Vitamins Health Topic

Vitamins are essential nutrients that are necessary for human health, but that must be obtained through diet because they cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by the body. These micronutrients are only needed in small amounts, but they cannot be stored in the body. Daily intake is necessary, whether from the diet or in supplemental form.

Vitamins are either fat-soluble or water-soluble. They have a variety of functions including roles as antioxidants, hormones and co-enzymes.

Vitamin deficiency diseases can be caused by poor diet lacing the necessary vitamin, or by a factor preventing vitamin absorbption and use, such as certain medications or illnesses.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMINS

Essense-of-Life.com encourages personal research and a balanced view of health and nutrition topics. The links below provide a broad overview of various research findings and hypothesis on the role of nutrition in health. This information is not intended to promote any particular product. Unless noted, the articles below do not include any scientific references.

1.	VITAMIN A	9.	VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID)

2.	VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN)	10.	VITAMIN D

3.	VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN)	11.	VITAMIN E

4.	VITAMIN B3 (NIACIN)	12.	VITAMIN K

5.	VITAMIN B5 (PANTOTHENIC ACID)	13.	BIOTIN (VITAMIN B7 / VITAMIN H)

6.	VITAMIN B6	14.	CHOLINE

7.	VITAMIN B9 (FOLATE / FOLIC ACID)	15.	COENZYME Q10

8.	VITAMIN B12 (COBALAMINE)	16.	INOSITOL (MYOINOSITOL)

Key words for internet research: vitamins, vitamins and essential nutrients, vitamins and coenzymes, water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, vitamin deficiency diseases

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN A

01.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin A	Vitamin A, a fat-soluble vitamin, plays an important role in bone growth, reproduction, immune function, hormone synthesis and regulation, and vision. Your eyes need vitamin A to help them convert light into brain signals that allow you to perceive images. Vitamin A works to protect you against infection by helping create healthy white blood cells and by promoting healthy skin. Vitamin A helps cells divide and develop into specialized cells, like blood cells, lung cells, brain cells and other distinct tissues.

02.	Vitamin A: Linus Pauling Institute	Vitamin A is a generic term for a large number of related compounds. Retinol and retinal are often referred to as preformed vitamin A. Beta-carotene and other carotenoids that can be converted by the body into retinol are referred to as provitamin A carotenoids.

03.	Vitamin A Detectives Probe Puzzling Nutrient	Vitamin A helps your body's immune system fight off many infections and inflammations. These include measles and some foodborne infections. Vitamin A influences the types and amounts of immune cells—such as T-helper cells—and immune system molecules, called interferons and interleukins, that your body produces in response to infection.

04.	Vitamin A on Wikipedia	The role of vitamin A in the vision cycle is specifically related to the retinal form. A deficiency in vitamin A will lead to night blindness. Vitamin A, in the retinoic acid form, plays an important role in gene transcription. Vitamin A appears to function in maintaining normal skin health. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin. Adequate supply of Vitamin A is especially important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, since deficiencies cannot be compensated by postnatal supplementation.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B1 (THIAMIN)

01.	What You Need to Know About Thiamin	Thiamin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps your cells produce energy from carbohydrates. It is essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles and nervous system because it plays a role in conducting nerve impulses and in muscle contraction.

02.	Thiamin: Linus Pauling Institute	Thiamin (also spelled thiamine) is a water-soluble B vitamin, previously known as vitamin B1 or aneurine. Thiamin deficiency affects the cardiovascular, nervous, muscular, and gastrointestinal systems. Beriberi is the disease resulting from severe thiamin deficiency.

01.	Vitamin B1 / Thiamine on Wikipedia	Thiamine or thiamin is a water-soluble vitamin of the B complex (vitamin B1), whose phosphate derivatives are involved in many cellular processes. Thiamine is synthesized in bacteria, fungi and plants. Yeast and pork are the most highly concentrated sources of thiamine. Cereal grains, however, are generally the most important dietary sources of thiamine.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN)

01.	Riboflavin: Linus Pauling Institute	Riboflavin is a water-soluble B vitamin, also known as vitamin B2. In a study on migraines, riboflavin was significantly better than placebo in reducing attack frequency and the number of headache days. Riboflavin supplementation might be a useful adjunct to pharmacologic therapy in migraine prevention.

02.	Riboflavin / Vitamin B2 on Wikipedia	Riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, plays a key role in energy metabolism, and is required for the metabolism of fats, ketone bodies, carbohydrates, and proteins. Riboflavin is found naturally in asparagus, bananas, persimmons, okra, chard, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, meat, eggs and fish.

03.	What You Need to Know About Riboflavin	Riboflavin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps produce energy in all cells in your body and is critical for the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and protein. Ultraviolet light, such as sunlight, destroys riboflavin. It's not likely that you will experience adverse effects from consuming too much riboflavin because of limited absorption by the gastrointestinal tract, and because excess amounts are excreted by the body.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B3 (NIACIN)

01.	Niacin: Linus Pauling Institute	Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin, which is also known as nicotinic acid or vitamin B3. Niacin supplements are available as nicotinamide or nicotinic acid. Nicotinamide is the form of niacin typically used in nutritional supplements and in food fortification. Nicotinic acid is available over the counter and with a prescription as a cholesterol-lowering agent.

02.	Niacin / Vitamin B3 on Wikipedia	The terms niacin, nicotinamide, and vitamin B3 are often used interchangeably to refer to any member of this family of compounds, since they have the same biochemical activity. Niacin is involved in both DNA repair, and the production of steroid hormones in the adrenal gland.

03.	What You Need to Know About Niacin	Niacin is a water-soluble vitamin. Foods high in proteins, such as poultry, fish and beef, are rich sources of niacin.

04.	Method of Treatment of Joint Dysfunction With Niacinamide	Outlines scientific study from 1949 using niacinamide for arthritis.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B5 (PANTOTHENIC ACID)

01.	What You Need to Know About Pantothenic Acid	Pantothenic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin needed to break down nutrients in our food into energy our cells can use. This vitamin also plays a role in making various hormones and cholesterol. Major food sources of pantothenic acid include poultry, beef, fish, whole grains, legumes, broccoli and yogurt.

02.	Pantothenic Acid: Linus Pauling Institute	Pantothenic acid, also known as vitamin B5, is essential to all forms of life. Pantothenic acid is found throughout living cells in the form of coenzyme A (CoA), a vital coenzyme in numerous chemical reactions including the chemical reactions that generate energy from food (fat, carbohydrates, and proteins); the synthesis of essential fats, cholesterol, and steroid hormones; the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, and the hormone, melatonin; the synthesis of heme, a component of hemoglobin; and the metabolism of a number of drugs and toxins by the liver.

03.	Vitamin B5 / Pantothenic Acid on Wikipedia	Pantothenic acid, also called vitamin B5, is a water-soluble vitamin required to sustain life (essential nutrient). Pantothenic acid is needed to form coenzyme-A (CoA), and is critical in the metabolism and synthesis of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B6

01.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin B6	Vitamin B-6 is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays a significant role in helping make amino acids that build body cells, including muscles. Vitamin B6 also helps produce red blood cells, infection-fighting antibodies and insulin (a hormone that uses glucose, synthesizes protein and stores fat). Rich food sources of vitamin B-6 include chicken, fish, whole grains, beans, fortified cereals and nuts.

02.	Vitamin B6: Linus Pauling Institute	Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin. There are three traditionally considerd forms of vitamin B6: pyridoxal (PL), pyridoxine (PN), pyridoxamine (PM). The phosphate ester derivative pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is the principal coenzyme form and has the most importance in human metabolism. PLP plays a vital role in the function of approximately 100 enzymes that catalyze essential chemical reactions in the human body.

03.	Vitamin B6 on Wikipedia	Pyridoxal phosphate, the metabolically active form of vitamin B6, is involved in many aspects of macronutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter synthesis, histamine synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and function and gene expression.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B9 (FOLATE / FOLIC ACID)

01.	What You Need to Know About Folate	Folate, a water-soluble B vitamin, helps produce DNA and form healthy new cells, especially important for mothers-to-be. With vitamin B-12, folate helps create normal red blood cells. We get two forms of folate in our diet: the naturally occurring form in foods, known as food folate, and folic acid, the form used in dietary supplements and fortified foods. Rich sources of folate include dark green vegetables, beans and fortified cereals. Some fruits, such as cantaloupe, honeydew melon, oranges and orange and grapefruit juices, are also good sources of folate.

02.	Folic Acid: Linus Pauling Institute	The terms folic acid and folate are often used interchangeably for this water-soluble B-complex vitamin. Folic acid, the more stable form, occurs rarely in foods or the human body but is the form most often used in vitamin supplements and fortified foods. Naturally occurring folates are found in foods as well as in metabolically active forms in the human body.

03.	Folic Acid / Vitamin B9 on Wikipedia	Vitamin B9 is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth. Both children and adults require folic acid to produce healthy red blood cells and prevent anemia.

04.	Folic Acid: Don't Be Without It!	Folic acid is important for heart health, mental health and women's health. CONTAINS REFERENCES

05.	Folic Acid and Pregnancy	Folate is naturally found in nuts, liver and dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach. Folic acid refers to the synthetic form of the vitamin. If women have enough of it in their bodies before pregnancy, this vitamin can decrease the risk for neural tube defects, which are birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) or spine (spina bifida). Neural tube defects happen when the spinal cord fails to close properly.

06.	Folic Acid Research	Summaries of folic acid research and heart disease, homocysteine, cancer, depression, alzheimer's and other conditions.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN B12 (COBALAMIN)

01.	Vitamin B12: Linus Pauling Institute	Vitamin B12 has the largest and most complex chemical structure of all the vitamins. It is unique among vitamins in that it contains a metal ion, cobalt. For this reason cobalamin is the term used to refer to compounds having vitamin B12 activity. Vitamin B12 deficiency is known to damage the myelin sheath covering cranial, spinal, and peripheral nerves. Individuals with Alzheimer's disease often have low blood levels of vitamin B12. Observational studies have found as many as 30% of patients hospitalized for depression are deficient in vitamin B12.

02.	Vitamin B12 on Wikipedia	Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin with a key role in the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system, and for the formation of blood. It is structurally the most complicated vitamin and it contains the biochemically rare element cobalt. Biosynthesis of the basic structure of the vitamin can only be accomplished by bacteria, but conversion between different forms of the vitamin can be accomplished in the human body. Vitamin B12 cannot be made by plants or animals[5] as only bacteria have the enzymes required for its synthesis.

03.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin B12	Vitamin B-12 is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps transform fats and proteins from foods into energy and works with folic acid to produce normal red blood cells. An adequate supply of vitamin B-12 is also necessary for normal neurological function. Vitamin B-12 is found naturally in animal-based foods, such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy foods. Particularly rich sources of vitamin B-12 include shellfish, herring, sardines, trout and some game meats.

04.	Vitamin B12 Research	Summaries of vitamin b12 research on defiency incidence and consequences, supplementation, alzheimer's and homocysteine.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID)

01.	Vitamin C: Linus Pauling Institute	Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. Humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C. Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Vitamin C is a highly effective antioxidant. Severe vitamin C deficiency has been known for many centuries as the potentially fatal disease, scurvy.

01.	Vitamin C on Wikipedia	When taken in large doses, vitamin C causes diarrhea in healthy subjects. Vitamin C is absorbed by the intestines using a sodium-ion dependent channel. It is transported through the intestine via both glucose-sensitive and glucose-insensitive mechanisms. The presence of large quantities of sugar either in the intestines or in the blood can slow absorption. Vitamin C concentrations in various food substances decrease with time in proportion to the temperature they are stored at[146] and cooking can reduce the Vitamin C content of vegetables by around 60% possibly partly due to increased enzymatic destruction as it may be more significant at sub-boiling temperatures.

03.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin C	Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin perhaps best known for its role in immune-system health: it protects you from infection, helps heal wounds and cuts and assists in red blood cell formation and repair. Vitamin C also acts as a factor in the production of collagen and helps the body absorb iron from plants we eat. Additionally, vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, can act as a protective antioxidant. Most fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of vitamin C. Fruits that are good sources include cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, papaya and strawberries. Rich vegetable sources include dark green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes and red peppers.

04.	Vitamin C in the Treatment of AIDS	Results of research by Robert F. Cathcart III, MD CONTAINS REFERENCES

05.	Antioxidants Vitamin C and E May Help Delay Cataract Formation	Slow deterioration of lens proteins due to oxidation can be forestalled with vitamins C and E, researchers say. A healthy eye contains a large concentration of vitamin C, but lower levels of the vitamin are found in human lenses with cataracts. In laboratory experiments, vitamin C protects lens proteins and other components of the eye against damage from ultraviolet light, another possible cause of cataracts.

06.	Clinical Guide to the Use of Vitamin C	The clinical experiences of Frederick R. Klenner, M.D., abbreviated, sumarized and annotated by Lendon H. Smith, M.D.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN D

01.	Vitamin D: Linus Pauling Institute	Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for maintaining normal calcium metabolism. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) can be synthesized by humans in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation from sunlight, or it can be obtained from the diet. The application of sunscreen with an SPF factor of 8 reduces production of vitamin D by 95%. Vitamin D insufficiency can be an important contributing factor to osteoporosis. Vitamin D is found naturally in very few foods. Foods containing vitamin D include some fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, sardines), fish liver oils, and eggs from hens that have been fed vitamin D.

02.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin D	Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient. Vitamin D, also known as calciferol, promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and then helps deposit them in bones and teeth. Research suggests that vitamin D has been linked with lower incidences of cancers and lower rates of immune-related conditions, such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

03.	Vitamin D on Wikipedia	Vitamin D obtained from sun exposure, food, and supplements, is biologically inert and must undergo two hydroxylation reactions to be activated in the body. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D3 is made in the skin when the UV index is greater than 3. This occurs daily during the spring and summer seasons in temperate regions and adequate amounts of vitamin D3 can be made in the skin after only ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. Season, geographic latitude, time of day, cloud cover, skin cover, skin color, smog, and sunscreen affect UV ray absorption and vitamin D synthesis.

04.	The Healing Benefits of Sunshine and Vitamin D	Not getting enough direct sunlight increases our chances of cancer by at least 70%. Why? Because our bodies need natural sunlight to synthesize adequate amounts of vitamin D in order to keep our bones strong and healthy, as well as support the immune system. The major biological function of vitamin D is to maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium, and thus helps to form and maintain strong bones and teeth. It regulates bone mineralization in unison with a number of other vitamins, minerals, and hormones.

05.	Vitamin D May Help Arthritic Knees Function Better	Researchers report a link between low serum levels of vitamin D and decreased knee function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. Low levels of vitamin D were associated with higher levels of pain and disability and to a lesser extent muscle weakness. They found that about 50 percent of the population were deficient in vitamin D. In previous studies, "almost 100 percent of the subjects with muscle pain were vitamin D deficient".

06.	Important Vitamin D Update	A meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials has found that supplemental vitamin D significantly reduces mortality from all causes.

07.	Winter is Approaching and Your Vitamin D is Falling	Counting on the sun alone for vitamin D will leave most people deprived of adequate amounts of this nutrient, especially during the winter in the northern parts of the US.

08.	Vitamin D May Help Prevent MS	Because the number of cases of MS increases the farther you get from the equator, one hypothesis has been that sunlight exposure and high levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of MS.

09.	The Truth About Vitamin D: Fourteen Reasons Why Misunderstanding Endures	This is an alternate view on the role and lack thereof of vitamin D in health and illness. CONTAINS REFERENCES

10.	Vitamin D Studies	Studies conducted by Dr. Michael Holick from the Boston University School of Medicine

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN E

01.	The Selection and Therapeutic Use of Vitamin E	Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin, and is remarkably safe. Doctors have given quantities as high as 3200 International Units (IU) per day harmlessly. This is over 100 times the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). Vitamin E helps to gradually break down blood clots in the circulatory system, and helps prevent more from forming. Vitamin E encourages collateral circulation in the smaller blood vessels of the body. It seems to promote healing with the formation of much less scar tissue. Vitamin E helps strengthen and regulate the heartbeat.

02.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin E	Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that primarily functions as an antioxidant, meaning it helps prevent or reduce damage caused by free radicals, ultimately reducing the risk of health problems like heart disease or cancer. Vitamin E exists in several forms.Alpha-tocopherol is the most active form of vitamin E and has the greatest nutritional significance.

03.	Vitamin E: Linus Pauling Institute	FreThe term vitamin E describes a family of eight antioxidants: four tocopherols (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-) and four tocotrienols (alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-). Alpha-tocopherol is the only form of vitamin E that is actively maintained in the human body; therefore, it is the form of vitamin E found in the largest quantities in blood and tissues. Results of at least five large observational studies suggest that increased vitamin E consumption is associated with decreased risk of heart attack or death from heart disease in both men and women.

04.	Vitamin E on Wikipedia	Particularly high levels of vitamin E can be found in the following foods: asparagus, avocado, egg, milk, nuts, seeds, spinach, unheated vegetable oils, wheat germ, and wholegrains.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN K

01.	What You Need to Know About Vitamin K	Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in blood clotting. In fact, without it our blood would not clot. Vitamin K also contributes to skeletal health because it plays a role in bone mineralization. The best food sources of vitamin K are leafy green vegetables, broccoli, eggs, wheat bran, and olive and canola oils. Because vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, its absorption from vegetables is enhanced by the presence of dietary fat.

02.	Vitamin K Slows Insulin Resistance in Older Men	Insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes, occurs when the body cannot use insulin properly. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood. Overweight and obese people are prone to insulin resistance, because excess fat can interfere with insulin function. By the end of the study, the men who took vitamin K had improved insulin resistance and lower blood insulin levels than men in the control group.

03.	Vitamin K: Linus Pauling Institute	Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin. The "K" is derived from the German word "koagulation." Coagulation refers to the process of blood clot formation. Vitamin K is essential for the functioning of several proteins involved in blood clotting. The ability to bind calcium ions (Ca2+) is required for the activation of the seven vitamin K-dependent clotting factors, or proteins, in the coagulation cascade. The term, coagulation cascade, refers to a series of events, each dependent on the other, that stop bleeding through clot formation. Although vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, the body stores very little of it, and its stores are rapidly depleted without regular dietary intake.

04.	Vitamin K on Wikipedia	Vitamin K1 is found chiefly in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, swiss chard, and Brassica (e.g. cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussels sprouts); some fruits such as avocado and kiwifruit are also high in Vitamin K. By way of reference, two tablespoons of parsley contain 153% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin K.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BIOTIN (VITAMIN B7 / VITAMIN H)

01.	Biotin: Linus Pauling Institute	Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that is generally classified as a B complex vitamin. Biotin is required by all organisms but can be synthesized only by bacteria, yeasts, molds, algae, and some plant species. It is estimated that at least one third of women develop marginal biotin deficiency during pregnancy.

02.	What You Need to Know About Biotin	Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that helps you transform fat, protein and carbohydrates in your food to energy. Biotin is found in a wide variety of natural foods. Egg yolk, liver and wheat bran are rich sources. Generally, the more processed a food, the lower its biotin content.

03.	Biotin on Wikipedia	Biotin, also known as vitamin H or B7, is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. Biotin is necessary for cell growth, the production of fatty acids, and the metabolism of fats and amino acids. It plays a role in the citric acid cycle. Biotin is also helpful in maintaining a steady blood sugar level.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHOLINE

01.	Choline: Linus Pauling Institute	Although choline is not by strict definition a vitamin, it is an essential nutrient. Choline is used in the synthesis of the structural components of all human cell membranes.

02.	Choline on Wikipedia	Choline is a water-soluble essential nutrient usually grouped within the Vitamin B complex. The foods richest in the major delivery form of choline are egg yolks, soy, wheat germ and cooked beef, chicken, veal and turkey livers.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COENZYME Q10

01.	CoQ10: Linus Pauling Institute	Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble compound primarily synthesized by the body and also consumed in the diet. Coenzyme Q10 is required for mitochondrial ATP synthesis and functions as an antioxidant in cell membranes and lipoproteins. The conversion of energy from carbohydrates and fats to adenosine triposphate (ATP), the form of energy used by cells, requires the presence of coenzyme Q in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Rich sources of dietary coenzyme Q10 include mainly meat, poultry, and fish. Other relatively rich sources include soybean and canola oils, and nuts. Coenzyme Q10 supplements have been reported to decrease the anti-coagulant effect of warfarin.

02.	CoQ10 on Wikipedia	Coenzyme Q10 is an oil-soluble vitamin-like substance present primarily in the mitochondria. It is a component of the electron transport chain and participates in aerobic cellular respiration, generating energy in the form of ATP. CoQ10 has the ability to transfer electrons and therefore act as an antioxidant. CoQ10 has the potential in hypertensive patients to lower systolic blood pressure

03.	Possible Health Benefits of Coenzyme Q10	Evidence is accumulating for a role of CoQ10 in the treatment of mitochondrial disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). There is evidence that CoQ supplements can protect the heart against functional damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion (lack of blood flow followed by resupply), as well as provide tolerance of the aging heart tissue to aerobic stress. There is evidence that statin therapy lowers plasma concentrations of CoQ.

04.	Coenzyme Q10 Effects in Neurodegenerative Disease	Coenzyme Q10 is an essential cofactor in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and has recently gained attention for its potential role in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. Studies have demonstrated potential neuroprotective effects of CoQ10.

05	Coenzyme Q10: A Promising Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease?	There is limited, but emerging evidence that CoQ may be a promising adjunctive therapy for some neurodegenerative disorders.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT INOSITOL

01.	Inositol on Wikipedia	Myo-Inositol was classified as a member of the vitamin B complex (often referred to as vitamin B8), but was found to be synthesized by the human body,thus declassifying it as a vitamin. Inositol is found in cereals with high bran content, nuts, beans, and fruit, especially cantaloupe melons and oranges. Inositol functions as the basis for a number of signaling and secondary messenger molecules involved in a number of biological processes, including insulin signal transduction, cytoskeleton assembly, nerve guidance, intracellular calcium (Ca2+) concentration control, serotonin activity modulation and gene expression. Patients suffering from clinical depression generally have decreased levels of inositol in their cerebrospinal fluid.

02.	Inositol on WebMD	Inositol is a vitamin-like substance. Inositol is used for diabetic nerve pain, panic disorder, high cholesterol, insomnia, cancer, depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, autism, psoriasis, treating side effects of medical treatment with lithium, and promoting hair growth,.

03.	Inositol Fact Sheet	Inositol is a sugar, also known as a simple carbohydrate, that plays a vital role in the chemical reactions in our body that are associated with the production of glucose. Some research has categorized inositol as a B-vitamin, but some studies have shown that this is not entirely accurate. Inositol can be found in wheat, brown rice, brewers yeast, cereal, oat flakes, beans, nuts, cabbage, bananas, raisins, oranges, and legumes. Inositol has an effect on nerve transmission, assisting in the transportation of fats with and throughout our bodies. Isoitol works with the other members of the vitamin-B group to help minimize the aggregation of fats in the liver. Inositol is also believed to be able to lower levels of blood cholesterol. Inositol plays a key role in proliferating cells and differentiation.

04.	Inositol as a Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders: A Scientific Evaluation of Its Clinical Effectiveness	Inositol is a naturally occurring isomer of glucose, though it is generally considered to be a member of the B vitamin family. Inositol serves as an important signal transduction molecule. Inositol's efficacy, in the absence of side effects, makes this nutrient an attractive addition to treatment plans for specific mood disorders. Inositol occurs naturally as phytic acid in the fiber component of numerous plant foods, especially whole grains, citrus fruit, nuts, and seeds, and as myoinositol in meat. Myoinositol is found to bioaccumulate most abundantly in the central nervous system, supporting a role for it in neurological function.

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Vitamins Health Topic