Vitamin D3 - What It Does For Your Body

While vitamin D is good for your health, very few people are aware of its two different forms and their effect on the body.

Vitamin D is often known as the sunshine vitamin and most people do not know that it has two forms, D2 and D3, of which only vitamin D3 is produced through the natural synthesis of sunlight on the skin. Plants and fungi on the other hand produce Vitamin D2. You can find vitamin D2 more commonly, as milk, cereals and juices are fortified with it. The two forms are commonly known as ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3).

What are The Differences Between Vitamin D2 and D3?

The biggest difference between the two forms of vitamin D is the way it is produced. Plants produce the D2 form while D3 is a byproduct of synthesis of ultra violet B rays from sunlight penetrating the body's surface. It can be found on the skin or surface of animals and is commonly found in the wool of sheep.

Of the two forms, D3 is considered beneficial to the body as it controls the level of calcium and phosphorous in the blood, which is vital for bone development and growth. It can be stored in the body tissue until it is required. D2 on the other hand is not a natural form in the human body as plants and other invertebrates synthesize it. It is not as easily absorbed by the receptors in the body and as a result does not have the same effect as D3. Both versions of the vitamin are available as supplements in pill or liquid form. D3 has the longer shelf life of the two. Because the supplements are made from animal sources, many vegetarians do not use them and opt for vitamin D2 supplements instead.

The Function of Vitamin D3

Although it is classified as a vitamin, vitamin D3 is a hormone. When sunlight falls on the body's surface - the skin in our case - it synthesizes to form vitamin D3, which is circulated in the blood stream to help in the absorption of calcium and phosphorous that is received from digested food sources. The calcium is used for building and strengthening teeth and bone mass. In addition, calcium also has a role to play in the production of hormones in the body by transmitting nerve impulses to the brain. Almost 99% of your vitamin D supply is used for regulating the calcium in the body; the remaining part is utilized for strengthening the immune system and maintaining muscle strength.

Benefits of Vitamin D D3

While excess vitamin D3 can be stored away in the fat cells for future use, deficiency of vitamin D in the body can have adverse effects on the health of an individual.

Getting the right amount of vitamin D can have numerous benefits on the body. It is responsible for strengthening teeth and bones, improving bone density and prevents weakening of the muscles as it promotes absorption of calcium in the blood. Older people with sufficient amounts of vitamin D3 are less prone to ailments such as arthritis, osteoporosis and osteomalacia. In children and infants, it can help in bone growth and development and prevent diseases such as Rickets.

Vitamin D3 also reduces the risk of certain types of cancer in men and women such as prostrate cancer, breast cancer and colon cancer. It can reduce the risks associated with certain pregnancy related infections including bacterial vaginosis that poses a threat of premature labor and fetal death. It prevents or improves other conditions such as diabetes and multiple sclerosis. It can also lower the risk of heart disease, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It gives a boost to the body's immune system and can help prevent influenza and seasonal allergies.

Due to the role that vitamin d plays in influencing the production of hormones in the body, it can also improve certain skin conditions such as psoriasis and vitiligo, besides controlling moods. In countries that experience low sunlight conditions during a few months of the year, the body is unable to get its adequate share of vitamin D through natural synthesis. During this period, vitamin D3 supplements can help in reducing the symptoms of depression and seasonal affective disorder.

So remember, for healthy teeth and bones, as well as good health, you need to get the right dose of vitamin D3. The best source is sunlight. However, you need direct sunlight as the UVB rays cannot penetrate glass. The further away you are from the equator, the longer you need to be out in the sun to produce the right amount of vitamin D. Darker skinned people require a longer period of exposure compared to lighter skinned people. Sunscreens can also limit the amount of UVB rays that are absorbed by the skin. If you can't do this, then I recommend vitamin D3 supplementation to keep your body healthy.

Top 5 Things That Will Save Your Life

Staying physically fit and active is an absolute must but for most, our body starts to protest at some stage and pain and injuries can appear. Aching muscles & joints, ligament & tendon damage, electrolyte imbalances causing cramps and hydration problems are all common complaints. Most of these symptoms can be prevented though, especially with the correct use of protein, as well as a few specific nutritional supplements.

Amino acids are the building blocks from which proteins are made. So far 22 have been identified and they can be linked together to form more than 50,000 different proteins. The body continuously breaks down the proteins eaten into amino-acid complexes and free amino acids, which it then recombines to form whatever proteins it needs to maintain itself. Amino acids supply the raw materials for maintaining the genetic code (DNA), repairing damaged muscle tissue, for cell division, making enzymes, building new connective tissue and making hormones and neurotransmitters.

Not all protein foods contain the same balance of amino acids. As a reminder, protein is anything that comes from an animal - so meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as nuts and seeds and soy products. Some other foods do contain protein too. Protein foods of animal origin are regarded as "complete" protein because they contain all the amino acids in an approximately ideal balance. Eggs in particular provide protein that is biologically complete. Vegetable sources vary in their balance of amino acids.

Try to include a serving of protein at every meal and snack. A cupped palmful at main meals and a level palmful at snacks. Also, if protein is eaten within 8 minutes after resistance training, this will be utilized for the repair of tissue, helping to prevent muscle pain and fatigue.

Taking a Glucosamine supplement is a must, to provide building blocks to help repair cartilage, ligament and tendon damage. This natural ingredient, mainly derived from crustacean shells, was trialed in Europe in the 1980's and was found to be effective in reducing joint pain, joint tenderness and joint swelling. Joint function and physical performance always improved with its use. Findings were observed after 4 to 10 weeks of Glucosamine administration. In these studies, 1500 mg per day was used. The results were so convincing that Glucosamine has become a first line treatment for osteoarthritis in several European countries.

Look after your digestion. You may think your digestion is good, but is it really? Can you honestly say that you feel energized after eating food? Do you experience gas, belching, acid reflux, constipation or diarrhoea? Having good digestion is really the key to good health. Your digestive system is involved with the breaking down and then absorption and utilization of nutrients from the food you eat and drink. If it's not functioning optimally, or if the foods or fuel you consume are not ideal, then your body will struggle to carry out its normal day to day functions and fatigue and illness can be the result.

Remember that what goes in, must come out; ideally within around 12 hours after consuming it. If this process is not efficient and/or if the transit time for waste matter to be eliminated is too slow, a toxic environment is produced in the intestinal tract. Our intestine is where we absorb nutrients from the food eaten. If there is accumulated waste matter built up in here, not only will you absorb the nutrients from the food eaten, but you will also absorb the toxicity created by this retention of waste matter. Yuck!

Just like the car enthusiast who keeps his vehicle finely tuned; using only the best fuel and oil, knowing this is the only way to ensure it continues to run optimally, we need to make the same choices when it comes to our body (our vehicle!). A regular tune up and "service" is vital to ensure everything continues to function as well as it can. Start the New Year off by completing a detox. There are many well structured detox packs available, that require little or no life style changes; except drinking more water. If this isn't for you, then increase your daily water intake and eat fresh raw fruits and/or vegetables at each meal. Those from the brassica family are some of the best for helping with better detoxification in the body, so a stir-fry and coleslaw are good additions to the diet. Remember that you will benefit from any improvement, so don't make excuses.

Hormones and glandular health. Stress, alcohol and recreational drugs can negatively affect sexual performance, hormonal levels and balance. As well as this, many common foods eaten on a daily basis contain residues of hormones, which enhanced the growth of that food. When we ingest this, it has a direct impact on our own hormones, mainly by increasing estrogen levels. A high estrogen level in men is not good and can shut down or affect the normal production of testosterone in the body. High serum levels of estrogen trick the brain into thinking that enough testosterone is being produced, thereby slowing the natural production of testosterone.

Another problem is high levels of an enzyme called Aromataze. Aromataze enzyme converts testosterone into estrogen in the body. Inhibiting the Aromataze enzyme results in a significant decline in estrogen levels, while often boosting free testosterone levels. Therefore, taking an agent designated as an "Aromataze inhibitor" may be beneficial for men who have excess estrogen.

One of the easiest ways to determine your existing hormonal levels is to have a hormone test. Armed with the results from this, you will be able to target any hormone specifically, whether high or low, to correct any imbalance that it showed.

Having a good mate to talk to is a must for all people, but definitely men. Statistics in New Zealand show that men aged between 25-45 have been identified as one of the groups most at risk of experiencing depression; as they are less likely to seek help, have less contact with their GPs than women, and are not likely to talk openly about issues they are experiencing because of the stigma of not coping. Symptoms of depression include finding it hard to get enthusiastic about things, emotional sadness, low self confidence and social withdrawal. Statistics show that New Zealand men who are aged between 25-45 have the highest rate of suicide by life stage, than any other group. What ever the problem, help is at hand. Look in the Personal help services of the local directory or online using a New Zealand search engine.

Many people experiencing depression may be suffering with a serotonin deficiency. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter or chemical messenger involved with a number of major regulatory processes in the body. These include sleep, mood, libido (sexual interest) & body temperature.

Serotonin is a word often associated with the use of substances like E, P & BZP, as taking these depletes this vital brain chemical. Prolonged stress, as well as a high protein, very low carb diet will also contribute to low brain levels. In the winter months many people suffer with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also called the winter blues, which is linked to light deprivation. Studies show that the seasonal variations in natural light alter levels of the hormone melatonin, which subsequently causes reduced levels of serotonin. Working in enclosed spaces without natural light can cause the same kind of problem, with all of these creating a wide range of serotonin deficiency symptoms.

The most common symptoms relating to low serotonin are depression, carbohydrate craving & binging, sleeping problems & insomnia, compulsive obsessive disorders, anxiety & appetite changes.

Consider taking 5-HTP (5-Hydroxy L-Tryptophan), an extract from a plant seed called Griffonia, which is converted to serotonin in the brain. If your serotonin level is low, taking 5 HTP will top it up quickly. Going out side in the sunlight for 20 minutes a day will also help, as this is also needed for efficient serotonin production.

Remember depression is a symptom of something else happening in the body. The cause of this needs to be isolated, so the problem can be dealt with effectively, once and for all.

Had a good nights sleep lately? Some sleep specialists estimate that fifty percent or more of the US population suffer from sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is more about lack of quality sleep rather than lack of hours of sleep. This distinction explains why some people wake rested and refreshed after six hours while others are still weary and bleary eyed after nine hours.

The human body carries out many vital processes while sleeping. These include the production of growth hormones and other chemicals, the regeneration and/or repair of damaged tissues, recharging and strengthening of the immune system, preparing the body's energy stores for the next day and the removal of toxins in the body.

There are many things that need to be looked at if quality of sleep is an issue for you. These include the amount of stimulants you consume (tea, coffee & chocolate based products), when and how much of what foods you eat during the day, your nutritional stasis, your stress levels, your hormonal balance.... the list goes on.

If you have a problem with getting to sleep, consider taking a supplement high in magnesium, with co factors such as calcium and zinc. These minerals help to soothe and calm nerves and muscles, helping to promote relaxation in the body. Common deficiency symptoms of these include muscular cramps and twitches, jumping at sudden sounds and being unable to switch your brain off at night time to fall asleep.

We all consume far too many stimulants. Keep tea and coffee to no more than 2 cups a day and don't consume them past 2pm. Consider caffeine free alternatives such as caro, ecco or inka, herbal teas such as chamomile, lemon balm or rooibos (not green tea, which contains 2/3 the amount of caffeine as found in a cup of coffee).

Health Tips For You

Watch What Goes Into Your Mouth

MESSAGE IN THE FAMILY TREE

Close on the heels of the news that sugar is addictive comes a second body blow - your bad eating is being passed on to your children through your genes. Researchers at the Baker 101 Heart and Diabetes Institute found that human cells have the ability to "remember' and can replicate the effects of a poor diet on a body for weeks, months, and even generations. According to lead researcher Prof Assam EI-Osta: "We now know that chocolate bar you had this morning can have very acute effects, this is what we refer to as the burden of memory." 'The changes initiated by diet create a kind of ghost that lives within our genes, and that these epigenetic changes remember the effects the study showed that very specific molecular events occur after the consumption of high glucose food causing chemical changes to people's genetic controls. These changes continue beyond the meal itself, and have the ability to alter natural metabolic responses to diet. The good news - the flip is true as well: By having a good diet, you can pass on a healthy epigenome to your children.

Revealing Eyes

TELL-TALE PEEPERS

Your eyes are the most important physical feature you have when it comes to how others assess your age and vitality, according to a recent study at University of Tennessee Health Science Center published in Ophthalmology.
o Although the eye area represents only 21 per cent of the total face, study participants spent 46 per cent of the time looking at this region while assessing age.
* The nose attracted about 19.2 per cent of total scrutiny time during age assessment, followed by the forehead (13.3 per cent) and area between eyebrows (10.6 per cent).
* In fatigue assessments, participants spent 44.7 per cent of the time looking at eyes, followed by the nose (18 per cent), forehead (13.7 per cent) and area
between eyebrows (12.3 per cent).

Color Your Moods

BLUE LIGHT FOR THE BLUES

It has long been associated with negativity, but according to researchers, the color blue can send self-confidence soaring and boost happiness levels. Researchers from the University of Sussex exposed volunteers to a range of colors and light.

They found that blue and green made male subjects feel happier, while blue, purple and orange did the same for women. It was found that blue and red improved confidence levels among men, while blue and purple were best in this respect for women. The study found that exposure to bright colors in general held out many benefits.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Renews Energy

As the body ages and changes through the different stages of life it loses its ability to produce certain hormones naturally. In both men and women the decreases in their hormone production can greatly alter their energy levels, not to mention the effect that the reduced amounts of testosterone or estrogen have on the libido or a person's ability to burn off fat and gain enough restful sleep throughout the night. Even though the body is still able to function without the higher levels of hormones that are produced by people under the age of 30, the body and overall health of an individual is affected by the decrease of the testosterone or estrogen that was once freely produced by the body.

For some men and many women in Asheville hormone replacement therapy is an essential part of their general healthcare. Taking injections of the appropriate hormone therapy has helped many individuals to regain their natural energy levels and increase their vitality and enthusiasm for doing a number of activities that they had thought were no longer available to them. Under the care of a licensed physician a number of residents of Asheville receive hormone replacement therapy and enjoying the benefits of living a healthier and more substantial lifestyle.

With their energy refreshed and their testosterone or estrogen levels increased to where it was when they were younger, some individuals are able to better manage their health and keep themselves fit and trim. Participating in various activities that require their hormone levels to be at their highest levels it is possible to find a fountain of youth through the doctors that provide Asheville with hormone replacement therapy.

The Top 20 Health Benefits From A Colon Cleanse

Colorectal cancer is the number two cancer killer of Americans and is one of the leading cancer killers in the world. The colon is often referred to as the 'sewer system' of the body since it is where the body stores its waste. Most people don't like to talk about problems with their colons out of embarrassment, but this is a vital organ to a person's overall health. A colon cleanse program is a proven solution to use that helps the body to remove potentially harmful toxins.

The colon is the part of the digestive track where waste materials are stored before leaving your body. Some people experience bowel movements daily, while others have issues with constipation and irregularity. Even if a person experiences regular bowel movements, fecal matter can remain lodged in the large intestines for extensive periods of time. This fecal matter can release toxins into the body that can lead to disease in the body. A colon cleanse can help a person to avoid and reduce the effects of multiple diseases. These are the to 20 health issues that can be reduced or prevented when using a regular colon cleanse program:

· Age spots

· Bad breath

· Bloating

· Candida

· Constipation

· Diarrhea

· Diverticulitis

· Diverticulosis

· Dull skin tone

· Eczema

· Excess gas

· Fatigue

· Indigestion

· Intestinal organism infection

· Irritable Bowel Syndrome

· Joint pain

· Lower back ache

· Muscle aches

· Poor digestion

· Weight gain

Colon cleansers act to assist the large intestine to break down hardened fecal matter and to help purge any parasites. This process helps to reduce the effects of the diseases that were mentioned. Most ineffective colon cleansers only address the small intestine, and while they can be effective in bowel movements, they are not effective at moving the fecal matter that has been present for some time in the body out of the large intestine. This type of cleanse is more effective at reducing the harmful effects of the diseases that were mentioned.

Colon cancer is on the rise among men and women across the world since people's dietary habits have changed. Common diets now include fast foods, processed foods and foods packed with preservatives. It is thought that most colon cancers develop from polyps that are not removed and left untreated. Polyps can capture fecal matter and other toxins that can eventually form into cancer. Many people have turned to colon cleansing as a regular health routine and prefer to use natural sources, versus harmful stimulants.

A Health Plan For Your Future Years

Basically, it speaks of how important it is to keep active so that you will remain vigorous and active throughout the senior years. Now, as we grow older and wiser, we know that we should all have a plan to live a healthier, pain-free lifestyle. Creating the master plan for health and longevity is the responsibility of each individual to create and institute such a plan.

Consideration of a risk factor found in your family should be the first consideration in creating a proper plan for each individual. Families with histories of such diseases as high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia), cancer (different types), emphysema, athersclerosis, arthritis, and any other systemic disease that may become a risk factor. Therefore, part one of the plans should be targeted to the prevention of diseases linked to these risk factors. In order to do this, consideration of the risk factor will determine how you will proceed. The following are some examples of what the plan will entail.

1. Hypertension: Loss weight if you are overweight and reduce the sodium in your diet.Eat a proper diet that includes, fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry. Reduce the consumption of red meats and fried foods. Reduce the size of the portions of food you eat. Reduce the number of calories you eat on a daily basis. Start an exercise program and stick to it.

2. Cancer: Early detection is key. Self examination for women monthly can detect a lump in the breast at its earliest stages, and can be biopsied. If found to be cancerous, treatment can be started, thereby increasing survival rate. This will apply to men for testicular cancer. In addition, both men and women should have a colonoscopy after age 50 and then again approximately every 5 years. Women should also have a gynecological exam every few years, and more often if found to be necessary. Men should be examined every few years by a Urologist for prostate problems, and more often if found to be necessary.

3. Athersclerosis: Attention to diet is mandatory in the prevention of fat buildup in the arteries. Weight loss where necessary is also mandatory. Eating a diet high in fruits, vegetables, fish, and poultry should be the mainstay of the diet. Red meat should be eaten at a minimum. Fried foods and foods high in saturated fats, as well as trans fats should be entirely eliminated. In addition, you need to reduce the size of food portions. This will keep your calories at normal levels, and will help maintain a normal weight.

4. Arthritis: Here too: loss of weight, diet and very definitely exercise, can help in the control of pain reduction, and will help maintain flexibility and balance. Following this regime will help you to stay active, prevent falls, and keep you independent.

5. Diabetes: Diabetes is a disease that can go undetected early on as symptoms will be so unobtrusive. Early symptoms are frequent urination and thirst so the individual will have a tendency to ignore them. This allows the disease the disease to progress and cause damage to organs that is at times impossible to reverse. This damage will affect the eyes, kidney function and to the nervous-system, causing a diabetic neuropathy, and also affecting the circulation, especially of the lower extremities. Therefore, it is imperative that everyone is tested early on.

6. Emphysema: This is a breathing problem that is so important to mention because it will not only be found in some as a family trait, but is due to the prevalence of smoking. This is a warning for those who smoke, that it is imperative that they stop smoking. Smoking destroys the cilia in the bronchi (breathing tubes). The cilia are tiny hairs that move the mucous out of these tubes and into the throat where it can be swallowed. When the mucous is not cleared, an inflammatory condition starts. As the inflammation progresses, it will prevent air from being exhaled in the normal manner.

7. Normal Aging: The progression of normal aging can be slowed and held to a minimum by following the above suggestions. This includes the diet, weight loss, and exercise program that you are serious about and will be able to stick with as a dedicated part of your way of living. As part of an exercise program, one for mental calisthenics should also be included. Keeping the mind sharp and alert can be a challenge as time goes on. After reviewing all of the above, there are other considerations that must be included in this master plan so that your future years will remain pain-free, vigorous and vital. This means that how your home is maintained in keeping a healthy environment will be of the utmost importance. The plan will also involve your conduct on the outdoor activities you engage in, such as gardening, sports, driving, etc.

Kidney Health

Most people have two kidneys, each about the size of a fist, located on either side of the spine at the bottom of the rib cage. In simple terms, kidneys are the body's filter. In a 24-hour period, the kidneys process approximately 200 quarts of blood in order to sift out about 2 quarts of waste products and extra water. The waste and extra water become urine, which is stored in the bladder until emptied.

The kidneys perform the critical task of regulating the body's salt, potassium, and acid content. Other functions performed by the kidneys include:

* Control and stimulate red blood cell production
* Release hormones that regulate blood pressure
* Control calcium metabolism
* Remove waste products from the body
* Remove medication/drugs from the body
* Balance the body's fluids
* Produce an active form of vitamin D

Water has long been considered a vital nutrient for aiding in the process of waste removal. The typical recommendation for water consumption in ounces is ½ the person's body weight. Therefore, a 140-pound woman would need to drink 70-ounces of water per day.

However, newer research has caused some doctors and scientists to contradict the belief that we should all flood our bodies with water. Dr. Stanley Goldfarb and Dr. Dan Negoianu, both of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, reviewed the scientific literature on the health effects of drinking a lot of water. On the subject of facilitating toxin excretion, Dr. Goldfarb claimed that the need for excess water was not verified by any sort of scientific study. Dr. Goldfarb said, "The kidneys clear toxins. This is what the kidneys do. They do it very effectively. And they do it independently of how much water you take in. When you take in a lot of water, all you do is put out more urine but not more toxins in the urine."

The need to drink large amounts of water to help flush the kidneys is now somewhat controversial. The best solution is to listen to your body. Drink when you are thirsty. Drink a little more when you are sick, exercising, or spending time outdoors in the summer.

While the amount of water your kidneys require may be lacking scientific studies, the type of water is not. On April 15, 2008, the National Kidney Foundation (NFK) issued a statement that fluoride can damage the bones of kidney patients. Citing a 2006 National Research Council (NRC) report, the NFK withdrew its support of water fluoridation. The NRC report indicated that kidney patients are more susceptible to fluoride's bone and teeth damaging effects. Those with kidney impairment retain more fluoride and risk skeletal fluorosis, fractures, and severe enamel fluorosis.

Unlike the case for kidney health, the case for drinking lots of water to prevent and/or treat kidney stones has concrete data to back it up. Kidney stones are common, affecting approximately 10-percent of the population, and tend to be genetic. They occur more often in men than women, with the average age of initial onset being between 20 and 30 years old. Once afflicted with a kidney stone, a person is as much as 60-percent more likely to get kidney stones again than a person who has never had them.

Symptoms of a kidney stone attack include:

* Sudden extreme pain in the lower back, side, or groin
* Blood in the urine
* Fever and chills
* Vomiting
* A bad odor and/or cloudy appearance to the urine
* A burning sensation during urination

Many doctors and researchers consider increased water intake one of the most effective methods of decreasing the likeliness of kidney stone formation. Insufficient water intake can lead to kidney stones, particularly in those already susceptible. Dr. Gary Faerber, associate professor of urology at the University of Michigan Health System, states that, "One of the best ways to prevent kidney stones is to stay hydrated throughout the entire 24-hour period. I recommend my patients have at least six to eight glasses of water a day, and I ask them to make sure that they spread that throughout the entire day and up until nighttime. This is important year-round but especially important in the summer months."

While the researchers continue to gather their facts, some of us are left wondering whether we should continue to carry that water bottle around with us. For the average person, drinking a few glasses of water and eating foods rich in water content (watermelon, celery, apples, etc.) is likely enough. If you have kidney disease, are concerned that you may have unhealthy kidneys, or you easily develop kidney stones, avoid fluoridated water. Find out if your town or city adds fluoride. If so, avoid tap water and switch to bottled. And if you suffer from kidney stones, err on the side of caution and drink up.

Moderate Drinkers Beware - You Too Could Be Flushing This Vital Nutrient Out Of Your Body

Back in the 1930s, thiamine, also known as vitamin B1, was one of the first compounds to be isolated and recognised as a vitamin, that's to say a compound essential to health which the body cannot manufacture for itself, and which must therefore be obtained from the diet.

The functions of thiamine within the body are highly complex biochemically, but what's important to know is that thiamine and its associated enzymes are essential for the body's production of energy from food. As always with the B complex vitamins, however, the proper functioning of thiamine depends on an adequate supply of the other members of the complex, and the performance of the thiamine related enzymes in this case is particularly dependent on the associated vitamins, riboflavin (B2) and niacin (B3).

That said; there is a characteristic disease of severe thiamine deficiency, beriberi, which has been recognised for several thousand years. This disease should never now be seen outside medical text books in affluent Western societies, but alcoholics and heavy drinkers, for whom the absorption of adequate thiamine presents particular problems, frequently show symptoms.

Beriberi is regarded as having "wet" and "dry" forms, the symptoms of the former being principally observed in problems with the cardiovascular system, including severe fluid retention and in severe cases even congestive heart failure. So-called "dry" beriberi is characterised by problems with the nervous system, particularly the peripheral nerves of the limbs, which may lead to pain and weakness in the muscles.

Beriberi may also have serious effects on the brain, partly through increased free radical activity, leading in extreme cases to conditions known as Wernicke's encephalopathy and/or Korsaloff's amnesia or psychosis. Wernicke's is identified by characteristic physical nervous "ticks", especially unusual movements of the eyes, whereas Korsaloff's is the term applied when these symptoms are accompanied by severe amnesia.

If you think these symptoms remind you of the archetypal "street wino" you'd be right, because in advanced societies they're most commonly found in alcoholics and heavy drinkers, supporting the theory that malnutrition is a major contributor to their problems. It makes sense that this should be so. For not only do such people tend to have very inadequate diets, but their damaged livers also struggle to metabolise the few nutrients which they do take in. Alcohol, of course, is also known as a powerful diuretic, and when you consider that thiamine, in common with the other vitamins of the B complex, is highly water soluble, and easily excreted by the body, you have a potent recipe for nutritional disaster.

So how much thiamine do you need to avoid this disaster?

As always, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for thiamine (most recently established in 1998) is set at the level designed to prevent deficiencies in normally healthy people. But of course, the prevention of deficiency is not at all the same as thing as ensuring optimum health, and the RDAs for thiamine are therefore set at the very low levels of 1.2 mg for men and 1.1 mg for women. As the slight differential suggests, higher intakes are required in proportion with higher bodyweight, and particularly muscular bodyweight. An increased intake of 1.4 mg is also suggested for pregnant women.

A number of common every day foods provide good sources of thiamine. A serving of fortified breakfast cereals, for example, may provide 0.5 - 2mg, a single cup of wheatgerm 4 or more mg. A 3 oz serving of pork will contain up to 0.75 mg, lentils, peas, brown or enriched white rice 0.2 mg, and a slice of wholemeal bread 0.1 mg.

These figures would seem to suggest that most people should have little difficulty in achieving their RDA. But the problem is that thiamine is notoriously fragile, and almost any type of processing of these foods, including boiling or even toasting bread may dramatically reduce thiamine content.

So it's perhaps not surprising that research suggests average intakes in Western societies may be as low as 2 mg a day for men and 1.2 mg for women. These figures are worryingly close to the RDAs which, as noted, are in any case set at a level only designed for the avoidance of outright deficiency. Being averages, it likely follows that there must be many people who routinely fall below them, and there are also factors to be considered which may dramatically increase the body's demand for thiamine and therefore the risk of deficiency.

As well as the consumption of alcohol, these include intensive physical exercise, normal growth in adolescence, pregnancy and breast feeding, and feverish illnesses, particularly malaria. As with alcohol, heavy intakes of tea and coffee have been shown to have a severely depleting effect on the body's levels of thiamine, and this is due to so-called "anti-thiamine factors", in addition to the loss of the water soluble vitamin which may be attributed to the diuretic effects of these drinks. There is also evidence that older people may struggle to absorb sufficient quantities of this nutrient even when their diet appears adequate.

There is no recommended upper safe limit for the intake of thiamine, any excess being easily excreted by the body, and no known toxic effects. Supplementing with thiamine is therefore recommended for the vulnerable groups listed above, which in fact comprise a significant proportion of the supposedly well population, and may well be beneficial for all who seek optimal health and maximum energy levels. The close interdependency of the B vitamins, however, means that thiamine should be taken as part of a supplement containing the whole complex. The proper functioning of the vitamin also requires the presence of adequate minerals, particularly magnesium.