Vitamins > Calcium

What is it?
Calcium is the most plentiful and one of the most important minerals in the body. Over 99 per cent of the calcium in your body is in bones and teeth. The remaining one per cent is found in the blood, lymph and other body fluids, cell membranes and structures inside your cells.

Why do you need it?
Calcium is vital in developing and maintaining healthy bones and teeth. Your bones go through a constant process of replenishment with more than 20 per cent re-absorbed and replaced every year. To understand the importance of calcium, think of your body as a savings account. You deposit most of your bone and build bone mass during the first 30 years of your life. In fact 75 to 85 per cent of the skeleton's 206 bones are formed during adolescence. By about age 20, the average woman has acquired 98 per cent of her skeletal mass. At age 30, bone mass starts to break down faster than it forms. If adequate amounts of calcium have not been stored, she is at risk for a number of diseases including high blood pressure and colon cancer.

What happens if you don't get enough?
The most common result from lack of calcium is osteoporosis. If not prevented, osteoporosis can lead to bone breaks, usually in the hip, spine and wrist. Although there is no cure for osteoporosis, you can help prevent the disease by incorporating a balanced diet rich in calcium.

Vitamins > Iron

What is it?
Iron is the most abundant element on earth. It is an essential mineral for the body. Your body has about 3.5 to 4.5 grams of iron. Two thirds of this is present in blood and the rest is stored in the liver, spleen, bone marrow and muscles.

Why do you need it?
Iron is essential in helping your body transport and store oxygen. In red blood cells, hemoglobin contains four iron atoms in each molecule. The iron in hemoglobin binds with oxygen when it goes through the lungs and releases it in your tissues. Afterward, hemoglobin binds with carbon dioxide and carries it back to the lungs to be released.

What happens if you don't get enough?
If you are iron deficient: anaemia, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, breathlessness, inability to concentrate, giddiness, disturbed sleep, cracks in the corners of the mouth, eye inflammation, mouth ulcers and hair loss are all things that could occur. Low levels of iron can cause itching, especially in the elderly, and fingernails can become thin, brittle and white.

Vitamins > Folic Acid

What is it?
Folic acid, or Folate, comes from the Latin word for foliage, meaning leafy green vegetables. The terms folic acid and folate refer to the same thing.

Why do you need it?
Folic acid plays a vital role in the growth and reproduction of all body cells, including regulating the division of cells and transferring inherited characteristics from one cell to another. This is why it's so important for women to get enough folic acid - especially during pregnancy.

What happens if you don't get enough?
Low folic acid levels can cause amemia, which creates lethargy, apathy, breathlessness, poor body temperature regulation, forgetfulness, irritability and stomach disorders.

Vitamins > Niacin

What is it?
Niacin is one of the essential B vitamins your body needs. It's also known as Nicotinic Acid and Nicotinamide.

Why do you need it?
Niacin, alone with other B vitamins, is essential in providing cells with energy. They help the body function through tissue respiration and carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolisation. Niacin is essential for healthy skin, tongue and digestive tract tissues and the formation of red blood cells.

What happens if you don't get enough?
Extreme Niacin deficiency causes the disease Pellagra. Disease symptoms include diarrhea, dementia and dermatitis. Other symptoms include feeling weak, loss of appetite, lethargy and sore mouth and tongue.

In 1939, before the introduction of enriched breads and cereals to the American diet, 100,000 cases of Pellagra were reported in the United States, resulting in 3,000 deaths.

Vitamins > Riboflavin

What is it?
Also known as vitamin B2, riboflavin is another of the essential B vitamins your body needs.

Why do you need it?
Riboflavin is essential in helping your body metabolize carbohydrates, amino acids, and fats. It helps with growth, development of hair, skin and nails and helps blood cells metabolize iron.

What happens if you don't get enough?
Extreme riboflavin loss is rare and is usually associated with deficiency of other B vitamins. If you don't get enough riboflavin, you could experience sensitivity to bright light, loss of appetite, weakness, and fatigue.

Vitamins > Thiamin

What is it?
Thiamin, also knows as vitamin B1, is another of the essential B vitamins your body needs. It's found in high concentrations in the muscles, heart, liver, kidneys and brain.

Why do you need it?
Thiamin is essential for nearly every cellular reaction in the body. It is involved in energy production as well as carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism. It is vital for normal development, growth, reproduction, healthy skin and hair, blood production and immune function. Thiamin is also necessary for the metabolism of alcohol.