The fats you include in your diet are essential for the absorption and transport of the fat-soluble Vitamins A, D, E and K, along with many other fat-soluble nutrients. Our demonisation of fats in general, and obsession with everything very low-fat or no-fat since the early 1990’s is finally drawing to an end. Finally we are coming to understand the importance and health benefits of adding small amounts of healthy fats back into our diets. If you’ve followed a very low-fat or no-fat diet over a period of time, it’s time to change the way you think about fat, because fats are back in fashion! Fat-soluble vitamins and their health benefits:

• Vitamin A – skin, vision & immunity Essential for good health, vitamin A plays an important role in maintaining the health and integrity of cells that line all the cavities of your body and your external skin, including connective tissue such as keratin and collagen. This helps to promote the growth, repair, elasticity and strength of hair, skin and nails and supports immune function by maintaining an important protective barrier between your internal and external world. Vitamin A is equally important for maintaining healthy vision and is particularly important for improving night-blindness and lubrication to prevent dry eyes.

• Vitamin D – mood, bones & immunity Vitamin D supports healthy mood by regulating neurotransmitters or brain chemicals and a deficiency is linked to low mood and depression. Less exposure to sunlight from shorter days throughout the winter months may aggravate mood disorders. Vitamin D is required for enhancing calcium absorption from your digestive system and producing osteocalcin, your bone building protein, contributing to bone density and strength. Vitamin D receptors are found on certain immune cells and are vital in defending your body from pathogens. A vitamin D deficiency means that these cells are unable to mobilise, and instead remain dormant, reducing your immune response. Some experts believe that up to 60% of Australian children and adults could be vitamin D deficient.

• Vitamin E – antioxidant, heart health & skin repair Vitamin E is your most important fat soluble antioxidant; it can be regenerated within your body’s antioxidant network and then recycled over and over again, protecting you from free radical damage. Vitamin E therefore has a wide range of activity in your body, and in particular, maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system by helping to reduce plaque build-up in arteries, blood clot formation and improving circulation, amongst others. Vitamin E plays an important role in alleviating dry and cracked skin, and assists minor wound healing for cuts, abrasions and burns, helping to protect against bacterial infections.

• Vitamin K – blood clotting, bone & heart health Vitamin K is necessary for blood clotting and calcium distribution in your body so is important for strong healthy bones and a healthy cardiovascular system. Vitamin K1 is mainly involved in blood clotting activity, whereas vitamin K2 is heavily involved in calcium distribution. Vitamin K2 is a group of compounds known as menaquinones, and the main function of menaquinones is to trap and bind calcium into bones, while driving calcium away from your blood vessels, reducing blood vessel calcification and therefore plaque build-up in arteries. The most active form of vitamin K is known as menaquinone-7 (MK-7).

Mr Vitamins recommends:

Herbs of Gold Fat Soluble Vitamins

• Clear Skin
• D3 Spray
• Vitamin D3 1000
• Natural Vitamin E 500 I.U.
• Calcium K2 with D3

Find out more about Herbs of Gold Fat Soluble Vitamins here