Nutrition Facts

Thiamin is the first among B complex group of vitamins to be identified and so named as vitamin B₁. All the B complex vitamins are water soluble vitamins including thiamin. Thiamin is essential in the metabolism and utilization of carbohydrates. It functions in the decarboxylation of alpha-ketoacids, like pyruvate alpha-ketoglutarate, and branched chain amino acids and is a source of energy generation. Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) acts as a coenzyme of carboxylase enzyme that causes activation of transketolase that mediates the conversion of hexose (like glucose with six carbon) and pentose (five carbon carbohydrates) phosphates. In thiamin deficiency there is accumulation of lactic acid and pyruvic acid in tissues and also in body fluids. Thiamin has also been postulated to play a role in peripheral nerve conduction, although the exact chemical reactions underlying this function are unknown.

Food Sources of Thiamin:

Thiamin is present in many food sources (both plant and animal sources) in nature in abundance. The vegetable or plant food sources of thiamin are whole grain cereals (wheat, maize, rice etc. although milling of rice removes considerable quantity of thiamin and other B complex vitamins from rice and can be commonest cause of thiamin deficiency in predominantly rice eating cultures), gram, yeast, legumes, pulses, nuts and oilseeds (groundnut or peanut), and many different fruits though fruits contains comparatively lesser quantity of thiamin. The animal food sources of thiamin are pork, beef, organ meat, fish, eggs, milk etc. Milk is an important source of thiamin in infants if the mother’s thiamin level in blood is satisfactory. In poor and underdeveloped countries the main source of thiamin is generally the cereal or whole grain (rice, wheat or maize, depending on the dietary habit).

Coffee, both regular and decaffeinated; tea, raw fish, shellfish, contain thiaminases an enzyme which can destroy thiamin and theoretically can cause thiamin deficiency or deplete thiamin stores in heavy tea or coffee drinkers.

Deficiency of vitamin K:

Deficiency of vitamin K is mostly seen in infants. In adults the deficiency of vitamin K is not common. The causes of vitamin K deficiency in infants and adults are different.

In adults the deficiency of vitamin K is mainly due to chronic small intestinal disease like celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, in patients with obstruction of biliary tract or due to resection of small intestine. Treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics like tetracycline, chloramphenicol etc. can lead to aggravation of vitamin K deficiency by reducing the intestinal flora which synthesize menaquinones, and by inhibiting the metabolism of vitamin K. In patients with warfarin (an anti coagulant) therapy, the hypoloipidemic drug Orlistat can lead to INR (international normalized ratio) changes due to vitamin K mal absorption.

The diagnosis of vitamin K deficiency is usually made on the basis of an increased prothrombin time, reduced clotting factors and also by directly measuring vitamin K level in blood.

Treatment of vitamin K deficiency:

Vitamin K deficiency is treated by administering 10 mg of vitamin K parenteral dose. Patients of chronic mal absorption should receive oral dose of 1–2 mg/day of vitamin K or 1-2 mg parenteral dose of vitamin K every week. Patients with liver disease may have an elevated prothrombin time because of liver cell destruction as well as vitamin K deficiency. So if an elevated prothrombin time does not improve on vitamin K therapy, it can be said that it is not due to vitamin K deficiency.

In infants the deficiency of vitamin K is usually due to loss of blood, low fat stores and liver immaturity (both are stores of vitamin K); low breast milk levels (15 mcg/liter) of vitamin K, sterility of the infantile intestinal tract and no or very small number of intestinal flora which synthesize menaquinones, and poor placental transport.

Deficiency of vitamin K in infants can lead to intracranial bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding and skin bleeding in 1–7 days after birth. To prevent these problems infants should be administered vitamin K (1 mg IM) prophylaxis at the time of delivery.

Toxicity of vitamin K:

Vitamin K toxicity is not seen due to excess dietary consumption of vitamin K (phylloquinones and menaquinones). But high doses of vitamin K can impair the actions of oral anticoagulants like warfarin.

There are two natural forms of vitamin K and they are vitamin K₁ and vitamin K₂. Vitamin K₁ is also known as phylloquinone and vitamin K₂ is also known as menaquinone. Phylloquinone can be converted to menaquinone in some organs in humans.

Sources of vitamin K₁:

Vitamin K₁ is found mainly in the dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach. Vitamin K is present in vegetable oils also and it is particularly rich in olive, canola, and soybean oils. Margarine and liver also contain good quantity of vitamin K₁. Cow’s milk (60 mcg/liter) is a richer source of Vitamin K than human milk (15 mcg/liter).

Vitamin K₂ is synthesized in the intestines by intestinal flora (bacteria), which can usually supply adequate quantity of vitamin K in humans. Vitamin K is stored in liver and adipose tissues (fat store) in humans. If antibiotics are taken for long term (usually more than a week), it can suppress the normal intestinal flora that are sources of vitamin K₂ and can cause deficiency of vitamin K.

Vitamin K is required to stimulate the production and release of certain blood coagulation factors. Vitamin K is required for the posttranslational carboxylation of glutamic acid, which is must for calcium binding to alpha-carboxylated proteins such as prothrombin (blood coagulation factor II), factors VII, IX, and X. in vitamin K deficiency the prothrombin content of blood is reduced and the blood coagulation time is prolonged considerably.

Recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamin K: The recommended daily allowance of vitamin K in humans is approximately 100 mcg (micro gram) per day. This RDA is generally met in humans by combination of dietary sources and microbial synthesis in intestine by intestinal flora.

Infants usually have lower level of vitamin K, due to non establishment of intestinal flora, low breast milk (15 mcg/liter) levels of vitamin K, liver immaturity, poor placental transport and also due to low fat content where vitamin K is stored.

There is no clearly known deficiency disorder of vitamin E. But there is also no doubt that humans need tocopherol or vitamin E in his diet. The deficiency of vitamin E is seen only after resection of small intestine and in prolonged malabsorptive diseases, like celiac disease. There is also a very rare familial form of vitamin E deficiency disease, which is due to defect in  alpha tocopherol transport protein.

Children may develop vitamin E deficiency due to prolonged cholestasis (stasis of bile) or cystic fibrosis of long duration and this is characterized by hemolytic anemia and areflexia. If children suffer from abetalipoproteinemia, they develop vitamin E deficiency very rapidly as they can not absorb or transport vitamin E.

Symptoms of Vitamin E Deficiency:

Vitamin E deficiency causes degeneration of large myelinated axons. Peripheral neuropathy is also a major sign which is characterized by at first areflexia that progresses to ataxic gait and decrease in position and vibration sensation. Pigmented retinopathy, ophthalmoplegia and skeletal myopathy are some other symptoms of vitamin E deficiency. Deficiency of vitamin E increases virulence of viral infection due to increase in viral mutation.

Diagnosis of Vitamin E Deficiency:

Laboratory diagnosis of vitamin E deficiency is done by measuring the blood levels of alpha tocopherols. Vitamin E deficiency is if the level of alpha tocopherol is less than 5µgm/ml or alpha tocopherol is less than 0.8 mg per gram of total lipids.

Vitamin E Toxicity:

High dose of vitamin E (more than 800 mg per day) daily can cause vitamin E toxicity. All forms of vitamin E can cause toxicity. High dose of vitamin E can interfere with vitamin K metabolism and high dose is contraindicated if a patient is taking anticoagulant like warfarin. The symptoms of vitamin E toxicity are diarrhea, nausea, flatulence etc. if the daily intake is more than 1 gram.

Treatment of Vitamin E Deficiency:

Treatment of vitamin E deficiency depends on the severity and type of deficiency. Moderate deficiency with symptoms can be treated with 800-1200 mg of alpha tocopherol per day (RDA is about 15 mg per day). If deficiency is due to abetalipoproteinemia, than as much as 5000-7000 mg per day may be required. Children with symptomatic vitamin E deficiency can be treated with 400 mg/day of water-miscible (which can be mixed with water by adding an emulsifying agent) esters.

Vitamin E is the name of a group of closely related compounds that occurs in nature as fat soluble compounds called “tocopherols” and “tocotrienols”. Out of all the tocopherols, the alpha tocopherol is the most active and potent.

Sources of Vitamin E:

Vitamin E is widely distributed in nature, both in plant sources as well as animal sources. The rich plant sources of vitamin E are vegetable oils (tocopherols are present in sunflower oil, cotton seed oil, safflower oil, wheat germ oil etc. and gamma tocotrienols are present in corn oil and Soya bean oil etc.), nuts, cereals and foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fruits and vegetables contain small amount of vitamin E. Rich animal source of vitamin D includes meat, egg (mainly egg yolk), butter, milk etc.

Daily Requirement of Vitamin E:

Daily recommended dose of vitamin E or RDA (recommended daily allowance) is dependent on the amount of essential fatty acids we consume. The more essential fatty acid consumption the more is the requirement of vitamin E. But the requirement is about 0.8mg/gram of essential fatty acid consumption. RDA is 15 mg/ day and the requirement is higher if more polyunsaturated fat is consumed.

Functions of vitamin E:

Vitamin E acts as a chain breaking antioxidant and is efficient in removing the chemicals that protects low density lipoproteins (LDLs) and polyunsaturated fats in membranes from oxidation. Other antioxidants like vitamin C helps to keep vitamin E in remaining reduced state. Vitamin E also inhibits synthesis of prostaglandins.

Other Advantages of Vitamin E:

There are many other advantages of vitamin E, but these advantages can not be proved strongly. Vitamin E at high dose may prevent retrolental fibroplasia (opacity of cornea in premature infants due to administration of pure 100% oxygen after delivery or birth), bronchopulmonary dysplasia and intraventricular hemorrhage of premature infants. Vitamin E is supposed to have aphrodisiac effect and also increase sexual performance. Vitamin E is also used in treatment of slowing aging process and intermittent claudication. High doses (60–800 mg/d) of vitamin E have been shown to improve immune function and to reduce colds in nursing home residents. When vitamin E is combined with other antioxidants, it can prevent macular degeneration of eye.

Acne is a very common problem during adolescence and teenage life. But acne can occur at any age and at any area of skin where hair follicles are present. Acne treatment may be very difficult if not done properly. For the correct treatment you should have basic knowledge about acne. Acne is basically an inflammation of pilosebaceous glands, which are present beneath the skin surface. The inflammation of these glands may be due to infection by bacteria known as Propionibacterium acnes. The inflammation may also be due to blockade of the pilosebaceous duct (which opens on the surface of skin and originate in the pilosebaceous gland) with dust or due to excess production of sebum (sebum is produced by pilosebaceous glands and keeps our skin wet and oily).

Acne can be treated at home all by yourself and also you can get the service of a skin doctor. If you have to treat acne properly the main aim of the acne treatment should be prevention of inflammation of pilosebaceous glands. To get the right picture you should know your skin type (skin may be oily, dry or in between dry and oily; non dry and non oily skin type is best and nave very little incidences of acne), factors that improve or worsen the pimples or acne, diet, if you are using any medication that may increase the incidence or severity of acne. If you get the service of a skin doctor you need not to worry, your doctor will take care of everything and they are expert in that.

There are many acne treatment formula that are available in the market as well as online treatment solution (can be purchased online). But while buying acne treatment creams, solutions, lotions etc. you have to be very careful and should stick to the quality and reputed companies only.

Vitamin D deficiency mainly causes two health problems namely rickets and osteomalacia. Other disorders due to vitamin D deficiency include bowed legs, skeletal deformation and rachitic rosary. Though vitamin D can be synthesized from sun light, the mounting evidence of skin cancer due to exposure to sunlight is forcing the general population and scientists alike to switch to dietary source of vitamin D.

Vitamin D deficiency is present even in developed countries including USA. The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) has shown that in United States the vitamin D deficiency is prevalent throughout the nation.

The clinical manifestations of vitamin D may be due to deficient production of vitamin D in the skin, diets with low vitamin D content, increase loss of vitamin D, impairment in activation of vitamin D or resistance to effects of 1,25(OH)₂D (1,25dihydroxycholecalciferol). The causes of impaired vitamin D action may be due to (a) vitamin D deficiency (diet with poor vitamin D content, mal absorption or less production of vitamin D in skin) (b) increase loss of vitamin D (impaired enterohepatic circulation, increased metabolism due to drugs like rifampin, barbiturates and phenytoin) (c) target organ resistance (mutation of vitamin D receptors or drugs like phenytoin) (d) impaired 1? hydroxylation (renal failure, hypoparathyroidism, 1? hydroxylase mutation,  X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, osteomalacia and antifungal drugs like ketokonazole) (e) impaired 25, hydroxylation (liver disease and drug like isoniazid).

HGH or Human Growth Hormone is a hormone that is produced by the anterior pituitary gland. Human Growth Hormone is the hormone which stimulates the growth of an infant to become an adult. In adult life also hgh or human growth hormone is secreted, but the function of it is different in adults in compare to infants and children. During childhood the secretion of human growth hormone is higher and deficiency of HGH or excess of HGH can lead to clinical condition during childhood and adult life.

Deficiency of HGH during childhood can result in development of dwarfism or short or very short stature depending on the severity of deficiency. Deficiency of HGH during adult life does not have much deleterious effect as that of childhood. It can cause some metabolic disturbance and bone mineralization.

Excess of human growth hormone during adult life can lead to a clinical condition known as acromegaly. In acromegaly the jaw of the person grows and protrudes more than normal and also the size of the jaw increases. Excess of human growth hormone during childhood can lead to gigantism. In gigantism the stature of the affected person become very tall and big. Height of the patient who suffers from gigantism can be up to 8 feet or more.

There are many human growth hormone products available for treatment of dwarfism. You can buy hgh in many places including in the net. You can buy hgh online and it is a better option. With a click of your mouse you can get hgh while sitting at your home comfortably. But you should be very careful in selecting a product of hgh, because there are plenty of people who will try to cheat at any time.

Acai berry is one of the highly nutritious foods we have on this planet. The nutrition quality and quantity of acai berry is unmatched with any other food available to us for routine consumption and also as food supplementation. Acai berry is also called a super-food because of its unique and high quality (as well as quantity) nutrition contents. The most important health benefits of acai berry comes from the high amount of antioxidants it has in it, which no other food can come near to acai berry in it.

Nutritional contents of acai berry are very high. Some of the nutritional values of acai berry are given here. To most of us acai berry is available in powder form after freeze-drying acai fruit pulp and skin. 100 gram of this freeze-dried acai fruit pulp and skin contain 534 kcal of energy, 8.1 gram proteins (more than 7.5% of total dry weight is amino acids), 52.2 gram (out of 52.2 g of carbohydrate, 42.2 gram is fiber content and can not be assimilated) carbohydrates and 32.5 gram fat. 100 gram of freeze-dried acai fruit pulp and skin also contain calcium (260 mg), iron (4.4 mg), vitamin A (1000 IU), aspartic acid, glutamic acid etc. The fats of acai berry are mainly oleic acid (52.2% of total fat), palmitic acid (24.1% of total fat) and linoleic acid (12.5% of total fat).

The antioxidants of acai berry are anthocyanins (approximately 3.19 mg per gram of acai powder) and many other antioxidants. There are many nutrition blogs that are dedicated for the goodness of antioxidants of acai berry. But if you want to buy acai berry online you should select a good nutrition blog for learning about acai berry before buying it. Many blogs are mushrooming at present, but while selecting one, you should e careful and do some research on your own.

Thumper massager is used for giving your muscles a deep rhythmic pounding that is comfortable and can relieve you of any pain or tension your muscles may have. This thumper massager is one of the first choices of chiropractors; massage therapists massage therapists and professional athletes for treating their myalgia (muscle pain) and muscle tension. Thumper massager can act in the deep tissues also.

Thumper massager has many advantages over ordinary electric electric massager, which does nothing but rub the surface of the body. But thumper massager helps in relieving muscle tension, muscle pain etc. comfortably by giving pulsating type of pressure that can penetrate deep into the muscles of the body and relieves pain in the deeper muscles also. The massage of Thumper massager is deep and penetrating type which you do not get with any other equipment.

Thumper mini pro is excellent equipment used for the purpose of giving massage to the deep tissues of the body. But the work to be done is almost nothing. It can work by simply putting it on the muscles which have become tired after long work. The thumper mini pro releases waves of about 20 to 40 vibrations per second. The number of vibration can be adjusted according to requirement. This adjustment of vibrations per second is unique feature in thumper mini pro and it is not usually seen in other massager equipments. Thumper mini pro also has adjustable power setting for use in thin and thick muscles and due to this adjustable setting, it can be used in different parts of the body like calf muscles, thighs and other muscles.