individuals.
But at the same time a country's micronutrient delivery interventions
can also be really challenging.
In terms of safety since the target populations can sometimes
overlap resulting in a risk of toxicity,
especially in countries that have a stable nutrient setting,
many stakeholders can work together or separately to deliver micronutrients
to the population
such as,
fortifying staple foods with daily or intermediate,
nutrient supplementation that can be consumed alone,
or added to already prepared foods.
It can be confusing for consumers to understand.
Just how much consumption of a certain vitamin or mineral
is sufficient,
give their whole diet and the added supplements.
So,
there are some help with terms such as the upper
intake level, the UL, which means the highest level
of nutrient intake.
That is likely to pose no risk of adverse health
effects and the RDA which is the recommended daily allowance
of a certain vitamin or mineral.
These can help consumers.
Make more aware decision has been taking supplements.
So this is a daily reference chart for vitamin A
that shows both.
It's RDA and UL. The RDA and
UL of vitamin A,
are both measured in micrograms of retinol activity equivalents.
The RDA for an adult male is 900 micrograms and
700 micrograms for an adult female. The UL for vitamin A
is 3000 micrograms.
As aforementioned RDAs are in place to keep individuals healthy and ensure
that they are well-nourished,
it is important to know how much is too much and to maintain
a good balance because otherwise it can lead to toxicity or deficiency of the vitamin.
With some supplements, such as Vitamin A supplements, taking more than the RDA
might lead to reaching the UL or exceeding it. Individuals can
reach the RDA for vitamin A by consuming whole foods.
However the UL's most often exceeded due to excessive supplement usage and treatment with certain medications
As a result Vitamin A will build up in the body and lead to
vitamin A toxicity. On the contrary not consuming the RDA,
can lead to vitamin A deficiency which leads to other complications in the
body,
is critical to keep a well-balanced diet and take supplements
to compensate for any nutritional.
Inadequacies. If considering taking any supplements for Vitamin A, please consult a health care professional first.
When consuming supplements it is important
to consider the interactions of common metals,
and minerals as they can be,
harmful, when consumed together.
For this reason,
it is extremely important to read the protocol for each supplement,
taken as some need to be
consumed with food
administered multiple times a day or excetera
consumption of certain metals and minderals can lead to adverse side effects in regards,
to vitamin A it should not
be consumed with medication,
such as neomycin, orlistat and mineral oil.
Additionally, it should not be taken with vitamin E
and K as it can prevent the absorption of these vitamins
Other supplements that should not be consumed together
include:
magnesium and
potassium, copper
and zinc, calcium
and vitamin D, and fat soluble and water soluble vitamins.
If you are taking different supplements together,
please consult a health care professional for more information.
Now that we have discussed what happens when we over- or under-consume vitamin A, let’s explore how supplementing can correct vitamin A deficiency (VAD).
or VAD
VAD is defined as serum levels of retinol being below
the normal range of 28 micrograms per deciliter.
The World Health Organization classifies VAD as a public
health issue and is most prevalent in developing countries,
General symptoms of VAD are as follows: dry skin and
eyes night,
blindness,
infertility and trouble conceiving,
poor wound
healing, throat
and chest infections,
acne and
breakouts,
and delayed growth.
Generally,
VAD is treated with dietary supplements. Vitamin A
deficiencies can be corrected depending on the severity
of the deficiency.
As mentioned,
there are several symptoms of vitamin A deficiency.
These deficiencies can generally be corrected by incorporating changes in
the diet to include more sources of vitamin.
A,
in more severe cases,
vitamin A palmitate can be used to correct,
severe cases of vitamin A deficiency.
Through oral pills or by injection.
It's important to contact a specialist in case you suspect,
a vitamin A deficiency to see what treatment methods are
recommended for you.