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However, the extent to which vitamins and minerals from natural foods (such as fresh fruits and vegetables) is absorbed varies from the extent to which they are absorbed from food supplements. Vitamins present in natural foods are absorbed up to ninety-three percent as compared to a mere ten percent absorption levels absorbed from vitamin supplements. Similarly, minerals present in natural plants are absorbed up to seventy-eight percent as compared to a maximum of five percent absorption level from supplements.
Iron is a vital macronutrient in our body and is essential for the production of hemoglobin and myoglobin. Hemoglobin and Myoglobin are heme-proteins whose physiological importance is principally related to their ability to bind with oxygen molecules. While myoglobin serves as an intracellular storage site for oxygen and releases bound oxygen from oxymyoglobin during periods of oxygen deprivation, hemoglobin is the principle pigment present in the red blood corpuscles and is responsible for binding oxygen in the lungs and transporting it throughout the body.
Anemic people and pregnant women are often deficient in iron. This can be made up by adding Iron to their diet either in the form of vitamin tablets or syrup form, which contain more than 18 mg of Iron, which is the recommended daily allowance. This can often result in certain side effects such as stomach upset. Before we carelessly pop in those Iron supplements, we must not forget that we are already taking in small doses of Iron through our diet. You must remember that too much iron supplements taken over a long period of time can affect your health adversely and even result in development of heart disease or cancer.
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