Natural Vitamins

Vitamin supplements are readily availably today in stores in every locality. They are used to supplement the natural vitamin intake of a person. Nutrition is supplemented by vitamins in situations where it is important for the individual to have an adequate vitamin intake. Physicians prescribe special pre-natal vitamins for pregnant women. The vitamins are important for the health of the woman and the development of the baby. The woman needs adequate amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid during pregnancy and usually doesn't get it through proper diet unless she is extremely meticulous. A deficiency of vitamins and minerals during pregnancy can cause problems for both mother and child. For example, a folic acid deficiency can result in birth defects. A zinc deficiency can cause the baby to have immune system problems. A lack of vitamin D and calcium can cause bone problems. Pre-natal vitamin supplements prevent many of these problems.

Vitamin supplements are also always given to infants and children. Breast milk and infant formula contain all or most of the vitamins that an infant requires. Children who don't have the proper vitamins while they are growing up suffer the consequences in the form of various diseases. A vitamin A deficiency can results in blindness. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to Ricketts and other bone-related problems. Deficiency of vitamin K in infants can lead to bleeding. A vitamin E deficiency can result in cystic fibrosis and celiac disease. This is only a partial list of the problems children can have due to improper nutrition.

Eating properly used to be the only way of taking in the required amount of vitamins. This is why there were so many problems in pregnancy and childhood. They didn't have Recommended Daily Allowances and labeling with the percentage of the RDAs that they have now. They also didn't have grocery stores where they could go out and buy the kinds of foods they needed. They also didn't have the knowledge that we have the day. The best they could do was to eat as they always ate. This resulted in a lot of women and children with diseases. Vitamin supplements didn't appear until the twentieth century. The prescription of pre-natal vitamins and child vitamins has eliminated a lot of the diseases that used to appear from vitamin deficiencies. Also, people are more aware of the importance of vitamins and proper nutrition today than they were in the past.