New Research Studies for Vitamins

Vitamins are essential organic catalytic substances, one that is essential to life and growth. To be a vitamin it also must be shown to be necessary for maintaining proper body and reproductive health. Vitamins act as ignition sparks which furnish us no fuel, but keeps our fuel system burning in a particular organized way. Vitamins come from our food. The fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K, and the water soluble vitamins are B and C.

As a brief overview, the fat soluble vitamins are stored in fatty tissue in the body and have the potential for toxicity. They are absorbed in the intestines and require protein to carry them along in the blood and are not easily excreted. They are destroyed by free radicals. Fortunately, water soluble vitamins neutralize free radicals because too many free radicals in the body cause illness.

The water soluble vitamins C, and the separate B vitamins {choline, inositol, PABA, biotin, folic acid, pantothenic acid(B5), pyridoxine(B6), thiamin (B1), and niacin (B3)}, travel unattached through the lymph and blood systems and are easily flushed out in the urine so they won’t cause toxicity. Natural and synthetic vitamins have the same chemical composition but can differ in color and molecular structure. Natural vitamins will typically be more effective. There is a lot of new research being conducted on vitamins which has resulted in better health for many people.The American diet for many people does not always meet your required supply of each vitamin, particularly if you don’t take a multiple vitamin.

Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin and we typically don't need supplements.

• ATRA (All-trans-Retinoic Acid) is a derivative of Vitamin A (retinol) which has been found to be effective in treating various tumor cell lines. Retinoids are members of a group of molecules that are structurally related to Vitamin A’s retinol which play an important role in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia, revolutionizing the disease treatment with this new type of therapy.

• Vitamin A deficiency is a leading cause of eye disease in the developing world. Researchers at Cornell University have developed a simple, cost effective method of cultivating maize rich in Vitamin A to combat deficiency problems.

Good food sources: Orange vegetables and fruits, walnuts, liver, eggs,

This vitamin is a bit more complex as there several components to Vitamin B and we will cover the newest research.

• Vitamin B6: This is required for synthesis of the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine and for myelin formation. Deficiency in adults primarily affect the peripheral nerves, skin, mucous membranes and the blood cell system and for children the central nervous system. Mild deficiencies are common, but it is used to treat Hereditary Sideroblastic Anemic, Neuritis, seizure prevention in newborns, childhood asthma, carpal tunnel syndrome, heart disease, depression, immune system functions, kidney stones along with magnesium, some evidence of PMS treatment. Research is being done on ADHD, Autism and cancer prevention. This huge list of uses is astounding when adequate B6 should be available in most any diet.

Pernicious anemia has been treated with B12 for many years, as this is a condition where you are unable to absorb B12 through your diet.

• There are studies in Alzheimer’s disease as some patients have been found to have very low levels of B12 in their blood.

• Another area of research is for people having angioplasty as studies have shown that B12 plus folic acid helps prevent re-stenosis.

• Johns Hopkins Researchers have reported that women with breast cancer tend to have lower vitamin B12 levels in their blood serum than do women without breast cancer.

• Fatigue is now being treated with Vitamin B12 injections given twice weekly in another trial.

• Another study is treating high cholesterol with B12 in combination with fish oil.

• Sickle Cell Anemia is being tested with a combination of folic acid, B12 and B6. This is very affordable as a treatment and may reduce the patient’s inherently high risk of endothelial damage but the research is incomplete at this time.

Good food sources: banana, potato, lentils, chile peppers, beans, brewers yeast

Vitamin C: This is another water soluble vitamin. Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for the integrity of bone, connective tissue growth and healing, plus teeth. It is also an antioxidant that strengthens the immune system. It must be taken daily as your body does not store Vitamin C. Deficiencies can cause scurvy, bleeding gums, decreased wound healing, nosebleeds, weakened tooth enamel, swollen and painful joints, easy bruising and dry splitting hair.

• Researchers at the University of Leicester report they have demonstrated that vitamin C may improve wound healing and protect you from the DNA damage of skin cells.

Good food sources: Citrus fruit, sweet potato, tomato, white beans, yogurt

Vitamin D is another fat soluble vitamin that you can get from being in the sun or from food.

• Deficiency in Vitamin D may contribute to higher heart and stroke deaths, particularly among the black population reported in a study from University of Rochester Medical Center. Lactose intolerance is one reason people are sometimes deficient in Vitamin D. You can get Vitamin D through diet, Vitamin pills (calcium and Vitamin D pills are common as they work together in the body) and from the sun.

• Jo Ellen Welsh, a researcher at the State University of New York in Albany has studied Vitamin D for 25 years and she is treating human breast cancer cells with potent vitamin D with good results.

• Another area now under study is ovarian cancer with studies showing that Vitamin D may help guard against the risk of ovarian cancer or the risk of dying from ovarian cancer. The American Journal of Obstretrics & Gynecology, March, 2010, report that studies are far from complete at this time.

• Babies are also found to need Vitamin D supplement which requires just a few drops. Even breast fed babies while the milk is found to be perfect in every way need vitamin D supplements because the mothers were often deficient in vitamin D.

• At Henry Ford Hospital a study has shown that there is a link between low vitamin D levels and basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common form of skin cancer.

Good Food Sources: The sun, pure cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, mackerel, milk

Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin and toxicity can occur.

• A study at John Hopkins University reports that high dose vitamin E supplements in excess of 400 IU is associated with a higher overall risk of dying.

• There is a study that reports vitamin E may help reverse male pattern baldness. There are 8 forms of vitamin E and this study used tocotrienol which is a small portion of the vitamin.
  
• This same portion of vitamin E was found in another study in Columbus, Ohio to prevent nerve cells from dying after a stroke. This study appears in the Journal of Neurochemistry.

Good Food Sources: almonds, wheat germ, sunflower, corn or soybean oil, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, peanuts

This is also a fat soluble vitamin we don’t hear much about.  It is very important in the coagulation of blood.

• There is a vitamin K2 portion that may reduce the risk of prostrate cancer in a study performed in Germany.  The same researchers reported potential health benefits of vitamin K for bone and blood health.

Good Food Sources:  Cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, lettuce, spinach

The copyright to this article is owned by Pamela Oglesby. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. (You can, however, freely use the opening introduction and photo with a link to the article here on HubPages to read the remainder of the article.)