In the season of colds and viral infections, interest in vitamin complexes increases sharply. As far as he is justified, Woman’s Day tried to find out.
She spoke about whether it is necessary to use preparations of vitamins and minerals or whether it is possible to fill their deficit only by means of food products, she told at a regular meeting of the Ladies’ Club in the Bali spa nutritionist Julia Bykova:
Regarding vitamins, I adhere to the point of view of St. Petersburg scientists, who have proven that we have a deficiency of vitamins and microelements from generation to generation. Incidentally, this shortage is one of the causes of obesity and uncontrolled appetite. So the body tries to make up for what it lacks. Therefore, in my opinion, it is necessary to take multivitamins constantly. Indeed, in the human body there is no store of vitamins, where they could be stored and, if necessary, used. There is a depot of fats and glycogen, but vitamins are a different story. Therefore, even in the most fertile season, when there are a lot of fruits, berries and vegetables, it is impossible to fill up for the future in order to stock up on vitamins. Vitamins and microelements are constantly consumed, they are catalysts for all biochemical reactions in the body. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish their number regularly. The use of high-quality vitamin complexes, for example, significantly strengthens the susceptibility to seasonal viral infections. In addition, the chronic course of various diseases is sometimes due to a lack of any trace element. With the elimination of this cause, the disease also goes away.
A great variety of vitamin complexes are sold in pharmacies, even taking into account age and gender. Is this justified?
I admit the dosage for children and adults, and all other specification is more of a marketing ploy. Another exception is preparations containing calcium. Their dosage for women in menopause should be higher than for the rest of the population. With the onset of menopause, a woman should drink calcium supplements constantly or in courses, depending on individual characteristics.
Does this mean that the deficiency of vitamins and microelements in the body cannot be replenished with food alone, even the highest quality?
This is indeed the case. For example, it has been proven that the maximum concentration of vitamins in fruits is before ripening. And where did you see fruits on the shelves that were picked the day before ripening? Everything turns off almost green, because ripe fruits in the process of transportation acquire, to put it mildly, an unmarketable look. And in unripe fruits, the concentration of vitamins and microelements is initially low, and even this is largely lost during storage and delivery.
Now there is a lot of talk about the benefits of using L-carnitine. What is it and why is it needed?
L-carnitine is an amino acid. Normally, it is produced in our body. The peak of L-carnitine production is 20 years, then the decline begins. What is he doing? It is a kind of carrier of fatty acid released from the fat cell during training into the bloodstream, to the muscle cell. By itself, fatty acid cannot enter the cell, and here L-carnitine comes to its aid. If you are doing aerobic exercise, taking L-carnitine is not only possible, but also necessary (it is advisable to do it in courses, before and after training). The process of burning fat with it is more efficient. Without a load, there is no point in taking it.