Acidophilus is one of several microbes known collectively as probiotics (literally, "pro life," indicating that they are bacteria and yeasts that help rather than harm). Others include the bacteria L. bulgaricus, L. reuteri, L. plantarum, L. casei, B. bifidus, S. salivarius, and S. thermophilus and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Your digestive tract contains billions of bacteria. Some of these internal inhabitants are more helpful to your body than others. Acidophilus and related probiotics not only help the digestive tract function, they also reduce the presence of less healthful organisms by competing with them for the limited space available. For this reason, use of probiotics can help prevent infectious diarrhea.
Use of antibiotics can disturb your inner bio-balance by killing friendly bacteria. When this happens, harmful bacteria and yeasts can move in and flourish. Conversely, it appears that the regular use of probiotics can help prevent infections and generally improve the health of the gastrointestinal system. Whenever you take antibiotics, you should probably take probiotics as well, and continue them for some time after you are done with the course of treatment.
Cultured dairy products such as yogurt and kefir are good sources of acidophilus and other probiotic bacteria. Supplements are widely available in powder, liquid, capsule, or tablet form. Grocery stores and natural food stores both carry milk that contains live acidophilus.

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Amino acids are the chemical units or "building blocks" that make up proteins. Amino acids contain about 16 percent nitrogen. Chemically, this is what distinguishes them from the other two basic nutrients, sugars and fatty acids. Proteins are a necessary part of every living cell in the body. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of our body weight. The enzymes and hormones that catalyze and regulate all bodily processes are proteins. Proteins form the structural basis of chromosomes, through which genetic information is passed from parents to offspring. The genetic "code" contained in each cell’s DNA is actually information for how to make cell’s proteins.
The proteins that make up the human body are not obtained directly from diet. Dietary protein is broken down into its constituent amino acids, which the body then uses to build the specific proteins it needs. Thus, it is the amino acids rather than protein that are essential nutrients.

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Antioxidants is a classification of several organic and inorganic substances, including vitamins C and E, vitamin A (which is converted from beta-carotene), selenium (a mineral), and a group known as the carotenoids. Carotenoids, of which beta- carotene is the most popular, are a pigment that adds color to many fruits and vegetables -- without them, carrots wouldn’t be orange, for example. Together as antioxidants, these substances are thought to be effective in helping to prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke. At the molecular and cellular levels, antioxidants serve to deactivate certain particles called free radicals. In humans, free radicals usually come in the form of O2, the oxygen molecule. The oxygen molecule wants to be oxidized (remember that stuff from your chemistry class?), and this oxidation process can sometimes be carcinogenic. Free radicals are the natural by-products of many processes within and among cells. They are also created by exposure to various environmental factors, tobacco smoke and radiation, for instance.
Free radicals can cause damage to cell walls, certain cell structures, and genetic material within the cells. In the worst case scenario and over a long time period, such damage can become irreversible and lead to disease (e.g., cancer). This is where antioxidants come into play. Antioxidants can eliminate free radicals before they get a chance to do harm in your body. Researchers have postulated that antioxidants prevent the possible carcinogenic effects of oxidation.
In terms of heart disease and stroke, it is possible that higher levels of antioxidants slow or prevent the development of arterial blockages, a complicated process involving the oxidation of cholesterol. Moreover, antioxidants may deter the collection of plaque on arterial walls. Some of the antioxidants: alpha-lipoic acid, bilberry (herb), coenzyme Q10, cysteine (amino acid), gingo bioba (herb), green tee, melatonin (hormone), selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E.

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Bees create propolis by collecting a resinous sap from trees and then mixing it with wax back at the hive. They use this material much the way people use caulk: to seal their homes. Chemically, propolis is exceedingly complex and contains a rich variety of potent terpenes and benzoic, caffeic, cinnamic,and phenolic acids. It’s also high in flavonoids, which by themselves may account for many of the benefits attributed to propolis-and some researchers refer to propolis as a type of flavonoid. Most medical articles point to the value of propolis as a powerful, natural antibiotic. That doesn’t mean eating propolis will let you throw away your antibiotics - only that you may not need them quite as often. Propolis works against bacteria in several ways. One study reported that it prevented bacterial cell division and also broke down bacterial walls and cytoplasm, which is how some prescription antibiotics work. Perhaps more remarkable is that propolis acts against viruses, which antibiotics do not. A number of medical journal reports have discussed the role of propolisin fighting upper respiratory infections, such as those caused by the common cold and influenza viruses. Some of its components, like the flavonoids and ethanols, function as antioxidant free-radical scavengers.

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, making up nearly 2% of total body weight. More than 99% of the calcium in your body is found in your bones, but the other 1% is perhaps just as important for good health. Many enzymes depend on calcium in order to work properly, as do your nerves, heart, and blood-clotting mechanisms. In spite of calcium-fortified dairy, most Americans are calcium deficient. Calcium supplements are a way to make sure you’re getting enough of this important mineral. One of the most important uses of calcium is to prevent and treat osteoporosis, the progressive loss of bone mass to which postmenopausal women are especially vulnerable. Calcium works best when combined with vitamin D.
Various medications may impair calcium absorption or metabolism, either directly, or through effects on vitamin D. People who use these may benefit by taking extra calcium and vitamin D. Milk, cheese, and other dairy products are excellent sources of calcium. Other good sources include orange juice or soy milk fortified with calcium, fish canned with its bones (e.g., sardines), dark green vegetables, nuts and seeds, and calcium-processed tofu.

There are two primary species of cat’s claw used medicinally: Uncaria tomentosa and Uncaria guianensis.
Cat’s claw is most often marketed as a treatment for viral diseases such as herpes, shingles, AIDS, and feline leukemia virus. However, the evidence for these uses is preliminary. One study on cat’s claw suggests that the Uncaria guianensis species might be helpful for osteoarthritis. Cat’s claw has also been proposed as a treatment for allergies and stomach ulcers, but there is no significant evidence as yet that it is effective for these conditions.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), also known as ubiquinone, is a powerful antioxidant discovered by researchers at the University of Wisconsin in 1957. The name of this supplement comes from the word ubiquitous, which means "found everywhere." CoQ10 is found in every cell in the body. It plays a fundamental role in the mitochondria, the parts of the cell that produce energy from glucose and fatty acids.
Japanese scientists first discovered the therapeutic properties of CoQ10 in the 1960s. CoQ10 appears to assist the heart during times of stress on the heart muscle, perhaps by helping it use energy more efficiently. CoQ10’s best-established use is for congestive heart failure. Other research results suggest that it may also be useful for other types of heart problems, Parkinson’s disease, and several additional illnesses. It is generally used in addition to, rather than instead of standard therapies.
Because CoQ10 is found in all animal and plant cells, we obtain small amounts of this nutrient from our diet. However, it would be hard to get a therapeutic dosage from food. The typical recommended dosage of CoQ10 is 30 to 300 mg daily, often divided into 2 or 3 doses; higher daily intakes have been used in some studies. CoQ10 is fat soluble and may be better absorbed when taken in an oil-based soft gel form rather than in a dry form such as tablets and capsules.

Cholesterol

A fatty substance produced predominantly by the liver, and necessary for building cell membranes, insulating the CNS, covering fats for blood transport, forming bile acids, oiling the skin and making steroid hormones. Blood cholesterols are not derived from food (digestion breaks them down) but are intentionally synthesized by the liver, in response to seeming need. Elevated cholesterols are the result of certain types of stress or metabolic imbalances, and the liver makes more than the tissues need. Although not a direct cause, high consumption of fats and proteins will convince the liver to kick into a fat/protein or anabolic stance...THEN it may oversecrete cholesterols, perhaps thinking you are putting food away for the winter.

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Dimethylglycine (DMG) is a derivative of glycine, the simplest of the amino acids. It acts as a building block for many important substances, including the amino acid methionine, choline, a number of important hormones and neurotransmitters, and DNA. DMG has been found to enhance the immune system and to reduce elevated blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It improves oxygen utilization by the body, helps to normalize blood pressure and blood glucose levels, and improves the functioning of many important organs.

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Stimulates certain white blood cells and has anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties. Good for the immune system and the lymphatic system. Useful for colic, colds, flu and other infectious illnesses.

Digestive enzymes

Metabolic enzymes

Food enzymes

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Fat (fatty acids) are used by the body to lubricate joints, to aid in electrical nerve impulses, and hormone production. Hormones such as testosterone are mostly composed of fatty acids. Keep in mind that all fats are not created equal. There are variations in the chemical formulas of fats that make some of them extremely dangerous. A saturated fat is a very dense cell. The way that its carbon atoms are arranged is such that the saturated fat molecule is very hard to break down. Because its density makes it so hard to break down, your body would rather use the energy in saturated fat at a later time and so stores it in adipose more readily than unsaturated or omega fats. Where animal fats are generally solids (saturated), vegetable fats (oil) are generally liquid. But don’t trust all vegetable oils, most are "partially hydrogenated" meaning that the unsaturated fats have been chemically made saturated during the extraction process. The worst thing about saturated fat is that those dense molecules can stick together and line the inside of veins and arteries as they are being transported to adipose cells for storage. Since they are so dense, it takes your body a long time to dissolve them from the vascular walls. Therefore, over time the sediments can build up in the vessels and block them before the body can dissolve them causing heart disease. That is the cause of most high blood pressure and heart attacks.
There are actually "good" fats. Omega 3, Omega 6, and Omega 9s are extremely beneficial to human growth. The omegas contain essential fatty acids. The omegas are easily broken down and as with all fats, are an excellent source of energy. The omega 3s are superior to the 9s in that they are more easily broken down. The most Omega dense foods are fish oils such as cod liver oil, and flax seed oil. Flax seed oil contains more omega 3 fatty acids than any other food. It’s always a good idea to supplement with flax seed oil.

Fennel

Used as an appetite suppresant. Promotes the functioning of the kidneys, liver, and spleen; also clears the lungs. Useful for acid stomach. Good after chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments for cancer.

Flax seed

Flax seeds come in two basic varieties, brown and yellow or golden, with most types having similar nutritional values and equal amounts of short-chain omega-3 fatty acids. One tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of water may serve as a replacement for one egg in baking by binding the other ingredients together. Promotes strong bones, nails, and teeth, as well as healthy skin. Useful for colon problems, female disorders and inflammations.

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Functional properties include: antimicrobial, insecticidal, pharmacological, physiological and miscellaneous.

Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other animals. Effects of growth hormone on the tissues of the body can generally be described as anabolic (building up) as well as people with short stature, grow taller. Like most other protein hormones GH acts by interacting with a specific receptor on the surface of cells.

Stimulating the increase in height in childhood is the most widely known effect of GH, and appears to be stimulated by at least two mechanisms.

1. GH directly stimulates division and multiplication of chondrocytes of cartilage. 2. GH also stimulates production of insulin-like growth factor. In addition to increasing height in children and adolescents, growth hormone has many other effects on the body:

• Increases calcium retention, and strengthens and increases the mineralization of bone
• Increases muscle mass through the sarcomere hyperplasia
• Promotes lipolysis
• Increases protein synthesis
• Stimulating the growth of all internal organs excluding the brain
• Plays a role in fuel homeostasis
• Reduces liver uptake of glucose
• Promotes gluconeogenesis in the liver
• It contributes to the maintenance and function of pancreatic islets
• It stimulates the immune system

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Herbs have a variety of uses including culinary, medicinal, or in some cases even spiritual entheogen usage. General usage differs between culinary herbs and medicinal herbs. In medicinal or spiritual use any of the parts of the plant might be considered "herbs", including leaves, roots, flowers, seeds, resin, root bark, inner bark (cambium), berries and sometimes the pericarp or other portions. Many plants contain phytochemicals that have effects on the body, which can be used for medical purposes.
Many herbal spices are known as excellent sources of natural antioxidants, and consumption of fresh herbs in the diet may therefore contribute to the daily antioxidant intake. Phenolic compounds are the primary antioxidants present in spices and there is a linear relationship between the total phenolic content and the antioxidant properties of spices. Essential oils, oleoresins and even aqueous extracts of spices possess antioxidative properties.

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An immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism’s own healthy cells and tissues in order to function properly. Detection is complicated as pathogens can evolve rapidly, producing adaptations that avoid the immune system and allow the pathogens to successfully infect their hosts.

Your body releases insulin to dispose of unneeded sugar. While insulin is an extremely anabolic hormone (actually the most anabolic hormone known to man), there is a definite disadvantage with insulin spikes caused by too much sugar. Insulin triggers energy stores to open up and helps to shuttle nutrients into storage areas. Adipose cells readily accept nutrients to be stored as bodyfat shortly after the introduction of insulin. Insulin opens the "doors" in adipose for body fat storage for a very short period of time. It takes a high level of insulin to force open the adipose doors. Insulin doesnt affect body fat storage as long as the insulin levels rise slowly and remain fairly consistent. Throughout the day, sugar consumption can spike insulin levels and induce bodyfat storage. Eating a high carb diet without sugars will cause a steady release of sugar into the system causing a high level of insulin release, but since the rate of release is steady, it does not trigger an "open door" in adipose for bodyfat storage but provides an extremely anabolic environment as the benefits of insulin are realized.

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The presence of bilirubin deposits in the skin, whites of the eyes and mucosa. Bilirubin, the unrecyclable waste products of hemoglobin, are normally excreted in the bile, get carried down the intestinal tract and color our feces its usual comfortable brown. If the bile ducts are blocked, blood breaks down too quickly, or the liver itself is diseased (it performs much of the recycling), then the yellow/orange/brown bilirubin has nowhere to go but out the urine (making it the standard hepatitis color) and into the skin.

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A bacteria genus of the Enterobacteriaceae. K. pneumoniae is implicated in much pneumonia, particularly when it is a secondary infection following a simple chest cold.

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Acid-resistant bacteria in the Lactobacillaceae family. We know of lactobacillus because of its use in making yogurt and the conventional wisdom of taking it in one form or another after antibiotic therapy, but it is an integral part of the colon and mouth flora, and is the critical acidifying agent in vaginal flora. There is a growing body of rather ignored data showing the value of regular consumption of a lactobacillus-containing food in immunosuppression, slow virus, and candidiasis conditions.

This is a sugar-bearing protein manufactured by the anterior pituitary. Like a lot of the pituitary hormones, it surges on and off, since constant secretion would overload and deaden receptors. In women, it builds up after menses, stimulating the release of estrogen from the ovaries. Estrogen in turn stimulates the hypothalamus to increase its stimulation of LH from the pituitary, until, a day or two before ovulation, they produce a guitar-amp feedback, and the cells that produce LH start to surge follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). The egg pops, being replaced by the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone for the next eleven to twelve days. Progesterone inhibits and lowers LH levels, as well as inhibiting levels of estrogen already being produced by the young follicles that will produce next month’s egg. In men, LH is responsible for stimulation of testosterone, although FSH and the testes hormone inhibin are responsible for both the production of sperm and controlling testosterone.

Pertaining to the lymph system or lymph tissue, the "back alley" of blood circulation. Lymph is the alkaline, clear intercellular fluid that drains from the blood capillaries, where the arterial blood separates into thick, gooey venous blood and lymph. It bathes the cells, drains up into the lymph capillaries, through the lymph nodes for cleaning and checking against antibody templates, up through the body, and back to recombine with the venous blood in the upper chest. Blood in the veins is thick, mainly because part of its fluid is missing, traveling through the tissues as lymph. Lymph nodes in the small intestine absorb most of the dietary fats as well-organized chylomicrons. Lymph nodes and tissue in the spleen, thymus, and tonsils also organize lymphocytes and maintain the software memory of previously encountered antigens and their antibody defense response. Blood feeds the lymph, lymph feeds the cells, lymph cleanses the cells and returns to the blood.

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The intercellular substance of a tissue. It forms the primary mass in some cartilage, bones, and the lens of the eye...where living cells are so separated they communicate with e-mail.

The sum total of changes in an organism in order to achieve a balance (homeostasis). Catabolic burns up, anabolic stores and builds up; the sum of their work is metabolism.

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Nordihydroguaiaretic acid, a substance found in abundance in the oleoresins of Larrea (Chaparral) and the Guaiacum genus (Lignum Vitae). It is strongly antioxidant to lipids and is antifungal, antimicrobial and antibacterial. Both plants contain a constellation of related compounds and do not have the potential kidney toxicity found in pure NDGA and the reason it is no longer used as an EDTA-type edible oil stabilizer in food manufacturing.

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The softening of bone mass and the widening of the bone canals. This occurs with both age and diminished physical activity. Since women live longer, they are more likely to show such signs. There is little doubt that the condition is increasing among American women, and is starting to show itself at an earlier age.

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The potential of hydrogen. A "neutral" pH is expressed as 7.0 (water), with greater being alkaline and lesser being acidic. Expressed logarithmically like the Richters Scale, 6.9 pH is twice as acidic as 7.0. 9.0 is ten times as alkaline as 8.0, etc., all based on the presumed amount of hydrogen ion (acidity) present. This is a chemical literality, not to be confused with the vitalist and cyto-hologrammic implications of Acid and Alkaline metabolism or foods. A complex protein has a literal pH close to neutral. Whe passing through your body it gets broken down into an incredible array of amino acids, ending up as nitrogenous acid waste products. The more rapid the metabolism, the more acids are produced. Acids are ashes of life. The literal pH of the life media, such as blood, lymph and cytoplasm...and most food, is alkaline.

Botanical or herbal medicine.

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Coenzyme Q10 (also known as ubiquinone, ubidecarenone, coenzyme Q, and abbreviated at times to CoQ10, CoQ, Q10, or Q) is a benzoquinone, where Q refers to the quinone chemical group, and 10 refers to the isoprenyl chemical subunits. This oil-soluble vitamin-like substance is present in most eukaryotic cells, primarily in the mitochondria. It is a component of the electron transport chain and participates in aerobic cellular respiration, generating energy in the form of ATP. Ninety-five percent of the human body energy is generated this way. Therefore, those organs with the highest energy requirements – such as the heart and the liver – have the highest CoQ10 concentrations.

Recent studies have shown that the antioxidant properties of coenzyme Q10 benefit the body and the brain in animal models. Some of these studies indicate that coenzyme Q10 protects the brain from neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinsons, although it does not relieve the symptoms.

Supplementation of Coenzyme Q10 has been found to have a beneficial effect on the condition of some sufferers of migraine headaches.

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Abnormal sounds in the lungs, either from excess secretions or the narrowing of the bore by inflammation or congestion.

Retinol (Afaxin), the animal form of vitamin A, is a fat-soluble vitamin important in vision and bone growth. It belongs to the family of chemical compounds known as retinoids. It is also a diterpenoid. Retinol is ingested in a precursor form; animal sources (liver and eggs) contain retinyl esters, whereas plants (carrots, spinach) contain pro-vitamin A carotenoids.

Immune System

Vitamin A is essential to maintain intact epithelial tissues as a physical barrier to infection; it is also involved in maintaining a number of immune cell types from both the innate and acquired immune systems. These include the lymphocytes (B-cells, T-cells, and natural killer cells), as well as many myelocytes (neutrophils, macrophages, and myeloid dendritic cells).

Formation of red blood cells (Haematopoiesis)

Vitamin A may be needed for normal haematopoiesis; deficiency causes abnormalities in iron metabolism.

Growth

Vitamin A affects the production of human growth hormone.

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In the central nervous system, serotonin plays an important role as a neurotransmitter in the modulation of anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, sexuality, appetite, and metabolism, as well as stimulating vomiting.

Serotonin has broad activities in the brain, and genetic variation in serotonin receptors and the serotonin transporter, which facilitates reuptake of serotonin into presynapses, have been implicated in neurological diseases. Drugs targeting serotonin-induced pathways are being used in the treatment of many psychiatric disorders, and one focus of clinical research is the influence of genetics on serotonin action and metabolism in psychiatric settings.

Levels of serotonin in the brain show association with aggression, and a mutation in the gene which codes for the 5-HT2A receptor may double the risk of suicide for those with that genotype.

Recent research suggests that serotonin plays an important role in liver regeneration and acts as a mitogen (induces cell division) throughout the body.

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A group of simple and complex phenol, polyphenol, and flavonoid compounds, bound with starches, and often so amorphous that they are classified as tannins simply because at some point in degradation they are astringent and contain variations on gallic acid. Produced by plants, tannins are generally protective substances found in the outer and inner tissues, often breaking down in time to phlebotannins and, finally, humin. All of the tannins are relatively resistant to digestion or fermentation, and either decrease the ability of animals to easily consume the living plant, or, as in deciduous trees, cause shed parts of the plant to decay so slowly that there is little likelihood of infection to the living tree from rotting dead material around its base. All tannins act as astringents, shrinking tissues and contracting structural proteins in the skin and mucosa. Tannin-containing plants can vary a great deal in their physiological effects and should be approached individually.

The principal reproductive androgen of males, largely responsible for sexual maturation, some libido, and a range of metabolic reactions that, while supplying short-term strengths, creates a long-term fragility and brittleness if not in balance with less garish but more sustainable metabolic buffers. It is secreted by the Leydig cells of the testes, as well as smaller amounts in the adrenal cortices of both sexes.

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A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. A compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on the circumstances and the particular organism. For example, ascorbic acid functions as vitamin C for some animals but not others, and vitamins D and K are required in the human diet only in certain circumstances. Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity, not their structure. Thus, each "vitamin" may refer to several vitamer compounds that all show the biological activity associated with a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals are grouped under an alphabetized vitamin "generic descriptor" title, such as "vitamin A," which includes the compounds retinal, retinol, and many carotenoids. Vitamers are often inter-converted in the body. The term vitamin does not include other essential nutrients such as dietary minerals, essential fatty acids, or essential amino acids, nor does it encompass the large number of other nutrients that promote health but are otherwise required less often. Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions, including function as hormones (e.g. vitamin D), antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E), and mediators of cell signaling and regulators of cell and tissue growth and differentiation (e.g. vitamin A). The largest number of vitamins (e.g. B complex vitamins) function as precursors for enzyme cofactor bio-molecules (coenzymes), that help act as catalysts and substrates in metabolism. When acting as part of a catalyst, vitamins are bound to enzymes and are called prosthetic groups. For example, biotin is part of enzymes involved in making fatty acids. Vitamins also act as coenzymes to carry chemical groups between enzymes. For example, folic acid carries various forms of carbon group – methyl, formyl and methylene - in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme reactions are vitamins best-known function, the other vitamin functions are equally important. Until the 1900s, vitamins were obtained solely through food intake, and changes in diet (which, for example, could occur during a particular growing season) can alter the types and amounts of vitamins ingested. Vitamins have been produced as commodity chemicals and made widely available as inexpensive pills for several decades, allowing supplementation of the dietary intake.

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About 70 percent of the non-fat mass of the human body is made of water. To function properly, the body requires between one and seven liters of water per day to avoid dehydration; the precise amount depends on the level of activity, temperature, humidity, and other factors. With physical exertion and heat exposure, water loss will increase and daily fluid needs may increase as well. It is not clear how much water intake is needed by healthy people, although some experts assert that 8–10 glasses of water (approximately 2 liters) daily is the minimum to maintain proper hydration. Normally, about 20 percent of water intake comes in food, while the rest comes from drinking water and assorted beverages (caffeinated included).

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Zinc deficiency occurs where insufficient zinc is available for metabolic needs. It is usually nutritional, but can also be associated with malabsorption, acrodermatitis enteropathica, chronic liver disease, chronic renal disease, sickle cell disease, diabetes, malignancy, and other chronic illnesses.

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