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Tag: vitamins

  • Possible drug-drug interactions with vitamins

    AS substances that we ingest are absorbed from the intestines, occasionally one substance may interfere with the absorption of another substance.

    Iron is needed for good blood.  Iron from iron tablets is best absorbed without food but because iron tablets cause stomach sensitivity and reactions such as cramps, pain, and nausea, it is necessary to take them with some food.  Calcium containing foods such as milk, yogurt, sardines, and greens and calcium containing drugs such as antacid drugs used for gastric pain can limit the absorption of iron. Phytates that are found in many plant foods can prevent absorption of most of the iron we ingest.  On the other hand vitamin C and foods containing vitamin C such as orange juice increase the absorption of iron. Vitamin C taken with plant foods prevents the effects of phytates and increases the absorption of iron.  It is good to eat fresh foods containing vitamin C in every meal or in most meals.  These includes food such as fresh tomatoes, paw-paw, guava, kiwis, blackcurrants, strawberries, and citrus fruits. Vitamin C in fresh lemon or lime juice sprinkled on salads and other foods can also serve this function.  Some foods such as spinach, kale, peppers, and thyme contain abundant vitamin C so that the amount lost in cooking may leave enough vitamin C to meet daily intake.  We should eat foods, fresh or cooked, that contain enough vitamin C to help absorption of iron for good blood.  We need iron for fitness and strength. When taking iron tablets, avoid taking them with antibiotics because iron (ferrous sulfate) can suppress the effectiveness of some antibiotics.  Stagger your treatments rather than taking the two together.

    Vitamin D is needed for absorption of calcium and bone health. Some drugs affect vitamin D.  Prednisone (which is used to treat arthritis and immune system disorders) and some other steroid drugs interfere with vitamin D.  People with epileptic conditions take phenobarbital or phenytoin which also affect vitamin D and therefore calcium absorption. Other drugs that interfere with vitamin D are the obesity medicine orlistat, some diabetes medicines, blood pressure medicines, calcium supplements and antacids, cholestyramine which is used to lower cholesterol.

    People who take drugs that are used as blood thinners or other drugs that produce the same effect as a side effect should be careful not to take too much garlic, ginko biloba, feverfew, aspirin-like pain killers, or vitamin E because they all have the potential to increase the effects of blood thinning drugs and lead to internal bleeding.

    Many drug-drug interactions and drug-food interactions are minimal or are of little or no consequence.  New interactions are being discovered through clinical observations and clinical investigations.  It is important to note those that are scientifically validated and to make sure we avoid such interactions.  To play it safe, always use drugs that are prescribed by a doctor.  In some clinical environments, doctors may have limited contact with patients.  Know you can ask relevant questions and do not leave in a hurry. Some questions you can ask about drugs are:

    What is the drug supposed to do in my body?

    What if I do not experience the expected effect?

    Are there possibilities of interaction with such and such drugs that I also take?

    Should I avoid certain drugs or foods or drinks?

    If you must self-medicate (not seeing a doctor), ask the pharmacist’s advice on the drug you are buying.  For example, if you go to the pharmacists with a stuffy nose and you want to buy a nasal decongestant, the pharmacist may ask you if you have high blood pressure or prostate problems because the nasal decongestant may adversely affect your already bad blood pressure or prostate problem.

    Read well the insert within the drug package that gives you all relevant information and do your own search for information on the Internet or through other sources.  Such information include: what the active ingredient(s) (the real drug substance(s)) are, the uses of the drug or what beneficial effects the medication is supposed to have, directions on how to use the drug which includes dose and timing, side-effects which are unwanted effects that the drug may also produce, warnings which includes known drug-drug interactions and known drug-food interactions, interaction with pregnancy and breast feeding and individual allergies, as well as information about other non-drug substances added for making the medication stable and safe.  There is also contact information.

    Free online information about drug-drug interaction can be obtained from websites such as Medscape Drug Reference Database for doctors and drugs.com, rxlist.com, and WebMD’s Drug Interaction Checker that lay people can use.  Check on the drugs as well as herbal medicines, vitamin and other nutritional supplements, and social and recreational substances and drugs.  A lot of information on medicines found on the internet are for laymen therefore ignorance should not kill anyone.

     

    Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Classes and dietary sources of Vitamins

    Little things that we fail to do now or that we do wrongly in the present can cheat our future in life and beyond.  If we want to be fair to the future we need to take care of many little things in the present.  For good health, this is especially so with vitamins. In order for us to make sure we take enough vitamins we need to know about them.

    A vitamin is a chemical substance that our bodies need in small amounts and cannot synthesize enough of it and must obtain it from the diet, hence it is an essential nutrient.

    The chemical structures or compounds that we know as vitamins are not always universally vitamins. For example, while vitamin C is a vitamin for humans, it is not for many animals that synthesize this compound in their bodies.  Another example is vitamin D which is essential to take as a nutrient for people who are not sufficiently exposed to sunlight.  In people who are exposed to the sun, the ultraviolet light of the sun promotes synthesis of vitamin D in the skin.  Many people take vitamin supplements without needing them.  In some disease states, we may need to take supplements.  In normal health it is best to eat the right foods to get a good combination of vitamins and to get enough of each vitamin.

    Our discussion in vitaminology begins with classes of vitamins.  Some vitamins dissolve in water and we call them the water soluble vitamins.  They are vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, B9, B12, and vitamin C.  I have not decided to add B17 because it is in the middle of some scientific argument. Some vitamins dissolve in oil and we call them the fat soluble vitamins. They are vitamins A, D, E, and K. The fat soluble vitamins are more readily stored in the body in fatty tissue.

    Vitamins B11, B13, B14, B15, and B16 are folates like vitamin B9.  The vitamins of the B complex have been named up to vitamin B22.  The D vitamins have been named up to vitamin D7.  Why no vitamins F, G, H, I, and J?  The vitamins that were so named have been either discarded as false vitamins or reclassified as a B vitamin which is now a complex of vitamins that are closely related. Vitamin H, now vitamin B7 or biotin is an example of a reclassification. Interestingly, this vitamin, biotin, is present in large amounts in some cancer cells. Scientists through molecular engineering, attach certain anticancer drugs to this vitamin so that the drug gets concentrated in cancer tissue and spares normal tissues of the body.  This is targeted drug therapy.

    Many vitamins were discovered decades ago and much is known about their functions.  We should be familiar with vitamin sources in our diet.  Let us look at them.

    Vitamin A (retinol or beta carotene) was discovered in 1913. It is found as retinol in animal foods and as carotenoids in plant foods, compounds which our bodies convert to vitamin A.   These sources of vitamin A can be found in cod liver oil, dark leafy greens such as greens, spinach, and kale, beef, liver, lean ham, pork chops, eggs, shrimp, fish, fortified milk, cheddar cheese, darkly coloured orange fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, apricots, peaches, and mangoes.

    Vitamin B1 (thiamine) was discovered in 1910.  It can be found in rice and other whole and enriched grains, liver, lean pork, seeds, nuts, and legumes, bananas, most fish, liver, nuts and seeds, potatoes, peas, watermelon, avocado, and poultry.

    Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) was discovered in 1920.  It can be found in whole grains and fortified cereals, meat, dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheese, eggs, fish and shellfish, poultry, kiwi, avocado, broccoli, turnip greens, and asparagus.

    Vitamin B3 (niacin) was discovered in 1936.  It can be found in meat, fish, poultry, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes, mangoes, lentils, and peanuts.

    Vitamin B5, (pantothenic acid) was discovered in 1931.  It can be found in meat, poultry, whole grains, and many foods.

    Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) was discovered in 1934.  It can be found in fortified cereals, soy products, meat, dairy products, bananas, watermelon, brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, walnuts, brown rice, meat, fish, poultry, potatoes, and soy.

    Vitamin B7, (biotin) was discovered in 1931.

    It can be found in fruits, meats, dairy products, and eggs.

    Vitamin B9 or folic Acid (folate) was discovered in 1941.  It can be found in dark green vegetables, dry beans, peas, and lentils, enriched grain products and fortified cereals, liver, orange juice, wheat germ, and yeast.

    Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) was discovered in 1948. It can be found in liver, eggs, fish, poultry, meat, dairy products and other animal products and in fortified cereals and fortified soymilk.

    Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) was discovered in 1920.  It can be found in citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits and citrus fruit juices, in red, yellow, and green peppers, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and most fresh foods in various amounts.

    Vitamin D (calciferol) was discovered in 1920. It can be found in cod liver oil, fortified milk, margarine or cereals, dairy products, fatty fish, liver, and eggs.

    Vitamin E (tocopherol) was discovered in 1922.   It can be found in fortified cereals, wheat germ oil, unrefined vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts such as groundnuts, peanut butter, and whole-grain.

    Vitamin K (phylloquinone) was discovered in 1929. It can be found in dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, spinach, and kale, cabbage, liver, eggs, milk, broccoli, and sprouts.

    Many of the staple foods we eat should be well analysed and scientifically evaluated to help people make rational choices.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

    Vitamin B9 or folic Acid (folate) was discovered in 1941.  It can be found in dark green vegetables, dry beans, peas, and lentils, enriched grain products and fortified cereals, liver, orange juice, wheat germ, and yeast.

    Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) was discovered in 1948. It can be found in liver, eggs, fish, poultry, meat, dairy products and other animal products and in fortified cereals and fortified soymilk.

    Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) was discovered in 1920.  It can be found in citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits and citrus fruit juices, in red, yellow, and green peppers, potatoes, broccoli, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, and most fresh foods in various amounts.

    Vitamin D (calciferol) was discovered in 1920. It can be found in cod liver oil, fortified milk, margarine or cereals, dairy products, fatty fish, liver, and eggs.

    Vitamin E (tocopherol) was discovered in 1922.   It can be found in fortified cereals, wheat germ oil, unrefined vegetable oils, leafy green vegetables, seeds, nuts such as groundnuts, peanut butter, and whole-grain.

    Vitamin K (phylloquinone) was discovered in 1929. It can be found in dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, spinach, and kale, cabbage, liver, eggs, milk, broccoli, and sprouts.

    Many of the staple foods we eat should be well analysed and scientifically evaluated to help people make rational choices.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis.  For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • The story of Vitamins

    Vitamins are small and mighty nutrients and therefore we have to tell their story.  Like in many stories, we start with the Egyptians.  They are an ancient people.  They also left some lasting documentations.  Wikipedia tells us “The ancient Egyptians knew that feeding liver to a person may help with night blindness, an illness now known to be caused by a vitamin A deficiency” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin.

    Then we talk about the Europeans.  “In 1747, the Scottish surgeon James Lind discovered that citrus foods helped prevent scurvy” (Wikipedia).  During long ocean travels, sailors of the Renaissance developed scurvy which was resulting in their deaths. Lind published his Treatise on the Scurvy, in 1753.    Lind’s prescription of citrus fruits (lime) was salvific for many and was adopted by the British Royal Navy hence a sailor eating limes became known as a “limey”.

    Then we talk about the first scientific discoveries. Scientific evidence for vitamins may be as far back as the late 18th and early 19th centuries.  Animals were being deprived of foods in order to identify remedies of deficiency states.  Fish oil was used to cure rickets in rats.  The useful fat-soluble nutrient was called “antirachitic A”, which was really the now known Vitamin D.   In 1881, Russian surgeon Nikolai Lunin at the University of Tartu (in Estonia) fed mice with  separated components of milk – proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and salts – and found that only the mice given whole milk survived.  The various components alone were not sufficient for life. His conclusion that natural foods contained small quantities of unknown substances that are essential to life was rejected by his advisor, Gustav von Bunge, even after other students reproduced his results.

    Then we talk about the Asians. Beri beri was an endemic disease amongst East Asians who ate polished white rice as their staple food.  A medical doctor, of the Japanese Navy, Takaki Kanehiro, in 1884 observed that beri beri was endemic amongst low ranking sailors who ate mainly such rice but not amongst high ranking offices who consumed a richer diet. He and the Navy went on to conduct an experiment that in today’s science would not get ethical approval.  They used the crews of two battle ships and fed one with only white rice and the other with a diet of meat, fish, barley, rice, and beans. They recorded 161 members of the white rice group developed beri beri with 25 resulting deaths. The better fed group had 14 cases of beriberi and no deaths. Takaki and the Japanese Navy thought sufficient amounts of protein in the diet could prevent beri beri.

    The real experiment came in 1897 when Christiaan Eijkman, a Dutch physician and professor of physiology discovered that chicken fed unpolished rice did not develop beriberi while chicken fed with polished rice developed beri beri which led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamin (thiamine). In 1898, Sir Frederick Hopkins, an English biochemist,  postulated that some foods contained “accessory factors” — in addition to proteins, carbohydrates, fats etc. — that are necessary for the functions of the human body. Hopkins and Eijkman were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1929 for their discovery of vitamins, even though Kazimierz Funk (in English Casimir Funk), a Polish biochemist, is widely credited with discovering vitamins.

    Funk read an article by Christiaan Eijkman describing how people who ate brown rice were less vulnerable to beri-beri than those who ate polished white rice.  Funk wanted to find the substance in brown rice that was responsible for prevention of beri beri.  He isolated a chemical amine and called it “vitamine” and described it as “anti-beri-beri-factor”. His compound later became known as vitamin B3 (niacin), though Funk thought that it was thiamine (vitamin B1). In 1912 he wrote an article for the Journal of State Medicine, proposing the existence of at least four vitamins: one preventing beriberi (“antiberiberi”); one preventing scurvy (“antiscorbutic”); one preventing pellagra (“antipellagric”); and one preventing rickets (“antirachitic”).  Funk then published a book, The Vitamines, in 1912.

    Then we talk about a sad twist.   Umetaro Suzuki, a Japanese scientist had in 1910 extracted a water-soluble complex of micronutrients from rice bran, the first vitamins to be scientifically isolated, and had named it “aberic acid” (thiamine), because it was preventing beri beri.  Suzuki presented his discovery before the Tokyo Chemical Society in 1910, but as most of the medical community thought beriberi was the result of a microbial infection his findings were ignored. The following year his   Japanese article was published in German but   “…the translation failed to state that it was a newly discovered nutrient, a claim made in the original Japanese article, and hence his discovery failed to gain publicity” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin). In 1912, Funk isolated the same complex of nutrients calling it vitamine.

    Scientists discovering vitamins continued to get the Nobel Prize.  In 1937, Paul Karrer and Norman Haworth  for their investigations on carotenoids, flavins and vitamins A and B2, received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In 1937, Szent-Györgyi, a Hungarian biochemist was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of Vitamin C.  In 1943, Edward Adelbert Doisy (American Biochemist) and Henrik Dam (Danish biochemist and physiologist) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of vitamin K and its chemical structure. In 1967, George Wald (American Biologist) (along with Ragnar Granit (Swedish neirophysiologist) and Haldan Keffer Hartline (American physiologist)) was awarded the Nobel Prize for his discovery that vitamin A could participate directly in a physiological process. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin).

    Then we talk about the business men.  In the mid-1930s, the first commercial yeast-extract vitamin B complex and semi-synthetic vitamin C supplement tablets were sold. In the 21 century, vitamins are widely available as inexpensive over the counter medications, food supplements, and food additives and are a part of big business. The scientific study of vitamins is called vitaminology.

     

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis. For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Vitamins

    Life and love are perhaps the most powerful forces on earth, more powerful than nuclear weapons and space rockets and money and information and probably all we consider as powerful. As powerful as life is, it depends on many little things.  Some of these little things can themselves be described as small and mighty and vitamins fall into this category. Vitamins can make the difference between life and death.

    What are vitamins?   They are vital substances, originally thought to be chemicals called amines (vital amines), but now known to be of various chemical classes as well as amines. The word vital is from Latin “vita” which means life.  Vitamins are substances that are important for maintaining biologic life.

    In 1911, at the Lister Institute in London, a (Polish) biochemist, Casimir Funk  (1884-1967) isolated a substance that he  named  “vitamine” because it was an amine and was necessary to be in the diet of chicken to save the animals from a deadly inflammation of their nerves  (a neuritis). Vitamines became vitamins when other essential substances were scientifically discovered and they were not amines by chemical nature. Scientists began to name them A, B, C in the order in which they were discovered except  Vitamin K which was named by Henrik Dam, a Danish scientist, to signify its role in “Koagulation”.  However the story of vitamins is an interesting scientific story which we shall look at as we talk about vitamins. It actually dates back to ancient times.

    Vitamins and minerals all variously play roles in maintaining a healthy body.  They are important for body (including brain) functions such as generation of cells, cell and tissue repair, defence against disease, energy production, etc.

    Vitamins are nutrients.  Generally, the body does not produce them.  They have to be obtained from the diet. Only a minute amount of any vitamin is needed by the body daily.

    There are two classes of vitamins: fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in fat cells in the body.  Fat soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E and K and consuming high amounts of such vitamins leads to their accumulation in the body and a disease call hypervitaminosis (hypervitaminosis A, hypervitaminosis D, hypervitaminos E, or hypervitaminosis K).  Water soluble vitamins include the many B vitamins and vitamin C.  Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the body and must be supplied in our nutrition continually. They are extracted from food and utilized and the excess water soluble vitamins are expelled from the body through excretion, mainly in urine. When a person fails to eat or is malnourished, he or she will automatically lack water soluble vitamins.

    Since ancient times, substances present in food have been identified to be important for health such that if they were lacking in the diet a disease will result.  A classic example is scurvy, a disease that was common amongst sailors of the renaissance period because they went sailing for long periods during which they ran out of fresh foods and survived on preserved foods.  It was discovered that lemons and limes could prevent scurvy.  This is because citrus fruits contain vitamin C.  In recent times, cancer, the deadly disease that ravaged mankind at the end of the twentieth century and is still menacing is being relooked at as a deficiency disease.  A lack of vitamin B17 may be the cause of cancers and a hot debate is on in the scientific community to resolve this issue.  It is found in pits and seeds of many fruits.  Those of you that grind your peppers whole to make soups may actually be keeping safe from cancer.  We are yet to prove this with scientific evidence.

    Next we shall look at the history of vitamins and then talk about the importance of various vitamins.  To keep healthy, make sure you eat something fresh every day, even if it is just one lime or orange or tomato, or mango.  No matter how poor a person is, he or she should manage to get some vitamins daily.  Ideally, about five different fruits or vegetables should be consumed daily.

    Dr. Theresa Adebola John is a lecturer at Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM) and an affiliated researcher at the College of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis. For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635

  • Aloe vera, vitamins, others good for ulcer treatment

    A traditional medicine practitioner, Dr Leye Popoola has recommended regular consumption of aloe vera, vitamin C, E and K, Zinc, L. Glutamine and essential fatty acids to ward off ulcer.

    According to him, the supplements are useful for healing ulcer – a wound in the lining of the stomach or intestine.

    Herbs, such as calamus roots and alfalfa, he said, can also be used.

    He said people suffering from ulcer also need to make some changes in their lifestyles, such as avoiding coffee, caffeinated drinks and smoking.

    They should also drink between three and four litres of water daily as well as eat at intervals of six to eight times every day.

    “This category of people should also avoid taking alcohol and drink only water,” he said.

    Popoola said those suffering from ulcer should eat dark green vegetables regularly. “This contains Vitamin K, which is needed in healing and may be deficient in people who have digestive problems.Drinking freshly made cabbage juice can also be helpful to an ulcer patient. They should not eat heavy meal; rather they should eat small meals at a time,” he said.

    The traditional medicine practitioner advised against eating fried foods and taking tea as well as denatured drinks. “They must chew their food thoroughly to ease digestion. Stress and painkillers should be avoided. Ulcer patients need good sleep, especially at night,” Popoola said.

    He said peptic ulcer affects the parts of the stomach muscles, adding that the surrounding tissues are usually swollen and irritated. “Ulcer can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract, but are most common in the stomach and duodenal, which is a part of the small intestine that is closest to the stomach.

    Symptoms of ulcer, he said, are chronic burning/gnawing stomach pain. This, he said, usually occurs 40 to 60 minutes after eating or at night. “However, the pain may be mild or severe. It may cause low back pain in some patients and headaches in others. Patients may also experience choking sensation and there is possibility of nausea and vomiting,” he said.

    The main cause of peptic ulcer, he said, are infections, especially helicobacter pylori bacteria combined with stomach acids.

    These bacteria can live in the lining of the stomach and small intestine to cause damage to people’s bodies, he added.

    He said stress also triggers the disease because it increases the volume of stomach acids production.

    People, he said, should avoid drugs, such as steroids, especially those taken for arthritis as they increase certain acids production in the body.

    “Taking aspirin and inflammatory drugs for a long period may increase stomach acidity and, as such ends in ulcer,” he said.

    Popoola advised people with family history of ulcer to watch what they eat because they have higher chances of having it.

  • What vitamins do for the brain

    On asking an accomplished entrepreneur what were his main challenges, he mentioned money, a few bad people, and people who did not believe in what he was doing.  We can each expect challenges, even on a daily basis sometimes, and therefore mental fitness is very important for us to live our best lives, to accomplish good things, and to reach fulfilment.  Brain well-being can be seen in such functions as the ability to solve problems and the ability to control emotions and direct passions well.

    Vitamins that we obtain from our nutrition or from our nutritional supplements are important for the well-being of the brain. When the brain is not functioning well, one’s personality may falter, emotions may become odd, and passions may be displaced or misplaced.

    If you sometimes feel your memory is failing, you might be suffering from lack of nutrition or lack of sleep.  Deficiencies in many nutrients – especially essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids – have been linked to brain problems.  A degeneration of the brain structure, its functioning, and its defenses may progress into diseases such as depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.

    Depression is a disorder associated with major symptoms such as increased sadness and anxiety, loss of appetite, low mood, and a loss of interest in pleasures.  Brain malfunction predisposes a person to difficultyin making decisions or difficulty in concentrating.

    There are certain vitamins that help us in thinking, focusing, remembering, learning, or in general mental functioning.The B vitamins are good for mental and emotional well-being, preserving the memory, counteracting depression, alleviating stress, and they are thought to promote long life.  Why are they so helpful?  One reason is that vitamin B6, vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate are involved in the production of neurotransmitters.  Vitamin B-12 is also involved in maintaining the myelin or fatty covering of the nerve cells (neurons).

    Some of the neurotransmitters are serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and gamma-aminobutyric acid and deficiency in them is often associated with depression.  Serotonin (also called 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5HT)) deficiency is associated with anxiety, insomnia, low self-esteem, negative thoughts, obsessive-compulsive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, etc.

    Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is involved in the formation of neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin and the hormone melatonin which is involved in the sleep-wake cycle. Vitamin B6 deficiency may occur in alcoholics, people with kidney failure, or in women taking oral contraceptives.

    Vitamin B12 (cynocobalamin)is important for red blood cell formation. It is stored in the liver and its deficiency is rare. Deficiency is usually due to lack of an enzyme called intrinsic factor which is needed for vitamin B12 absorption from digested food.  Intrinsic factor decreases with age.  Dementia can be caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. Supplementation with this vitamin enhances cerebral and cognitive functions in the elderly.

    Vitamin B9 (folate) found in foods is synthesized as folic acid in supplements.

    Depression is common in people with low blood folate levels and with folate deficiency. On the contrary, depressed people who fail to eat well can end up with folate deficiency.Folic acidis needed for DNA synthesis and is important for rapidly growing tissues, especially during pregnancy, in infancy, and at adolescence. It is involved in the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B9 is crucial for proper brain function and plays an important role in mental and emotional health. Deficiency in folate leads to irritability, forgetfulness, and mental sluggishness. Of all vitamin deficiencies, insufficient vitamin B9 tends to be the most frequently seen. Folate deficiency lowers brain neurotransmitter serotonin).

    Vitamin B1 (thiamine)is needed by the brain in conversion of glucose into energy. Alcoholism can lead to thiamine deficiencies and brain dysfunction.Vitamin B3 (niacin) if deficient(though this is rare) produces agitation and anxiety and retards mental activity.Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) deficiency, though rare, may be associated with fatigue and depression.B complex supplements are therefor useful when we pass through periods of intense or prolonged mental exercises.  They are sometimes called the “happy vitamins” or ‘anti-stress vitamins”.

    Vitamin Cdeficiencies can produce depression symptoms.  Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to remove free radicals and toxins including heavy metal radicals. Vitamin C is required for the production of neurotransmitters and it is involved in the formation of the elastic tissue collagen that gives the arteries flexibility for improved blood flow.Some drugs that we take, such as aspirin, tetracycline, and birth control pills, can deplete the body’s supply of vitamin C.Vitamin D deficiency causes depression and vitamin D supplements can help some patients with depression.Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps remove toxic radicals and protect brain tissues from damage. It is important for brain development in children.  Vitamin E supplementation may slow the progress of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Apart from the mentioned vitamins the human body needs all the vitamins to function well therefore a balanced diet and vitamin supplements as needed are very important for our general well-being.

     

    Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA.   For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635