Vitamins for Healthy Teeth

Vitamins are essential for the growth maintenance of the  body. Certain amount of vitamins are required by the body to promote your oral health. Oral health plays an important role in the overall health. If you have a deficiency of some vitamins, you get easily prone to tooth decay and infections, thus your oral health can be badly affected.

Vitamins help in promoting healthy gums and teeth. The vitamins that will be best for your teeth can be found in food that you consume. Pay attention on your daily diet and see that, are getting the vitamins as per the body requirement. This article discusses importance of vitamins for healthy teeth.

Vitamins for healthy teeth
Vitamins mentioned here are the ones essential for healthy mouth:
1) Vitamin A for promoting healthy gums : If you are a vitamin A deficient, your gums get easily affected. Vitamin A maintains the mucous membranes and tissue around gums. Vitamin A also helps in healing process of gum tissues that are swollen. Milk, cheese, eggs, liver and beef are rich in vitamin A, and therefore are good for your teeth.

2) Vitamin B for keeping your teeth strong: Deficiency of vitamin B can make your teeth weak. It also causes burning sensation on your tongue thus making swallowing difficult. Foods that is known to have high amount of vitamin B are meat, fish and mushroom.

3) Vitamin C helps in boosting immunity: If you have a deficiency of vitamin c, it can cause bleeding in gums and loose teeth which can even lead to tooth loss. Vitamin C help in boosting immunity and prevent infections that can damage your oral health. There are certain citrus fruits and drinks that are rich in vitamin C. But make sure that you rinse your mouth thoroughly after consuming such fruits as they contain acid which can dissolve enamel of your teeth. Other food that are rich in vitamin c are kiwis, strawberries, sprouts etc.

4) Vitamin D for oral health: Vitamin D helps in absorbing calcium that is required for healthy teeth. Calcium is required for your teeth and jaw bones and in order to maintain oral health.
Deficiency of this vitamin can lead to a condition called burning mouth syndrome. Symptoms of this include burning sensation in mouth, dry mouth and metallic taste. Dry mouth can further lead to tooth decay due to inadequate levels of saliva in the mouth. Saliva helps in neutralizing acids in the mouth.

The vitamins that can be best for your teeth can be found naturally instead of using special supplements.

Essential Vitamins for Elderly People

Many elderly people do not get sufficient vitamins and suffer from vitamin deficiencies. This deficiencies deprive them of good health. They make them weak and least resistant to diseases and infections. There is a link between diseases and nutritional deficiencies. To prevent the risk of diseases and illness a good supply of vitamins to the body is essential by eating vitamin rich foods.

The dietary requirements for people who are around 50 to 60 is different from those who are younger. Insufficient Vitamin B such as thiamine, folic acid and B12 may lower the mental capacity in elder people. They require these vitamins, not to have the risk of forgetfulness, irritability, tiredness or confusion.

Vitamin C deficiency is also seen in elderly people because they tend to eat very few fresh fruits and vegetables rich sources in this vitamin. This vitamin helps in healing wounds especially for people undergone surgery. The deficiency of this vitamin leads to many problems such as cancer, lung and disease, vision disorders and cardiovascular disease.

Deficiency of Vitamin D in older people can lead to softening of the bones. This can be cured if proper amount of calcium and vitamin D is taken into the body. Vitamin A helps to support immune system and also for fighting infections. Vitamin A is essential to prevent cancer and to keep eyes and skin healthy.

Elderly people should take balanced diet daily, exercise and have adequate number of hours of sleep and can take a multivitamin supplement. As you age, cell regeneration slows down and becomes less efficient. Elderly people should ensure that they give their body proper nutrients to maintain health and wellness.

Vitamins and Yoga for Bone Health

Most of us take intense care of our health of vital organs of our body, but when it comes to bones, many of us tend to ignore. In fact, bones play a major role in growth and development of the body. Weak bones are often vulnerable to fractures. People may also suffer from osteoporosis, a condition in which bones break quite easily. Therefore, to prevent all these, one needs to take enough care about his bone health. In this blog we are going to discuss two effective methods that could help get healthy and strong bones.

Vitamins & Minerals for bone health: Calcium is the important mineral which helps in building bones. Periodically our body removes and replaces small amounts of calcium from bones. If the removed calcium is much higher than the replaced calcium your body suffers from a lack of calcium resulting in weakened bones. This condition can be avoided by taking sufficient amounts of calcium during the early childhood. Calcium can be taken only till 18 years and after that the body stops accumulating the calcium and start using the deposited amount. So, the higher your intake during this period the greater benefits and stronger bones you get. On the other hand vitamins like A, B12, C, K, and D are also important for bone health.

You can get your regular quota of calcium from food sources like fat free or low fat milk, other dairy products, dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, and in fruits like oranges and whole wheat products. Vitamin A is found in liver, beef, chicken, egg, dairy products, etc. Fish, oranges, soy milk and cereals are good sources of other vitamins. In case of young children and older adults, if the food they take is not providing enough vitamins, doctors may prescribe vitamin supplements to cater to the vitamin and mineral needs of the body. When prescribed they should be taken regularly to avoid vitamin deficiencies and weak bones.

Yoga for healthy bones: Food and other sources provide the body with required nutrients which help the growth and development of bones. But to make them much stronger and resistant to minor attacks some or the other form of physical activity is required that boost the health of the bones. Yoga, when practiced regularly gives awesome benefits in the long run.

Different yogic postures make the bones stronger and flexible. The weight bearing poses show a positive effect on the bone health. Yoga also helps in increasing bone mass. The physical movements involved in Yoga renew and repair the bones in a much natural way. Yoga expands the bones and lengthens the areas with much practice. Special yoga classes are also conducted to treat disorders like osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Either it is supplying the body with required vitamins from foods or supplements or makes it flexible and much stronger using yoga, always remember to practice it regularly to get positive results.

What are The Food Sources of Bioflavonoids?

Vitamin P is not a vitamin but commonly known by the name of Bioflavonoids. It comprises of a number of different ingredients such as hesperin, hesperidin, eriodictyol, quercetin, quercertrin, rutin etc. internally body cannot produce vitamin P and has to be supplemented by the diet of an individual. Water-soluble companion of ascorbic acid, vitamin P keeps the blood vessels healthy and aids the absorption of vitamin C.

The main function of vitamin P is that, it promotes blood vessel health, including improving capillary strength, helps in the prevention of accumulation of atherosclerosis plaque, prevention of hemorrhage and rupture of tiny capillaries, which could lead to easy bruising, and also it has anti-inflammatory properties acting against histamine.

Vitamin P is found in wide variety of food sources such as apples, apricots, bilberry, black currants, broccoli, buckwheat, carrots, cherries, citrus fruits, ginkgo, grapefruit, grapefruit seeds, grapes, green peppers, green tea, hawthorn, mangoes, milk thistle, onions, paprika, prunes, red wine, rose hips, strawberries, tomatoes, yarrow, apricots, oranges, lemons, blackcurrants, plums, tomatoes, edible pulp of fruits, and red wine is also a good source of Bioflavonoids.

People who make eating fruits and vegetables in their diet will automatically get sufficient quantities of Vitamin P. Especially, the bright colored fruits and vegetables of shades with red, orange and yellow are the best sources.

Daily vitamin P can be supplemented roughly 500 mg per day of the nutrient and is enough for the adults. As for women in menopause, 1000 - 1500 mg a day will be required.

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What are Minerals and Why are They Required for the Body?

Like vitamins, minerals are also essential for the growth, development, of the body. Minerals also have their own functionality and strengths. There are 22 minerals that have been identified to be necessary for specific metabolic functions and their absence would result in health related problems. There are two types of minerals.

1. Macro or major minerals
2. Trace minerals.

Macro minerals are the minerals needed for body in larger amounts whereas the trace minerals are the minerals needed for body in less amounts.

These minerals are known as body minerals or sometimes dietary minerals are required for our body in building the structure of strong bones and teeth, maintaining nerve impulses, heart rhythm, muscle contractility, neural conductivity, acid-base balance hormones and to maintain a normal heartbeat.

Only 5% of the body weight needs minerals and help to regulate cellular metabolism and is significant and life is not possible to sustain without them.

These can be naturally occurring food or added in elemental or mineral form, such as calcium carbonate or sodium chloride. Some come from natural sources such as ground oyster shells. Sometimes minerals are added to the diet separately from food, as vitamin and mineral supplements to get to our body.

Each and every mineral under macro and trace elements varies from each other and is useful in physiological improvement, digestion, absorption. Interaction with other nutrients and metabolism of each mineral varies. Some minerals come from the earth’s crust, and end up in the soil where they’re extracted by plants, which are then eaten by humans and other animals.

Last but not the least excessive intake of a dietary minerals may either lead to illness directly or indirectly because of the competitive nature of mineral levels in the body.

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Know About Important Vitamins and Minerals Essential for Muscle Structure

Muscular structure is important for reducing friction and stress in muscular actions. Muscles are helpful in keeping the internal organs in a place to provide easy actions, muscular actions are important in sitting, walking, jumping, eating etc. The heart system is a sensitive muscular system; it runs the circulatory system.

Vitamins and minerals are important at getting healthy muscles, regular exercises and balanced diet gives the essential nutrients for structural muscle.

Vitamin C is important for healthy muscles, it is important for formation and connection of tissues. This process encourage healthy muscle system. It encourages the collagen in the body. Collagen is important in controlling free radical actions. Also vitamin C is important for blood vessels in balancing the oxygen supply.

Vitamin B is important for healthy muscle system; it is effective in coordinating function of the muscles and increasing the organs' performance in human body to accelerate muscle system. Vitamin B is important in formation of red blood cells.

Minerals like potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium are useful in smooth muscle actions. It reduces the friction in muscle systems to relax muscle from actions. These are helpful in smooth muscle action especially in heart muscle action.

Good diet habits and regular exercises help the muscles system provide smooth muscle actions in body.