Overview

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" actually refers to a number of vitamer compounds, which form a set of distinct chemical compounds that show the biological activity of a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals are grouped under an alphabetized vitamin "generic descriptor" title, such as "vitamin A," which (for example) includes retinal, retinol, and many carotenoids. Vitamers are often inter-convertible 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.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Why People Need to Get a Colonoscopy When They Reach Middle Age

There are people who are health (no pun intended) weigh the consequences for everything they eat, there are also people who just turn right and continue to eat what they want. What they do not understand is that many years of eating meat and processed foods can be a toll on colon function.

This is when a colonoscopy procedure comes in. To understand the need for such a procedure, it is important to first gain a better understanding of what the colon is, and how the food can not be influenced. The colon is also known as the small intestine, and the food it makes its final stop for the after digestion.

After half a lifetime of eating the wrong foods, the foods that have the potential to literally stay in the colon and rot there. This is part of why people have constipation problems. In addition to the general control colon health, colonoscopy also checks for potentially cancer polyps, the middle-aged and older have a tendency to get.

A few days before the planned colonoscopy, the patient will be instructed by her doctor to eat only certain types of food so that they can double point as clear as possible for the procedure. The night before the procedure, the patient has something to drink to ensure that the colon is completely emptied. The actual colonoscopy is abut one hour in an outpatient setting, after which time the patient is in a position to regular activities.

 

More information on colonoscopy and a scan clinic in your area is just a click away.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elisa_Cruz

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