Hair and skin vitamin - sounds promising!

Guten tag nutrinutters!

A few years back, I remember that I used to joke around with friends about chocolate being great for me because it had vitamin H, this nonexistent vitamin that I made up to justify my chocolate addiction. It turns out that there is such a thing as vitamin H! Granted, chocolate is not a source of it at all :)

Never heard of it? The reason for that might be because it is mainly known as Biotin or vitamin B7! It is said that the name vitamin H comes from the German words hair and skin "Haar und Haut", since deficiency of biotin affects the skin and hair.


Like the previous B vitamins, biotin will help in the conversion of the nutrients coming from foods into energy for our cells. This vitamin is a coenzyme to some important reactions including the making of fats, in particular fatty acids. It does this because its presence is required for the functioning of an enzyme called acetyl CoA-carboxylase, which is responsible for putting together the building blocks that make up the fat in your body.

Now you might be thinking "this vitamin is THE enemy of my life!!". I however have to protest and act as biotin's defense attorney. Fat production is very important for your skin cells since cells need the correct amount of fat in their membranes to work properly. Skin cells themselves die very quickly needing to be replaced fast!More importantly, they are in contact with the environment and work as a selective barrier. When there is a biotin deficiency, your skin cells are one of the first ones to be impacted by it. Vitamin B7 is not only important for healthy skin but it is also said to help improve thin, splitting or brittle nails and hair!

Biotin when combined with chromium might also help improve blood sugar control by decreasing insulin resistance and nerve symptoms that accompany type 2 diabetes. Now pay close attention my Nutrinutters, you must NEVER take any supplement on your own without speaking to a physician and dietitian about it. Many supplements have strong interactions with meds so you have to be very careful.

What are some good sources of Vitamin H

A few foods are good sources of biotin including eggs (specially egg yolk), yeast, nuts and beans.
Here are some numbers for you:
1/4 cup of peanuts has about 26 micrograms (mcg) of Biotin
1/4 cup of almonds has about 14 mcg of Biotin
1 egg has about 8 mcg of Biotin

However, there's something unique about this vitamin when it comes to ways of obtaining some. It just so happens that the bacteria in your gut produces biotin! So here we have yet another reason among many others as to why we should keep our gut microflora very healthy! (we'll discuss probiotics and prebiotics soon!)

Do I still need a lot of B7 if my gut bacteria produces some already?

As you can see, this vitamin has very important functions. Therefore, even though we produce some on our own, the recommendation for adult males and females is 30 micrograms per day. Pregnant women have the same recommendation, breastfeeding on the other hand should have 35 micrograms per day.
Biotin is not known to be toxic even in higher doses, which is why there is no tolerable upper limit intake for this vitamin.

The Nutrient Chain

This vitamin, like many others, believes in team work! Deficiency of B5 or pantothenic acid (we discussed this one a few weeks back) can contribute to biotin deficiency since they both participate in many metabolic situations.

Well, this concludes another vitamin from the B-files! We have a couple more to go before setting sail in different seas...

Before I go, I just wanted to say a quick hi to the international Nutrinutters in Brazil, China, Ireland, Norway, Russia, Ukraine and United Kingdom!!!!

Have a great week everyone!!!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

The Moody Vitamin - B6

Ciao Nutrinutters!

I hope everyone has been having an amazing year so far! 2014 has come with many many blessings in this nutrinut's way..I just started my new job and am loving every second of it - who better to share this amazing news than with my nutrinutters :)

Let's get back to business though shall we? Still having a few vitamins to go before closing the B-files - It's B6's turn for some spotlight attention...

Clearly this vitamin had to have a name to match all the other complicated ones so are you guys ready for B6 thought that it needed to stand out more than the others somehow and decided that one form is simply not enough - this vitamin can be found in 3 forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. Although it can be found in these 3 forms, B6 is also called Pyridoxine, may be due to it being the most stable form out of the 3 even if it is not the most active of them.
this one????

Why is this vitamin so Moody??

Being part of the B-files, it could only have similar traits with the other B vitamins. Pyridoxine, like the B's we've discussed, help convert nutrients into energy for our cells. It plays a special role in pulling carbohydrate out of storage and also converting amino acids into glucose, both to be used as energy for the cells.

B6 also plays a role in the nervous system by participating in the body's production of a few neutransmitters (these are chemicals that carry signals from one nerve cell to the other) such as serotonin and norepinephrine and GABA(influences your mood, hence the moody vitamin).

You might also have heard that people who don't get enough of B6 are at higher risk of heart disease. This is because this vitamin, along with B9 and B12, help lower blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid that your body produces when you digest proteins and is strongly influenced by your diet. Although it is not clear how effective B6 is in heart disease, high levels of homocysteine is considered by the American Heart Association to be a risk factor of cardiovascular disease.

A few other ways B6 participate in the healthy functioning of our bodies include the making of red blood cells and cells of the immune system.

How much do I need???

As you can see, this vitamin is pretty important and you might be thinking that for sure you must need tons of it in your body, right? But just like all the other vitamins and mineral, it is considered a MICROnutrient for a reason - although very important, it is not needed in big quantities, like the MACROnutrients protein, fats and carbohydrates.

The needs for an adult male and female under 50 years is 1.3 milligrams per day. It slightly increases in adults over 50 years, males needing 1.7 mg while females 1.5 mg. Pregnant and lactating women, like in the previous vitamins, have higher needs of 1.9 mg and 2.0 mg respectively.

What foods should I have??

Some great sourced of B6 include chicken, fish, pork,milk, eggs, whole grains, soybeans, potatoes, beans, nuts, seeds and dark green vegetables. Some breads and similar products might have vitamin B6 added as part of its fortified flour.

Yet again, it is not likely that one can overdose in this vitamin through foods since most good sources contain less than 1 mg per serving. For those of you who are interested in taking multivitamins, it is very important that before anything you consult with your physician and dietitian. I say this because taking too much also has its consequences. B6 has a tolerable upper intake level of 100 mg per day and has been reported to cause changes of sensation in hands and feet.

To conclude this week's post, I wanted to share with you the song that I can't stop listening to while writing this post. (Yes, I am one of those that when I like a song I just can't stop listening to it...how about you??)

If by any chance this one doesn't play in your device, it's called "Elastic Heart" by Sia...Hope you enjoy it as much as me ;)

Have an amazing week everyone and see you all again next Monday!

XOXO

-The Nutrinut-

Sources: American Herat Association, Linus Pauling Institute, University of Maryland Medical Center, Nutrition 411, Nutrition for Dummies

Moving on to the fifth: Pantothenic acid - B5

Ciao Nutrinutters!


Today is a special day, instead of writing from my usual spot at my desk at home, I'm writing with this beautiful view:

Not bad huh?

Our next vitamin from the B-files is one that when I was studying nutrition in college I used to remember as the one with the name that made me think of the shampoo/conditioner brand Pantene...

Ladies and gents I present to you B5 or pantothenic acid....and unfortunately you will rarely see it being called "B5" but pantothenic acid instead...why simplify right? don't scientists have the best sense of humor? ;)

What does this shampoo vitamin do anyways??

Pantothenic acid is really important in many body functions and is mainly found in our cells in the form of coenzyme A. Let's break this one down so it doesn't sound so confusing shall we? Starting with what is an enzyme - this is a molecule that will help accelerate chemical processes that are fundamental in our bodies. Some enzymes however, require another molecule to help carry out its function and this little fella is called a coenzyme.

So coenzyme A, where B5 is found in the body, is responsible for participating in many reactions including enabling your body to use energy from food and the ability of your body to make essential fats, cholesterol and steroid hormones.
Pantothenic acid also protects hemoglobin - this is the protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen though the body.
With this vitamin playing such an important role in our bodies, luckily deficiency of B5 is very rare and was only found in very critical malnutrition.

How much Pantothenic acid is needed and where can I find it in foods?

Your body actually has a limited ability to store B5 so we can observe that the needs for this vitamin is a little higher than the previous ones we've discussed - for adult males and females, the recommended is 5 milligrams per day. For pregnant women or breast feeding the recommendation is a little higher of 6 and 7 milligrams respectively.

Some foods that are good sources of pantothenic acid are meats, fish, eggs, beans and whole grain cereals.

Remember that since B5 is not stored well in the body and being another water-soluble vitamin, there aren't any known toxicity symptoms that come from having too many food rich in this vitamin.


Thank you once again for giving this Nutrinut another week to show you a little more about vitamins and a special hello to the nutrinutters from Brazil, Malaysia, Germany, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam, Canada, Australia and the U.S.!!!

xoxo

-The Nutrinut-

Sources: Linus Pauling Institute, nutrition411, nutrition for dummies

The Fantastic Four - Vitamin B4

Ciao Nutrinutters!

How was your New Years? I hope everyone had a great time! I spent mine with my family and watched the fireworks nearby at midnight. There's something about counting down the last 10 seconds of the year and then watching all those beautiful colorful lights explode in the night sky! Don't you think?

So far everywhere I go, all I hear people talk about is the guilt of the extra pounds they gained during the holidays...but all I can think of is how delicious everything I ate was! I sensually ate during the entire holidays! :)
Ok, ok! I do feel some detox has to happen now =/  So how about we start by continuing our Journey?

We covered B1, B2, B3 and the next logical step would be to cover B4...never heard of it? That's because it was practically mission impossible to find something on the topic. The most common B vitamins are: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9 and B12...but being the Nutrinut that I am, I found a few things on the topic although it was not easy! Who doesn't love a good challenge?

Wanna know what this one is called?? Were you hoping for an easy name like Ana? It does start with an A so you were close! It's called Adenine.

Adenine is a nucleobase meaning that it has in its structure Nitrogen and is found in DNA. We will not go down the genetics path from Bio class, no worries :)
So why is this even a vitamin?? The reason why it is B4 is because it has certain Vitamin properties.

What does it take to be in the Vitamin Club?

A vitamin is defined by being the following:

• Organic compound - this just means that it has carbon in its chain - that little "C" that you would see connected to all the "H" in chemistry class, look familiar?

• Required in the diet in small amounts for the main body functions.

Adenine unfortunately got kicked out of the B complex group and it is no longer considered a true vitamin but 2 of the vitamins we've discussed already (B2 and B3) link to it to perform some of their own functions.

What are some functions of Adenine?

There is no way to discuss these in detail without going into biology and chemistry, so I'll keep this simple!
Adenine participates in the following:

• Cellular respiration (a process that takes place in your cells to make energy from nutrients)
• Making protein (since it is part of DNA)

Wanna hear something neat?

I found a study in the International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment that the use of small doses Adenine worked efficiently as a protective factor in the radiation treatment of breast cancer cells!

Food Sources and How much do I need?

Although one can't actually find food sources of B4 and to make protein in our body you need to eat protein in foods, it is safe to assume that eating foods high in protein such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans will help in making more protein for your body and can be considered good sources.

As for how much we need, look back at the protein post to calculate how much protein you need specifically :)  Some of you have already done the math - for those of you who haven't, it's a great time to catch up! Just click below :)

How much protein do I need??

Did you guys survive this post???

If you did, I think this song is for you!!!

If the video wasn't playing on your phone, the song is called "on top of the world" by Imagine Dragons

Thanks for staying tuned one more week!!! Hope everyone has a great year!!!!!
2014 will be our year Nutrinutters!!!

xoxo

- The Nutrinut-

Sources: ANTICANCER RESEARCH 26: 3005-3010 (2006), Biochemical Physiological, Molecular Aspects of Human Nutriiton