WHAT ARE THE FLAVONOIDS? The flavonoids (also known as bioflavonoids, polyphenols or vitamin P) are probably the most well known group of phytonutrients (a group of chemical compounds which occur naturally in plants and have numerous health benefits but are not considered essential nutrients). The flavonoid group is comprised of 9 separate sub-groups: - Anthocyanins (which include cyanidin, delphinidin, malvidin, pelargonidin, peonidin and petunidin). - Chalconoids. - Coumestans (which include coumestrol). - Flavanones (which include hesperidin, naringenin and silymarin). - … [Read more...]
Para-Amino Benzoic Acid (PABA / Vitamin Bx) Explained
WHAT IS PARA-AMINOBENZOIC ACID? Para-aminobenzoic acid (also known as PABA or vitamin Bx) is an unofficial water soluble, B complex vitamin. Para-aminobenzoic acid is not considered a true vitamin because it is part of vitamin B9 and can be produced in the body by intestinal bacteria. However, it is a powerful antioxidant (substances that protect the body from oxygen related damage) and also keeps the skin and hair healthy. In this article I will be looking at para-aminobenzoic acid in greater detail. WHEN WAS PARA-AMINOBENZOIC ACID DISCOVERED? Para-aminobenzoic acid was discovered … [Read more...]
Inositol (Myo-Inositol / Vitamin B8) Explained
WHAT IS INOSITOL? Inositol (also known as myo-inositol or vitamin B8) is an unofficial water soluble, B complex vitamin. It is not officially classed as a vitamin because it can be produced by intestinal bacteria in the body. Inositol works very closely with choline to maintain healthy cell membranes, metabolise fats and much more. In this article I will be discussing inositol in greater detail. WHEN WAS INOSITOL DISCOVERED? Inositol was initially isolated in 1849 by Scherer. In 1915 Wieland and Wishart became the first people to produce inositol and the full chemical structure … [Read more...]
Choline Explained
WHAT IS CHOLINE? Choline is an essential nutrient that promotes good liver health and plays a key role in fat metabolism. Whilst it is not technically a vitamin, it is often unofficially classified as a water soluble, B complex vitamin. In this article I will be discussing choline in greater detail. WHEN WAS CHOLINE DISCOVERED? Choline was discovered by Adolph Strecker in 1862 and chemically synthesised in 1866. In 1946 further research revealed that a diet lacking in choline caused liver cancer in rats. However, it was not until 1998 that choline was classified as an essential … [Read more...]
Can Vitamin C Help You Avoid Christmas Colds?
As I discussed in my last article we are more susceptible to both the common cold and flu around Christmas time when the weather goes cold. Whilst there is no cure for the common cold or the flu there are a number of popular suggestions for preventing it. One such suggestions is to take high doses of vitamin C. Today, I will be discussing if vitamin C really can help prevent the common cold and any of the other potential benefits it can offer you over this Christmas period. In my previous post on vitamin C I mentioned that one of the benefits is that it can reduce the symptoms of the … [Read more...]
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Explained
Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is a water soluble vitamin and is probably the most well known vitamin of them all. The discovery of vitamin C was the result of a search for a cure for scurvy (a disease which leads to problems with the connective tissue now known to be caused by a lack of vitamin C). Scurvy has been reported to affect explorers, sailors and soldiers throughout history. This is now thought to be because they stuck to a diet of dry biscuits and salted beef. They did not often take fruit and vegetables with them on their travels because they were not easy to preserve … [Read more...]
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) Explained
Vitamin B12 (also known as cobalamin) is a water soluble vitamin and part of the B complex group (a group of eight vitamins that were initially thought to be the singular vitamin B). Like many of the other vitamins the discovery of vitamin B12 was the result of research into a cure for a disease. This time researchers were searching for a way to treat pernicious anemia (a lack of red blood cells in the body which is now known to be caused by vitamin B12 deficiency). Up until the 1920s this condition often resulted in death. However, in 1926 George Richards Minot and William Perry Murphy … [Read more...]
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) Explained
Vitamin B9 (also known as folic acid) is a water soluble vitamin and part of the B complex group (eight vitamins that were initially thought to be the singular vitamin B). It was first noticed in 1930 when Lucy Willis and her group of researchers realised that yeast based tonic and crude liver extracts could help prevent macrocytic anemia (a condition where the red blood cells are larger than normal leading to a low number of red blood cells in the body) in pregnant women. Other researchers came forward with similar discoveries of a compound which could prevent anemia (a low number of red … [Read more...]
Vitamin B7 (Biotin/Vitamin H) Explained
Vitamin B7 (also known as biotin or vitamin H) is a water soluble vitamin and part of the B complex group (eight vitamins that were initially thought to be the singular vitamin B). The discovery of vitamin B7 dates back to the 1927 when M.A. Boas realised that feeding rats raw eggs for several weeks would lead to a condition called 'egg white injury' (where they would develop a skin condition similar to eczema, lose all their hair, become paralysed and bleed under their skin). Soon after this Boas discovered that a substance in liver which he named 'protective factor x' could treat 'egg … [Read more...]
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Explained
Vitamin B6 (also known as pyridoxine) is a water soluble vitamin and part of the B complex group (a group of eight vitamins which were first thought to be the singular vitamin B). It was first discovered when scientists were looking for a vitamin that would cure acrodynia (a skin inflammation) in rats. The acrodynia in the rats appeared to resemble pellagra (a disease where the skin becomes red and rough). Since scientists already knew that pellagra was caused by a lack of vitamin B3 and could be used to treat the condition, they assumed that B3 could also be used to treat acrodynia. In … [Read more...]