How B Vitamins Work

We've all stared at the cereal box label during breakfast and wondered what words like riboflavin, folic acid and pyridoxine mean. Has your mom ever reminded you to eat a balanced diet and "make sure you eat your greens"? The words on your cereal box and your mother's good advice both involve vitamin B. The B vitamins are a group of eight individual vitamins, often referred to as the B-complex vitamins. In this article, we will take a look at how the B vitamins work so you can begin to understand why Kellogg's and your mother made sure you included these essential vitamins in your diet. We'll also look at some of the more serious conditions that can result from B vitamin deficiencies.
The word vitamin is derived from a combination of words -- vital amine -- and was conceived by Polish chemist Casimir Funk in 1912. Funk isolated vitamin B1, or thiamine, from rice. This was determined to be one of the vitamins that prevented beriberi, a deficiency disease marked by inflammatory or degenerative changes of the nerves, digestive system and heart.
You know that vitamins are organic (carbon containing) molecules that mainly function as catalysts for reactions within the body. A catalyst is a substance that allows a chemical reaction to occur using less energy and less time than it would take under normal conditions. If these catalysts are missing, as in a vitamin deficiency, normal body functions can break down and render a person susceptible to disease.
The body requires vitamins in tiny amounts (hundredths of a gram in many cases). We get vitamins from these three primary sources:
· Foods
· Beverages
· Our bodies -- Vitamin K and some of the B vitamins are produced by bacteria within our intestines, and vitamin D is formed with the help of ultraviolet radiation, or sunshine, on the skin.
Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins can be remembered with the mnemonic (memory aid) ADEK, for the vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins accumulate within the fat stores of the body and within the liver. Fat-soluble vitamins, when taken in large amounts, can become toxic. Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B vitamins. Water-soluble vitamins taken in excess are excreted in the urine but are sometimes associated with toxicity. Both the B vitamins and vitamin C are also stored in the liver.
The B-complex vitamins are actually a group of eight vitamins, which include:
· thiamine (B1)
· riboflavin (B2)
· niacin (B3)
· pantothenic acid (B5)
· pyridoxine (B6)
· cyanocobalamin (B12)
· folic acid
· biotin
These vitamins are essential for:
· The breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose (this provides energy for the body)
· The breakdown of fats and proteins (which aids the normal functioning of the nervous system)
· Muscle tone in the stomach and intestinal tract
· Skin
· Hair
· Eyes
· Mouth
· Liver
Some doctors and nutritionists suggest taking the B-complex vitamins as a group for overall good health. However, most agree that the best way to get our B vitamins is naturally -- through the foods we eat!

DISCLAIMER: This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Health Mirror, the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

In case of any queries please feel free to contact Dr Anil K Dhull

Amnesia

Amnesia is the loss of memory and the inability to form new memories. It can be a temporary or permanent condition. The causes of amnesia range from brain damage to severe anxiety.

Retrograde Amnesia

This type of amnesia usually follows any severe head injury that produces unconsciousness. The patient is not able to recall what happened immediately before the accident, the accident itself, or some of the events of the recovery period. In most cases, this type of amnesia is not significant because no other memory is affected and no treatment is needed.

Korsakoff Syndrome

An inability to record new memory along with a defect in recent memory, usually accompanied by confabulation (storytelling of fabricated events), is known as Korsakoff syndrome. It can be caused by head injury, stroke, encephalitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain), deficiency of vitamin B, cancer of the brain, or poor blood supply to memory tissue or pathways in the brain. However, heavy drinking of alcohol, with resultant brain damage, is commonly the cause. Although there may be little or no loss of memory or skills that were acquired before the disease began, the person with Korsakoff syndrome cannot effectively learn new skills or remember recent events. To hide this loss, from themselves as well as from others, patients may create experiences to take the place of the missing experiences. Sometimes the stories are so convincing that Kors-akoff patients appear normal. Treatment of Korsakoff syndrome is limited to treating the condition that caused it. Permanent brain damage may make it incurable. Frequently, however, the condition will disappear with time, especially if it was caused by a concussion (a swelling in the head that puts pressure on the brain).

Psychological Amnesia

Amnesia of psychological origin is less common than other forms of amnesia. A man disappears from home, job, and family; he travels to a new place and assumes a new identity -- all without being aware that anything has changed. After days or weeks, he "awakens," becomes his old self, and wonders what happened. There is no memory of the period of amnesia.Anxiety is the cause of this type of amnesia. The person is faced with an intolerable situation of high emotional stress or pain. To protect itself, the mind forgets the anxieties and everything related to them.Treatment may not be necessary for amnesia, since most affected persons recover without help. However, if the problem that caused the amnesia still remains, it must be faced and solved. Family therapy and change of work or activities may help. Hypnosis may be used to bring back the memory of the "lost days" and unlock the ideas and feelings that caused the original flight from home and self.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of healthmirror nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.

In Case of any Queries, please feel free to contact Dr Anil K Dhull