5. Vitamins

The word “vitamin” goes back to the Polish scientist Casimir Funk in 1912.  He was studying a substance in the layer that covers rice.  This substance was believed to cure a disease called beriberi.

Funk believed the substance belonged to a group of chemicals known as amines.  He added the Latin word "vita," meaning life.  So he called the substance a “vitamine” -- an amine necessary for life.

Scientists have discovered fourteen kinds of vitamins.  They are known as vitamins A, the B group, C, D, E and K.  Scientists say vitamins help to carry out chemical changes in cells.  If we do not get enough of the vitamins we need in our food, we may develop a number of diseases. 

This brings us back to Casmir Funk.  His studies of rice were part of a long search for foods that could cure disease.

One of the first people involved in that search was James Lind of Scotland.  In the 1740s, Lind was a doctor for the British navy.  Heinvestigated a problem that had existed in the navy for many years. 

The problem was the disease scurvy.  So many sailors had scurvy that the navy’s lost some of its strength.  The sailors were weak frombleeding inside their bodies.  Even the smallest wound would not heal.  Doctor Lind thought the sailors were getting sick because they failed to eat some kinds of foods when they were at sea for many months.

Doctor Lind separated twelve sailors who had scurvy into two groups.  He gave each group different foods to eat.  One group got oranges and lemons.  The other did not.  The men who ate the fruit began to improve within seven days.  The other men got weaker.  Doctor Lind was correct.  Eating citrus fruits prevents scurvy.

Vitamin A helps prevent skin and other tissues from becoming dry.  It is also needed to make a light-sensitive substance in the eyes.  People who do not get enough vitamin A cannot see well in darkness.  Their eys may get dry.  This can result in infections and lead to blindness.

Vitamin A is found in fish liver oil.  It also is in the yellow part of eggs.  Sweet potatoes, carrots and other darkly colored fruits and vegetables contain substances that the body can change into vitamin A. 

V itamin B-one is also called thiamine.  Thiamine changes starchy foods into energy.  It also helps the heart and nervous system work well.  Without it, we would be weak and would not grow.  We also might developberiberi. Apart from rice thiamine is found in beans , peas, nuts, meat and fish.

Another B-vitamin is niacin.  It helps cells use food energy.  It also prevents pellagra -a disease that causes weakness, reddish skin and stomach problems.  Niacin is found in meat, fish and green vegetables.

Vitamin B-12 helps produce red blood cells.  It is found naturally in foods such as eggs, meat, fish and milk products.  It also helps babies of pregnant mothers before they are born .  Vitamin B-12 is found in green leafyvegetables and other foods and citrus fruits.  In some countries, it is added to products like bread.

 

Vitamin C is needed for strong bones and teeth, and for healthy blood.  It also helps wounds heal quickly.  Because our body storeslittle vitamin C we must get it every day in foods such as citrus fruits, tomatoes and cabbage.

Vitamin D helps make calcium in the blood.  Calcium is needed for nerve and muscle cells to work normally.  It also is needed to build strong bones.  Ultraviolet light from the sun changes a substance in the skin into vitamin D.  Fish liver oil also contains vitamin D.  In some countries, milk producers add vitamin D to milk so children will get enough.

Vitamin K is needed for healthy blood.  It thickens the blood around a cut to stop bleeding.  Bacteria in the intestines normally produce vitamin K.  It can also be found in pork products, liver and in vegetables like cabbage, and spinach.

S ome people fear they do not get enough vitamins from the foods they eat.  So they take products with largeamounts of vitamins.  They think these products or vitamin supplements will improve their health and protect them from disease.

Experts note that taking too much of some vitamins can be harmful.  People should be sure to discuss what vitamins they take with their doctors.  This is because some vitamins can cause harmful effects when mixed with medicines.

1. amount =how much of something

2. bean =green or yellow seeds that come from a climbing plant and are used as food

3. beriberi = a disease of the nerves that you get if you don't get enough vitamins

4. bleeding = when you lose blood form your body

5. cabbage = a large round vegetable with thick green and purple leaves

6. cause =lead to

7. contain = have

8. cure = to make an illness go away

9. develop = grow

10. discover = to find for the first time

11. disease = illness

12. fail = here: not to do something

13. harmful = dangerous

14. heal = to grow back together

15. improve = to get better

16. intestine = the long tube in your body through which food passes after it goes through your stomach

17. investigate = to try to find out how something works or the cause of something

18. involve = here: to be a part of something

19. leafy = looks like a leaf

20. lemon = a fruit with a hard yellow skin ; it is sour

21. light-sensitive =it reacts to very small changes of light

22. necessary = very important and needed

23. nervous system =all of your nerves in the body, brain and back with which your body feels pain; your movements are controlled here

24. note = say

25. pea = round green seed that can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable

26. pork = meat from a pig

27. prevent = to stop something from happening

28. scientist =a person who is trained in science

29. scurvy = a disease that you get by not eating food that gas vitamin C

30. spinach = a vegetable with large dark green leaves

31. starchy =food that has carbohydrates in it or a substance which gives you energy

32. store = to keep something in a place and get it when you need it

33. substance =material

34. thicken = to make thicker

35. tissue = parts of the body that exist between or join organs and other body parts

36. vitamin supplement = something that you take that has the same effects as if you ate food with real vitamins

37. wound =an injury to your body

2. READ THE ACADEMIC ARTICLE BELOW AND GIVE YOUR REASONING, CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS ACCORDING TO THE HEALTHY WAY OF LIFE AND SUGAR USAGE. TRY TO USE FILLERS AND PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE RULES OF PUNCTUATION IN ENGLISH.TRY TO EXPLAIN COMMA USAGE.

1. Use commas to separate independent clauses in a sentence, for example: The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave. Yesterday was her brother’s birthday, so she took him out to dinner. 2. Use commas after introductory words, phrases, or clauses that come before the main clause: While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door. If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor. 3. Introductory words that should be followed by a comma are: yes, however, and well. For example: Yes, you can come to the party. 4. Use a pair of commas to separate an aside from the main body of the sentence. For example: John and Inga, the couple from next door, are coming for dinner tonight. You can test this by removing the aside from the sentence. If the sentence still reads correctly, you have probably used the commas as you should. In the case above, this would render: John and Inga are coming for dinner tonight. 5. Do not use commas to separate essential elements of the sentence. For example: Students who cheat only harm themselves. The baby wearing a yellow jumpsuit is my niece. 6. The “Oxford” comma is much more widespread in American English than British English. When using the Oxford comma, all items in a list of three or more items are separated. For example: I love apples, pears, and oranges. 7. Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names. Birmingham, Alabama, gets its name from Birmingham, England. July 22, 1959, was a momentous day in his life. 8. Use commas if they prevent confusion: To George, Harrison had been a sort of idol.