Scotty's guide to viamins

[scotty51312]

Scotty's guide to vitamins




Purpose: To provide an overview of essential vitamins and thier importance to bodybuilding


We seem to talk about macronutrients everyday and the importance of the balance and importance of each, sometimes it
seems we forget some of the old school philosophy of "taking our vitamins" or "eating our vegetables" So with some spare
Time on my hands i've decided to put together a guide with a brief overview of vitamins and their importance in our daily
diets.


Vitamin A

Vitamin A is the first letter of the alphabet because it was the first vitamin to be discovered. Its absorbed from food
sources in the human body but is also created from beta carotene, which is the chemical that gives vegetables like carots
thier color.
Vitamin A plays a crucial role in our immune system and the daily repair of eye tissue as well as other mucus membranes
that are our first line of defense agains illness.
Vitamin A can be found in in various foods from eggs milk meat and liver, Beta carotene being the precursor to vitamin A
can be found in leafy vegetables and carrots.
Vitamin A can be toxic in high enough doses.

What role does that play in bodybuilding? Immune system says it all, If you're sick you're not training and if you're
not training you're not gaining.

Vitamin B
Where to begin there are so many B vitamins that people seem to be confused. Lets do a brief overview of each one shall
we?

Thiamin (B1) is essential to every cell in the body, particularly nerve cells. It helps to keep them functioning
properly as it plays a part in the process of converting food into energy inside the cells mitochondria. It is also
important in memory retention and mental health.



Riboflavin (B2) is also crucial in converting the food we eat into energy. Without riboflavin our red blood cells will
become sickly and not be as good at doing there job so the body cannot grow or develop properly.


Niacin (B3) has numerous uses and jobs within the body, over fifty in fact, ranging from detoxifying certain
chemicals to hormone creation and once again releasing the energy from food.



Pantothenic Acid (B5) works alongside other B vitamins on a number of vital processes including the break down
of the fats, proteins and carbohydrates we eat daily and converting them into energy. It is also
involved in the creation of vitamin D as well as number of hormones and red blood cells.



Pyridoxine (B6) is the B vitamin that is mostly responsible for the rearranging and redistributing
of the huge number of amino acids needed to create over five thousand different proteins and many enzymes
needed by the body.



Biotin (B7) is another of the B vitamins involved in the break down of nutrients including fats,
proteins and carbohydrates into usable energy as well as being involved in a number of other processes within the body.



Folic Acid (B9) is vital for cell growth and division. This B vitamin is especially important for developing foetuses,
so it is crucial the mother gets plenty during pregnancy. It is also used in making a variety of chemicals that control
mood, appetite and sleep quality. It is also good for those worried about blocked arteries, stroke and heart attack as
it helps to keep them clear, reducing the chances of them happening.



Cobalamin (B12) is another B vitamin that plays a part in breaking down fat, protein and carbohydrate and
converting them into energy. However it also helps to form the protective coating that surrounds nerve endings,
produce healthily red blood cells and to prevent heart disease.


Bottom line is B vitamins play a role in just about every body process. How does this translate to bodybuilding?
I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

Vitamin C Ahhhh... the cure all, or so it seems its marketed that way. Every immune healthy supplement, food, or drink,
seems to be fortified with obscene ammounts of vitamin c. While vitamin c does protect us from colds and other daily
illness it plays a role in over 300 processes in the body. The one I'd like to mention is vitamin C is vital in collagen
synthesis. Without collagen we even simple cuts wouldn't heal. Anyone know what cartalage is made of? anyone? So
it would seem that vitamin C also plays a role in recovery as well.
Aside from the above mentioned processes, vitamin c in larger doses has been shown to act as a cortisol blocker,
cortisol being the hormone released when the body is stressed that can cause us to go into a catabolic state.
There are studies out there that show that 3 grams of vitamin c split before and after a workout can sygnificantly
reduce cortisol levels. In my opinion its a must for anyones PCT

Vitamin D This is the one that your body makes without the need for consumption. Vitamin D is created by our
exposure to sunlight. Just a few minutes a day is sufficient to create the vitamin D your body needs to survive.
Vitamin D has been the focus of many studies latley as it pretains to the immune system. Its main function however is
controling and aiding the absorbtion of calcium, and regulating calcium levels in the blood. A very important
function as we get older.

Vitamin E Seems to be a vitamin that is under utilized in my opinion. Vitamin E plays a vital role in the prevention of
heart disease and has also been shown to actually slow the progression of heart disease once it develops. Vitamin E
also plays a vital role in maintaining our bodies cellular membranes. In my opinion, a must for anyone who uses AAS,


Vitamin K, this one is rarley ever discussed, its one that we are rarley deficient in, not only because of how abundantly
its found in our daily diets, but also because bacteria in our digestive track can also create vitamin K. Vitamin k's
main function is to control clotting, certain health issues can lead to defficiency in vitamin k and result in slow
bleeding from the gums and nose and continue into more serious health issues.


Hope this is informative to the beginners, as well as a refresher to the vets. Depending on the response I'm going to
do minerals next

Scotty

[scotty51312]

sources,
Livestrong.com
University of Maryland Med center, Medical referecne
Body for life, Bill Phillips

[POPS]

very nice...

[MACHINE5150]

good read man.. to think after all these years i always thought niacin and riboflavin and all that were their own separate thing not part of the Vitamin B family.

[Sgt. Hartman]

Nice post man. Thanks.

[Damienm05]

Good, good post brother!

[scotty51312]

Thanks guys, When i have a few minutes I'll write up one on minerals which are more interesting IMO. Now if i could just stay away from vitamin Icecream and vitamin chillicheesefries, I'd be doing great.

[marcus300]

Good soild information

[gbrice75]

Great post Scotty!