What is vitamin N and why is it so unknown to most people? Everyone is well acquainted with vitamins – A, B, C, D, E and their content in various foods and their importance for the body. However, there is also a vitamin that very little is known about, and it has a very important role in the functioning of the body.
This is vitamin N, also known as lipoic or thioctic acid. The fact that it is not so well known is probably due to the fact that it is a rare vitamins, but it is very necessary. It was isolated very late, in the middle of the last century, from beef liver. Its synthesis was carried out chemically by American scientists.
What are the benefits of vitamin N
It is considered an extremely strong antioxidant of natural origin. It is very effective in fighting free radicals that destroy cells in the body. It also impresses by enhancing the action of other antioxidants with which it is combined, and this is its main function – to protect the body. Its other benefits are no less important.
Thioctic acid is involved in glycolysis – the conversion of sugars into energy, as well as in other biochemical processes. It also supports the work of the mitochondrial structures that are inside each muscle cell. Participates as a regulator in the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It is also involved in the transmission of oxygen to brain cells.
Vitamin N is useful for the functioning of the liver, for regulating blood cholesterol, and also provides a good detox for the body, has an antispasmodic effect. 0.5 milligrams is indicated for the required daily dose, but in the presence of various diseases an additional intake is given. These include chronic fatigue, Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, various types of hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and others.
Vitamin N deficiency manifests itself in the appearance of conditions such as polyneuritis, tics, seizures, dizziness, frequent viral infections. This vital vitamin is most easily obtained through food. Foods that contain it in sufficient quantities are: dairy products, beef, all kinds of poultry, liver and kidneys, cabbage, all kinds of leafy vegetables, brown rice.