Beware the Vitamin Robbers
A vitamin robber is something we come into contact with, or consume, that prevents the body absorbing or utilising particular vitamins in the diet, or that can deplete vitamins already stored in the body. Four major vitamin robbers are their effects are discussed below.
Medications
In the UK each year there are around 80 million prescriptions for painkillers and million prescriptions for antibiotics alone. Most people are aware that taking medications, whether prescription or over the counter, can cause side effects, which could be such things as nausea or a dry mouth. Most people are unaware that taking medications can rob their body of vital nutrients. The active ingredient in aspirin and some other painkillers is salicylic acid which causes damage to the gut wall which weakens the immune system and uses up vitamins which are needed for a healthy immune system, such as vitamin C. It has an adverse effect on B complex vitamins and also the minerals calcium and potassium. Medications have to be detoxified by the liver and this depletes the nutrients used in the detoxification process. The contraceptive pill depletes the body of B complex vitamins, vitamin C, Vitamin and folic acid. Antibiotics destroy the good bowel bacteria which produce B vitamins and vitamin K and they also cause stress to the immune system, depleting the nutrients that support the immune system. Antacids deplete vitamin A and vitamin B. Diuretics cause losses of water soluble vitamins and laxatives deplete the fat soluble vitamins.
Stress
Most people, especially in Western societies, have to deal with some level of stress as part of their everyday lives. The body being in a state of stress uses up many nutrients in the release of stress hormones and glucose designed to prepare the body for ‘flight or fight’. The main vitamins depleted are vitamin C and the B vitamin complex along with a number of minerals. Just one angry outburst can deplete the body’s vitamin C stores. Repeated several times a day or living in a permanent state of stress can leave people severely lacking in nutrients. Also, when the body is in a stressful state, digestion and absorption of food is disrupted so the nutrients needing to b replaced may not even be absorbed. Intense exercise and competition are also stressful for the body and deplete the body of nutrients.
Air
The growing industrialisation of the world has meant more industry, more cars and planes all generating toxic emissions that become part of the air we breathe. The most common pollutants are nitrogen oxides from vehicle exhaust emissions and burning processes, hydrocarbons from engine fuel evaporations, exhaust and industrial emissions, sulphur dioxide from vehicle emissions and power stations, PM10s from diesel exhaust emissions, chimney emissions and open fires, ozone caused by the reaction of sunlight on exhaust fumes, carbon monoxide from exhaust emissions. The pollutants inhaled in the air cause free radical damage to the body and so deplete the antioxidant nutrients such as vitamins A, C and E and the nutrients required to manufacture antioxidant enzymes. Exercising in areas of high pollution increases the toxic load and causes higher levels of nutrient depletion.
Tobacco
Despite numerous campaigns highlighting the dangers of smoking, in the UK we smoke around 75 billion cigarettes per year. Cigarette smoke contains many substances which are damaging to health, including the toxic mineral cadmium. Smoking creates massive free radical damage within the body, requiring and using up the antioxidant nutrients, Vitamins A, C and E and the nutrients which make antioxidant enzymes. Each cigarette depletes the body of 25mg of vitamin C, over a third of the RDA, leaving smokers very deficient in this vitamin. Non smokers living with smokers or visiting smoky places are also at risk of vitamin C depletion. Smoking also creates an acid environment within the body. To neutralise the acid, calcium and phosphorus are lost from the bones, which increases the risk of osteoporosis.
By:Helen Taranowski