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Calcium does not strengthen nails or hair! The most enduring myths about vitamins
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Together with an expert, we understand what effect vitamins actually have on the body.
Mikhail Lebedev
expert of the Center for Molecular Diagnostics of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor
1. Multivitamins are needed to strengthen immunity
Back in 2013, studies proved the ineffectiveness of multivitamin complexes. Scientists quite definitely advise saving on this item of pharmacy expenses. “Strengthening immunity” is the most general wording that allows you to create the widest possible coverage. There are many problems with multivitamins: insufficient dosage, “incompatibility” of some vitamins with each other in one tablet, the inability to create a universal form for all vitamins (some substances are more convenient to exist in drops, others in the form of a capsule, and still others like to be chewed) .
Vitamins as separate supplements should be prescribed by a doctor in case of confirmed deficiency. At the same time, a balanced diet in terms of its vitaminizing properties is unrivaled.
In order to start hypervitaminosis, you need to try very hard. This is especially true of water-soluble vitamins — groups B and C, since these substances tend not only to accumulate quickly in the body, but also to be excreted at lightning speed. Fat-soluble vitamins — A, E, D, K — do require some care, as their reserves are created more slowly, but they are also spent more economically. Basically, if these problems overtake, then people who switch to artificially synthesized nutrition, for example, athletes.
Nails (like hair) are a protein structure, and its basis is keratin. The amino acid cysteine makes the nails hard, while its deficiency provokes brittleness. Although calcium must be present in the nails, selenium, zinc, phosphorus and chromium are equally necessary. But this macronutrient is definitely needed by the bones and the nervous system.
This statement has been around in medicine since the seventies of the last century, but studies have not proven the involvement of ascorbic acid in boosting the protective functions of the body. But vitamin D clearly helps the body to defend itself. At the same time, the lack of this vitamin in well-off adults began to be observed more and more often — this is how the lack of sunlight affects us. Office workers today have the same problems as English miners in the 19th century.
In plant foods, in addition to protein identical to animal, under no pretext can you find the extremely important vitamin B12, which is found exclusively in animal products and can not be replaced by any nuts, legumes or various cabbages. This substance, which bears the scientific name «cyanocobalamin», plays an important role in iron metabolism, and with its deficiency, anemia can begin in a few months with all the consequences: weakness, apathy, drowsiness, memory and attention impairment. Vegetarians are just shown vitamin supplements, but only with constant monitoring of a number of laboratory parameters.
