At that time, a fine diet became daily, but “hidden hunger” — vitamin deficiency — was afflicting over 60 per cent of chinese adults. Many people perceive vitamins only at the “supplementation” level, which is an indispensable element of human health. We will now focus on “what vitamins are, what vitamins are missing and how they can be properly supplemented”, combining authoritative data with scientific knowledge of how vitamins are interpreted。
First of all, what's a vitamin? In china, vitamins are defined as low molecular organic compounds necessary to maintain normal physiological functioning of the human body, which neither provide energy nor constitute a body tissue but are involved in hundreds of enzymes-induced reactions like “hidden regulators”. Unlike proteins and carbohydrates, most vitamins cannot be synthesized in humans. They must be supplied with food, divided into two categories: lipid solubility (vitamin a, d, e, k) and water solubility (vitamin b, vitamin c), which are highly toxic, and daily supplementation of 13 essential human vitamins, each with irreplaceable effects。
Second, what happens to vitamin deficiency? Data show that 63 per cent of the country's adults suffer from at least one vitamin deficiency, with a vitamin d deficiency rate of 83. 9 per cent and a b and c deficiency rate of over 76 per cent. There is a chronic vitamin deficiency, with visible early warning: vitamin a dryness and night blindness; vitamin b deficiency is often accompanied by fatigue, angular inflammation and repeated oral ulcer; vitamin c deficiency has haemorrhaging and severe wounds; and vitamin d deficiency suffers from skeletal acid and cramps. These symptoms are easily neglected at an early stage and cause more serious health problems in the long term. It needs to be noted that oral ulcer can also be caused by stress, trauma, etc., and cannot be attributed solely to vitamin deficiency。
Finally, how can vitamins be properly replenished? The core principle is “the priority of diet, the lack of what is needed, the science appropriate”. In addition to eating more fresh fruit and vegetables, there are practical ways to do so: adapting cooking methods, water soluble vitamins to high temperatures and loss, and vegetables are recommended for fast frying and fraying; fat soluble vitamins need to be absorbed with fat, such as carrots and a small amount of olive oil. Substitute one third of the staple foods, such as oats and rough rice, to supplement vitamin b; tan-rich mushrooms are vitamin d, with one or two animal livers (25 g each) per month and one egg yolk per day, and multivitamin supplements. In addition, the most important addition is that the reference nutrient intake for the chinese population (2023 editions) clearly indicates the maximum acceptable intake, that the healthy population does not need blind supplements and that there is a suspicion that there is a lack of food to adjust first and that medical tests are required。
In sum, vitamins are “health guards” of the human body, focusing on prevention and regulation. In this fast-paced life, we need to move away from the “good eating = sufficient nutrition” error zone, read body warnings, and build health foundations by optimizing dietary details, scientific matching and vitamin supplementation, as required, away from “hidden hunger”。
