So, we’ve all heard about the importance of vitamins. Why are they such a big deal? Overall, they are an integral part of the body’s normal functions. They help with energy levels, immune health and reduce inflammation when taken in appropriate doses. These can come from the foods we eat or the supplements we take out of a bottle. So, that’s the overall picture.
If you have read any of my previous blog posts then you have heard me discuss the difference between being in “a normal range” versus optimal levels. It is a simple concept. Think about the tires on your car. Just about everyone knows that proper (optimal?) tire pressure is 35 psi. Can you drive a car that has 1 tire at 25 psi? How about 2 or 3? Sure you can. Does your car perform like it should? Does it accelerate as quickly? Slow down as quickly? Get better gas mileage at 25? NOPE, sure doesn’t. That’s why 35 is the right pressure. That’s optimal.
Vitamins are the same way. You have to OPTIMIZE the levels in your body. If you don’t have good B12 levels the body uses what it can to perform the same function but doesn’t do near as good a job with the alternative. That’s why you get anemic if your B12 (or any of the B vitamins} are low.
Same thing with Vitamin D and Zinc. Those are two very important vitamins for optimal immune health and brain function. Serum levels (in the blood) in the low normal range can leave your immune system weak. Did any of you shop for Zinc during the early days of the COVID 19 pandemic? It was really hard to find. People were being told to take daily zinc to boost their immune system and after a short time you couldn’t find the stuff. Why? People were in a panic to buy it so they could limit the damage caused by COVID 19 or anything else for that matter. Vitamin D is as important as zinc for immune health. In fact, it is considered more of a hormone than a vitamin these days.. It not only helps the immune system but it also improves muscle and bone function as well as improves your brain health due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
I think y’all get the picture. These substances are vitally important for optimal health and we should all be doing our best to make sure we are as healthy and protected from disease as we can be.
The last thing I will talk about is bioavailability. What does this mean? Basically, this is the amount of vitamin available for the body to use after it is processed by the gut. Some brands have low bioavailability which means you have to take more to get what your body needs. Buy high quality vitamins. Ask about bioavailability. One way to find out is to have blood levels drawn before you start taking vitamins and then compare it to levels drawn after you start taking them. That will give you a clear picture of how your body is using whatever kind you have.
