Vitamins And Minerals For Fat Loss

Vitamins and minerals are required for correct metabolic function. Insufficient intakes of vitamins and minerals can hinder fat loss because energy utilisation is compromised. 

Most dieters pay close attention to their fat intake. Some also show an interest in their carbohydrate intake, perhaps even sugars. Most pay lip service to protein. Fibre is an afterthought. Vitamins and minerals are things that doctors tell them they don't need. Its a shame, because vitamins and minerals are vital to fat burning and most people don't get enough of them. In fact ignoring vitamin and mineral intakes could seriously hamper fat burning effects.

Metabolic Pathways

Vitamins are organic and minerals are inorganic substances that are required for metabolism. In particular, they act as cofactors that allow enzymes to function. Because enzymes are required to cause the chemical reactions that allow you to be alive, they are quite important. If you don't have enough of them you die. It’s as simple as that. Although most people don't ever get to this stage, many people do have inadequate intakes. In itself this can cause serious problems.

Dietary Insufficiencies

Although vitamin and minerals deficiencies are rare, many people have vitamins and mineral insufficiencies. Not a severe as an outright deficiency, insufficiencies are caused by a chronic low intake of a particular vitamin or mineral. Rather than stopping enzymes working as in a deficiency, insufficiencies cause the enzyme to work more slowly. This decreases the rate of flux through metabolic pathways and leads to metabolic dysfunction.

Insufficiencies Make You Fat

Vitamin and mineral insufficiencies make you fat. This is because vitamins and minerals are required for the function of enzymes that are involved in energy use. As levels decline the ability to absorb, transport, store and burn energy can decrease and this causes fat gain. For example, chromium is required for the correct function of the insulin receptor and selenium is a cofactor in thyroid hormone metabolism. Insufficiencies of either mineral can impair metabolic function.

Expensive Urine

Doctors will tell you ‘we get all the vitamins and minerals we need in our food, and taking supplements just gives you expensive urine’. This is actually not true, and provably so from the scientific literature. Even those who eat a healthy high quality diet would be hard pushed to get enough vitamins and minerals in their diets. Those who eat a typical Western diet have no chance and almost certainly will have multiple vitamin and mineral insufficiencies.

Supplements

If you are trying to lose fat are not currently taking a high quality vitamin and mineral supplements, you will be seriously hampering your fat burning efforts. Even mainstream science now acknowledges that foods are devoid of nutrients. If you want to buy a multivitamin and mineral supplement avoid the cheap formulas sold in supermarkets. Stick with a specialist vitamin and mineral company, buy from a health food store, and aim for over the RDA for all nutrients.

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