Vanadium
Overview In the late 1960s, vanadium was found to be an essential trace mineral for plant nutrition, and in the early 1970s it was discovered to be an essential nutrient for animals. There is still some debate on whether vanadium is essential in humans. Nonetheless, interest in vanadium as a nutritional substance has been steadily […]
Iodine
Overview Iodine’s only known function is the role it plays in the various thyroid hormones, diiodotyrosine, triiodothryonine (T3), and thyroxine (T4). Dietary iodine is converted to iodide in the GI tract where it is easily absorbed and transported to the thyroid gland. In the thyroid gland, iodine is stored on the tyrosine moiety of a […]
Potassium
Overview Potassium is one of the body’s three major electrolytes (the other two being sodium and chloride). They exist as fully dissociated ions and are the main particles responsible for osmotic pressure in body fluids. Potassium is the primary electrolyte functioning inside cells throughout the body. These substances are called electrolytes because they carry an […]
Chromium
Overview Chromium was first discovered as an essential trace element in 1955. The body of an average healthy individual contains only several milligrams. However, this small amount plays important roles in the enhancement of insulin’s effectiveness, regulation of blood sugar levels, and the activation of various enzymes for energy production. Chromium is biologically active only […]
Vitamin C
Overview Vitamin C cures the world’s oldest known nutritional deficiency disease, scurvy. It was first isolated by Albert Szent-Gyorgyi in 1928 from pork adrenal glands and called hexuronic acid. In 1933, its chemical structure was established. It was successfully synthesized, and the name was changed to ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin that […]
Vitamin B6
Overview Pyridoxine is a water-soluble B vitamin that functions as a cofactor in more than one hundred enzyme reactions. Many of its activities are related to the metabolism of amino acids and other proteins including hemoglobin, serotonin, hormones, and prostaglandins. After entering a cell, vitamin B6 is phosphorylated and converted into its active form, pyridoxal […]
Sodium
Overview Sodium is one of the body’s three major electrolytes (the other two being potassium and chloride). They exist as fully dissociated ions and are the main particles responsible for osmotic pressure in body fluids. Sodium is the primary extracellular electrolyte in body fluids. These substances are called electrolytes because they carry an electronic charge […]
Deer Antler Velvet
Overview Editor’s Note: While peer-reviewed scientific studies on this dietary supplement are lacking, many practitioners and individuals report observational and anectodal benefits from its use. Use of this dietary supplement is on the rise. For this reason, NHIondemand has provided this monograph using the information that is currently available. As more science-based research becomes available, […]
Pyruvate
Overview Pyruvate is a short, 3-carbon acid that plays a critical role in both the aerobic and anaerobic pathways for the generation of energy in the body. Pyruvic acid is chemically unstable, so product manufacturers stabilize it by combining it with various minerals to form a “salt.” The most commonly available forms are either calcium, […]
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH)
Overview Originally discovered in 1905 in yeast, NADH is also known as the reduced form of coenzyme 1, a complementary enzyme utilized in the production and regulation of energy (oxidative phosphorylation). (1) A coenzyme is the active or working form of a vitamin. NADH is the reduced (electron-energy rich) coenzyme form of vitamin B3; while […]