Primo Health Blog

Taking vitamins and supplements without consulting with a nutrition professional can lead to unwanted health issues, and can end up being a waste of your money. It is best to do some sort of nutrition assessment like the Primo Blood Chemistry Analysis in order to identify any deficiencies or potential health issues related to nutrient deficiencies.

Modern lifestyle and diet have made the "d" in the vitamin D stand more for deficient than for anything else. The 2003 National Institute for Health (NIH) conference on vitamin D reported "a growing prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency in the U.S. population." Previous concerns over vitamin D toxicity along with a modern sun-phobic America are probable causes of this growing trend towards a lack of something good.

Growing concerns over skin cancers and aging skin have forced many of us out of the sun and into the dark about vitamin D. Dramatic increases in sun protection are suspiciously coinciding with decreases in blood vitamin D levels. But is this correlation really that mysterious? Not if one knows that sun exposure is the body's main source of vitamin D production. The Vitamin D Council website states that "the high rate of natural production of vitamin D3 cholecalciferol in the skin is the single most important fact every person should know about vitamin D..."

If you watch television you've likely seen one of the many commercials touting the benefits of probiotics. An advertising campaign by Activia brand yogurts has actress Jamie Lee Curtis explaining the benefits of the probiotics found in their product. There are several other commercials like it. But what's all the hype about?

Cobalamin, also known as Vitamin B12, has a bright red color and has a high content of cobalt. It is one of the many B Vitamins, and it is essential to life. Vitamin B12 plays a significant role in many of the body's processes and functions. Though B12 is a water soluble vitamin, it is stored in our liver and other organs (unlike the other water soluble vitamins). Nonetheless, it is important to include plentiful sources of B12 in our daily diet.

The health benefits of Vitamin B12 are best derived from animal foods. The stomach secretes a special digestive agent called intrinsic factor to help absorb B12 from these foods. Though vegans and vegetarians lean towards fermented soy products like tempeh for Vitamin B12, scientists believe it is likely not a usable form of the vitamin (Weston A. Price Foundation). Supplementing with B12 would be recommended for those on non-animal diets, as deficiencies in cobalamin or intrinsic factor can lead to many health issues that we will discuss next.

The benefits of Vitamin A are numerous. My intention is to highlight some of the important blessings our bodies derive from consuming this nutrient. 

Vitamin A was the first nutrient recognized as fat soluble. Fat soluble vitamins do not easily dissolve in water. They are absorbed in the intestines with the help of fats. There are four fat soluble vitamins: Vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins tend to be stored in the body and accumulate in the liver and fatty tissues. Because of this, it is possible to over-consume Vitamin A. However, this is more common when taken in supplement form than from whole foods.