Showing posts with label choline vitamin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choline vitamin. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Mineral Vitamin Supplements Are Essential



UltraMulti-Mineral Complex

Highly absorbable citrate forms
4 essential minerals


UltraAlbion Chelated Multi-Mineral

Ultimate health-promoting minerals
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Ionic Trace Mineral Drops

Over 72 naturally occurring minerals
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The majority of mineral vitamin supplements are made from chemicals rather than natural substances. However, there is a steady growth in the demand for natural mineral vitamin supplements. This is due to the amount of debate that there is as to whether chemical mineral vitamins can be more harmful than beneficial in the long term.

The fact is that chemical mineral vitamin supplements are not as easily absorbed as normal food particles are. The mineral vitamin industry is constantly striving to create products that are more easily processed by the body and therefore more beneficial.

Every now and then the industry comes up with a new 'more bio-available' form of a vitamin or mineral. To overcome this, a large number of mineral vitamins have been developed that combine other elements with the vitamins and minerals to enable them to be more easily absorbed by the body. Iron is commonly combined to form iron gluconate which enable the mineral vitamin supplement to be more absorbable.

The amount of a nutrient in a mineral vitamin supplement needs to be far greater than it would be in a more natural form for the body to be able to absorb the amount that is required. This can obviously lead to problem where a toxic level of the particular nutrient is being consumed by the large doses of the mineral vitamin supplement that are needed. It is therefore extremely important that a person does not simply take vast quantities of all of the mineral vitamin supplements that are advertised on television and should seek advice from a health professional. It is also worth being aware of the developments in the mineral vitamin supplement industry as there are constantly new and better combinations being developed.

One method that mineral vitamin manufacturers have developed to help aid absorption is through culturing the raw materials with yeast cells. This form of mineral vitamins are known as ‘food state’ and are up to four times easier for the body to absorb the required nutrients as the yeast is completely digested.

Of course, the need for mineral vitamin supplements depends on the diet that a person has. There is no doubt that it is far more preferable for a person to obtain the nutrients that they require from their food rather than by taking mineral vitamin supplements wherever possible. During certain periods it may be necessary for a person to take mineral vitamin supplements on a temporary basis but their long term use is not recommended for a number of the supplements that are available.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

What is Choline Bitartrate?

Choline bitartrate is an essential nutrients needed by the nervous system to produce
acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that facilitates the transmission of impulses between neurons. Choline is extremely important in maintaining healthy cell membranes because it produces phosphatidyl choline. It helps in the production of lipotropic agents which inhibit the conversion of carbohydrates to fat and assists in the production of HDL (good) cholesterol. Choline is very helpful in hormone production and in enhancing sexual function, as well as bladder, kidney, pancreatic, testicular, and liver function.

WHY DO WE NEED CHOLINE BITARTRATE?


There are two reasons for the body’s need for choline - classified as an essential
nutrient in 1998 by the National Academy of Sciences. Number one, choline is required for the synthesis of one of our body’s primary neurotransmitters, acetylcholine. Number two, it is used for the building and maintenance of the body’s
membranes. Acetylcholine is vital for thought, memory and sleep, and is also involved in the control of movement. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems are the main driver of the liver, pancreas and adrenal/testicular
functions, and are the major regulators of the cardiovascular functions. Uptake of circulating choline decreases with age and choline is essential for nerve structure and function. FACT: Acetylcholine is a type of compound known as a neurotransmitter. These are chemicals are stored in nerve cells and are involved in transmitting messages between the nerve cells and muscle cells. Acetylcholine is found in nerve
endings and is constantly being manufactured and broken down by the body.

CAN WE RECEIVE ENOUGH CHOLINE THROUGH DIET ALONE?

Though choline can be manufactured internally from amino acids methionine and serine, it has been designated an essential nutrient, meaning that it is required by the body but not made in adequate amounts, so we need to get it in
our diet. Choline is available in a number of foods, including eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, meats and vegetables- even human breast milk. It is important to supplement our diets with choline since the production of acetylcholine
decreases with age. The importance of choline was demonstrated in a study in 1998 by Steven Zeisel from the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In this study, volunteers on a choline deficient diet were not able to produce enough acetylcholine.

WHAT IF THE BRAIN DOES NOT RECEIVE ENOUGH CHOLINE TO MANUFACTURE ACETYLCHOLINE?

When the neurons do not receive sufficient choline to manufacture acetylcholine they may resort to extracting choline out of the nerve cell membranes, in a process called auto-cannibalism. In the short run, this process provides the
body with enough choline to produce just enough acetylcholine to keep neurotransmission and other nervous system functions going. In the long run, however, the nerve cells become increasingly damaged as neural cell membranes
grow rigid and more and more dysfunctional.

HOW DOES CHOLINE AFFECT SLEEP?

One of the lesser known functions of acetylcholine is helping to maintain sleep. Acetylcholine controls sensory input, and strengthens the “stimulus barrier,” making it possible to sleep through minor noises and other disturbances. As we age, we tend to become light sleepers, and Choline Bitartrate and Melatonin can help regulate sleep patterns. The same stimulus barrier also helps us concentrate and solve problems. Too little acetylcholine can lead to irritability and a lack of focus as too many unimportant stimuli bombard us, preventing us from thinking clearly.

HOW DOES CHOLINE AFFECT THE BLADDER?:

The bladder is a muscle which is under cholinergic control. Acetylcholine stimulates a type of receptor in the body called a muscarinic receptor. Stimulation of the muscarinic receptors in muscles leads to a contraction of the muscle. Acetylcholine stimulates the muscle contractions of the bladder and supports healthy urinary function.

HOW DOES CHOLINE AFFECT CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN THE BODY:

Choline helps emulsify fat, keeping it in liquid form and suspension. As long as cholesterol is emulsified, it isn’t likely to settle in the arterial walls. Choline helps transport cholesterol and fats so they can be used by the body or excreted
to maintain healthy cholesterol levels already in the normal range. Strenuous exercise, such as marathon running, can dramatically lower your body’s levels of choline. The reason may be due to the need for choline in the metabolism of
fats, which increases during exercise.

WHAT IS CHOLINE’S IMPACT ON THE LIVER:

Choline bitartrate helps prevent fats from accumulating in the liver and is essential for its health, and also the health of the kidneys. Choline is involved in fat metabolism and in the transport of fats from the liver.

LIBIDO EFFECTS OF CHOLINE:

Choline is a nutrient that potentially enhances sexuality through its conversion to acetylcholine. The sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves are the main driver of testicular functions - and can help stimulate the libido.

WHAT IS CHOLINE’S IMPACT ON FETAL DEVELOPMENT AND NEWBORNS:

Pre-natal choline supplementation is thought to result in enhanced nervous system development and cognitive function throughout development and infancy, as newborns require large amounts of choline for development. Choline is supplied in mother’s milk, but the amount of choline in breast milk is directly related to the amount of choline that she consumes in her diet.