Many people report un-wanted side effects from taking the oral contraceptive pill. One thing that quite a few women mention is that they feel tired and lacking in energy a lot of the time. Despite various other factors that can lead to this, your contraceptive pill could be one major factor.
It has been shown that there is a link between taking the pill and depletion of vitamin B6. Along with the rest of the B-complex vitamins, Vitamin B6 has an important role in the generation of energy in your body. It also helps immune function, protein metabolism and is involved in over 100 enzymatic reactions that take place within the body.
Long term deficiency in B6 can cause lack of energy, depression, decreased brain function and higher levels of homocysteine (linked to heart disease).
Taking oral contraceptives can stem to a whole host of negative effects on the body, depending on the individual, and nutritional supplementation becomes almost a necessity. The B-complex vitamins are water soluble so your body does not store them. This means you need a constant daily supply to keep your levels above that of deficiency. Good sources of B6 include bananas, prunes, tomatoes, avocado, cruciferous vegetables, walnuts and hazelnuts. The average person gets their daily quota of vitamin B6 from their diet but women on the pill may benefit from supplementation too due to the constant depletion of B6.
Be careful with the supplements that you by. Look for timed release vitamin B complexes so the vits are release slowly over time. This allows for maximum absorption and minimal wastage in your (expensive) urine. Also, make sure you take your supplement WITH FOOD always. Look at the list of ingredients of your supplement bottle and make sure there are no artificial ingredients, colours/dyes or preservatives. Poor quality supplements do not provide adequate nutrition. Good quality is more expensive but can you really put a price on your health?
No comments:
Post a Comment