Liquid Vitamin Nutrition
Vitamins are substances that can be derived from the food that we consume and are necessary for the body to develop correctly and function properly. For example, vitamin D helps strengthen bones white vitamin C boosts the immune system. However, it's not always possible to obtain all the vitamins we need from food, which is liquid vitamins are often used.
-
Facts
-
Liquid vitamin nutrition is often given to infants, the elderly and other people who have difficulty swallowing solids. Many liquid vitamins are sweetened or colored artificially. Aside from being taken orally, liquid vitamin nutrition can be injected intramuscularly or intravenously, which is useful to treat illnesses such as scurvy. The most common vitamins that are injected are B12 and B-complex.
-
Purpose
-
Liquid vitamin nutrition is primarily used as a preventive measure against diseases or as a way to maintain or improve health. It can also be used as a primary means of treatment or as a support for other treatments used against short-term and chronic diseases. An advantage of using liquid vitamins is that they rarely cause side effects. However, there are some situations in which the use of liquid vitamins can cause detoxification symptoms such as diarrhea.
Advantages
-
Liquid vitamin nutrition is often used because it acts fast and is relatively quick and painless to take. The body absorbs liquids more easily than solids. Busy lifestyles also prevent people from following a proper diet and exercising, so liquid vitamin nutrition can fill this gap and ensure that the body does not become deficient in any of the nutrients it needs.
Considerations
-
Liquid vitamin nutrition should not be considered a replacement for regular meals. On the contrary, there are some liquid vitamins that become more effective when taken right after food or drink is consumed. Vitamins come in two forms: water-soluble and fat-soluble. For example, B vitamins and vitamin C are dissolved in water. Thus, they need to be digested with food before they can be used by the body. Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, may be taken before meals.
Risks
-
As with any kind of supplemental regimen, liquid vitamin nutrition should be done under the supervision of a doctor. A risk in taking liquid vitamin nutrition is hypervitaminosis, which can lead to symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. This condition occurs more frequently with fat-soluble vitamins because they are usually stored in the fatty tissues of the body and the liver. As a result, the vitamins can build up over time.
References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Anssi Koskinen
