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111-468: Complete nutrition requires ingestion and absorption of vitamins , minerals , essential amino acids from protein and essential fatty acids from fat-containing food, also food energy in the form of carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Dietary habits and choices play a significant role in the quality of life , health and longevity . A healthy diet can improve and maintain health, which can include aspects of mental and physical health. Specific diets, such as

222-446: A billion tonnes of southern Africa's soil are being lost to erosion annually, which if continued will result in halving of crop yields within thirty to fifty years. Improper soil management is threatening the ability to grow sufficient food. Intensive agriculture reduces the carbon level in soil, impairing soil structure, crop growth and ecosystem functioning, and accelerating climate change . Modification of agricultural practices

333-443: A challenge for farmers who care about competition and profitability. There must also be an incentive for farmers to change their methods of agriculture. The use of public policy, advertisements, and laws that make sustainable agriculture mandatory or desirable can be utilized to overcome these social barriers. Environmental barriers prevent the ability to protect and conserve the natural ecosystem. Examples of these barriers include

444-518: A conclusion that "a natural food such as milk must therefore contain, besides these known principal ingredients, small quantities of unknown substances essential to life." However, his conclusions were rejected by his advisor, Gustav von Bunge . A similar result by Cornelis Adrianus Pekelharing appeared in Dutch medical journal Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde in 1905, but it was not widely reported. In East Asia , where polished white rice

555-462: A deficiency disease. Even minor deficiencies may cause permanent damage. Once growth and development are completed, vitamins remain essential nutrients for the healthy maintenance of the cells, tissues, and organs that make up a multicellular organism; they also enable a multicellular life form to efficiently use chemical energy provided by food it eats, and to help process the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required for cellular respiration . For

666-459: A drastic increase in the efficiency of material and energy use. To make that transition, long- and short-term goals will need to be balanced enhancing equity and quality of life. The barriers to sustainable agriculture can be broken down and understood through three different dimensions. These three dimensions are seen as the core pillars to sustainability : social, environmental, and economic pillars. The social pillar addresses issues related to

777-431: A fourteenth, choline . Vitamins have diverse biochemical functions. Vitamin A acts as a regulator of cell and tissue growth and differentiation. Vitamin D provides a hormone-like function, regulating mineral metabolism for bones and other organs. The B complex vitamins function as enzyme cofactors (coenzymes) or the precursors for them. Vitamins C and E function as antioxidants . Both deficient and excess intake of

888-584: A large role in whether sustainable practices will be adopted. The human and material capital required to shift to sustainable methods of agriculture requires training of the workforce and making investments in new technology and products, which comes at a high cost. In addition to this, farmers practicing conventional agriculture can mass produce their crops, and therefore maximize their profitability. This would be difficult to do in sustainable agriculture which encourages low production capacity. The author James Howard Kunstler claims almost all modern technology

999-534: A limited supply. This allows the irrigation of crops without decreasing natural fresh water sources. While desalination can be a tool to provide water to areas that need it to sustain agriculture, it requires money and resources. Regions of China have been considering large scale desalination in order to increase access to water, but the current cost of the desalination process makes it impractical. Women working in sustainable agriculture come from numerous backgrounds, ranging from academia to labour. From 1978-2007, in

1110-518: A maximum daily dosage referred to as the tolerable upper intake level (UL or Upper Limit). Vitamin products above these regulatory limits are not considered supplements and should be registered as prescription or non-prescription ( over-the-counter drugs ) due to their potential side effects. The European Union, United States and Japan establish ULs. Dietary supplements often contain vitamins, but may also include other ingredients, such as minerals, herbs, and botanicals. Scientific evidence supports

1221-469: A month to more than six months, depending on previous dietary history that determined body stores. Deficiencies of vitamins are classified as either primary or secondary. A primary deficiency occurs when an organism does not get enough of the vitamin in its food. A secondary deficiency may be due to an underlying disorder that prevents or limits the absorption or use of the vitamin, due to a "lifestyle factor", such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, or

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1332-407: A multicellular organism. Using the genetic blueprint inherited from its parents, a fetus develops from the nutrients it absorbs. It requires certain vitamins and minerals to be present at certain times. These nutrients facilitate the chemical reactions that produce among other things, skin , bone , and muscle . If there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop

1443-582: A number of different disorders. Some vitamins have documented acute or chronic toxicity at larger intakes, which is referred to as hypertoxicity. The European Union and the governments of several countries have established Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for those vitamins which have documented toxicity (see table). The likelihood of consuming too much of any vitamin from food is remote, but excessive intake ( vitamin poisoning ) from dietary supplements does occur. In 2016, overdose exposure to all formulations of vitamins and multi-vitamin/mineral formulations

1554-554: A person's dietary intake, or "going on a diet", can change the energy balance, and increase or decrease the amount of fat stored by the body. The terms "healthy diet" and "diet for weight management" ( dieting ) are often related, as the two promote healthy weight management. If a person is overweight or obese, changing to a diet and lifestyle that allows them to burn more calories than they consume may improve their overall health, possibly preventing diseases that are attributed in part to weight, including heart disease and diabetes . Within

1665-468: A potential solution to enable agricultural systems to feed a growing population within the changing environmental conditions. Besides sustainable farming practices, dietary shifts to sustainable diets are an intertwined way to substantially reduce environmental impacts. Numerous sustainability standards and certification systems exist, including organic certification , Rainforest Alliance , Fair Trade , UTZ Certified , GlobalGAP , Bird Friendly, and

1776-700: A prescription. For most vitamins, pharmacopoeial standards have been established. In the United States, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) sets standards for the most commonly used vitamins and preparations thereof. Likewise, monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph.Eur.) regulate aspects of identity and purity for vitamins on the European market. The reason that the set of vitamins skips directly from E to K

1887-458: A quarter of the Earth's ice-free land area is subject to human-induced degradation (medium confidence). Soil erosion from agricultural fields is estimated to be currently 10 to 20 times (no tillage) to more than 100 times (conventional tillage) higher than the soil formation rate (medium confidence)." Almost half of the land on earth is covered with dry land, which is susceptible to degradation. Over

1998-513: A resource. In land-use planning and management, considering the impacts of land-use changes on factors such as soil erosion can support long-term agricultural sustainability, as shown by a study of Wadi Ziqlab, a dry area in the Middle East where farmers graze livestock and grow olives, vegetables, and grains. Looking back over the 20th century shows that for people in poverty, following environmentally sound land practices has not always been

2109-564: A result of fossil fuel resources being depleted. It may therefore decrease global food security unless action is taken to 'decouple' fossil fuel energy from food production, with a move towards 'energy-smart' agricultural systems including renewable energy . The use of solar powered irrigation in Pakistan is said to be a closed system for agricultural water irrigation. The environmental cost of transportation could be avoided if people use local products. In some areas sufficient rainfall

2220-483: A rice-based diet, and that the symptoms were reversed when the chickens were switched to whole-grain rice. He called this "the anti-beriberi factor", which was later identified as vitamin B 1 , thiamine. In 1930, Paul Karrer elucidated the correct structure for beta-carotene , the main precursor of vitamin A, and identified other carotenoids . Karrer and Norman Haworth confirmed Albert Szent-Györgyi's discovery of ascorbic acid and made significant contributions to

2331-407: A set of closely related molecules called vitamers ) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through the diet . For example, vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it is not considered a vitamin in

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2442-518: A sign of major medical problems including thyroid issues and cancer among other diseases . An eating disorder is a mental disorder that interferes with normal food consumption. It is defined by abnormal eating habits, and thoughts about food that may involve eating much more or much less than needed. Common eating disorders include anorexia nervosa , bulimia nervosa , and binge-eating disorder . Eating disorders affect people of every gender , age, socioeconomic status , and body size. Agriculture

2553-635: A significant portion live off the food they grow themselves , and it will be profitable because the yield of their main produce will remain stable. Not all regions are suitable for agriculture. The technological advancement of the past few decades has allowed agriculture to develop in some of these regions. For example, Nepal has built greenhouses to deal with its high altitude and mountainous regions. Greenhouses allow for greater crop production and also use less water since they are closed systems. Desalination techniques can turn salt water into fresh water which allows greater access to water for areas with

2664-537: A source of vitamin D, as "bottled sunshine", and bananas as a "natural vitality food". They promoted foods such as yeast cakes, a source of B vitamins, on the basis of scientifically determined nutritional value, rather than taste or appearance. In 1942, when flour enrichment with nicotinic acid began, a headline in the popular press said "Tobacco in Your Bread." In response, the Council on Foods and Nutrition of

2775-550: A special category under the general umbrella of foods , not drugs. As a result, the manufacturer, and not the government, has the responsibility of ensuring that its dietary supplement products are safe before they are marketed. Regulation of supplements varies widely by country. In the United States , a dietary supplement is defined under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. There

2886-437: A viable option due to many complex and challenging life circumstances. Currently, increased land degradation in developing countries may be connected with rural poverty among smallholder farmers when forced into unsustainable agricultural practices out of necessity. Converting big parts of the land surface to agriculture has severe environmental and health consequences. For example, it leads to rise in zoonotic disease (like

2997-444: A vitamin can potentially cause clinically significant illness, although excess intake of water-soluble vitamins is less likely to do so. All the vitamins were discovered between 1913 and 1948. Historically, when intake of vitamins from diet was lacking, the results were vitamin deficiency diseases. Then, starting in 1935, commercially produced tablets of yeast-extract vitamin B complex and semi-synthetic vitamin C became available. This

3108-486: Is European Union equivalent of RDA; higher for adults than for children, and may be even higher for women who are pregnant or lactating. For Thiamin and Niacin the PRIs are expressed as amounts per MJ of calories consumed. MJ = megajoule = 239 food calories. UL or Upper Limit Tolerable upper intake levels. ND ULs have not been determined. NE EARs have not been established. In those who are otherwise healthy, there

3219-941: Is a driver of environmental degradation , such as biodiversity loss , climate change , desertification , soil degradation and pollution . The food system as a whole – including refrigeration, food processing, packaging, and transport – accounts for around one-quarter of greenhouse gas emissions . More sustainable dietary choices can be made to reduce the impact of the food system on the environment. These choices may involve reducing consumption of meat and dairy products and instead eating more plant-based foods, and eating foods grown through sustainable farming practices. Some cultures and religions have restrictions concerning what foods are acceptable in their diet. For example, only Kosher foods are permitted in Judaism , and Halal foods in Islam . Although Buddhists are generally vegetarians ,

3330-445: Is a non-renewable resource and it is being depleted by mining for agricultural use: peak phosphorus will occur within the next few hundred years, or perhaps earlier. Potassium is a macronutrient very important for plant development and is commonly sought in fertilizers. This nutrient is essential for agriculture because it improves water retention, nutrient value, yield, taste, color, texture and disease resistance of crops. It

3441-418: Is a protein in raw egg whites that inhibits the absorption of biotin ; it is deactivated by cooking. Pyrithiamine, a synthetic compound, has a molecular structure similar to thiamine, vitamin B 1 , and inhibits the enzymes that use thiamine. Each vitamin is typically used in multiple reactions, and therefore most have multiple functions. Vitamins are essential for the normal growth and development of

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3552-420: Is a recognized method of carbon sequestration as soil can act as an effective carbon sink . Soil management techniques include no-till farming , keyline design and windbreaks to reduce wind erosion, reincorporation of organic matter into the soil, reducing soil salinization , and preventing water run-off. As the global population increases and demand for food increases, there is pressure on land as

3663-598: Is also a rapidly growing barrier, one that farmers have little control over, which can be seen through place-based barriers. These place-based barriers include factors such as weather conditions, topography , and soil quality which can cause losses in production, resulting in the reluctance to switch from conventional practices. Many environmental benefits are also not visible or immediately evident. Significant changes such as lower rates of soil and nutrient loss, improved soil structure , and higher levels of beneficial microorganisms take time. In conventional agriculture ,

3774-414: Is available for crop growth, but many other areas require irrigation . For irrigation systems to be sustainable, they require proper management (to avoid salinization ) and must not use more water from their source than is naturally replenishable. Otherwise, the water source effectively becomes a non-renewable resource . Improvements in water well drilling technology and submersible pumps , combined with

3885-496: Is bad and that there cannot be sustainability unless agriculture is done in ancient traditional ways. Efforts toward more sustainable agriculture are supported in the sustainability community, however, these are often viewed only as incremental steps and not as an end. One promising method of encouraging sustainable agriculture is through local farming and community gardens . Incorporating local produce and agricultural education into schools, communities, and institutions can promote

3996-518: Is found in the soil in both inorganic and organic forms and makes up approximately 0.05% of soil biomass. Phosphorus fertilizers are the main input of inorganic phosphorus in agricultural soils and approximately 70%–80% of phosphorus in cultivated soils is inorganic. Long-term use of phosphate-containing chemical fertilizers causes eutrophication and deplete soil microbial life, so people have looked to other sources. Phosphorus fertilizers are manufactured from rock phosphate . However, rock phosphate

4107-431: Is important. Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract with the help of lipids (fats). Vitamins A and D can accumulate in the body, which can result in dangerous hypervitaminosis . Fat-soluble vitamin deficiency due to malabsorption is of particular significance in cystic fibrosis . Anti-vitamins are chemical compounds that inhibit the absorption or actions of vitamins. For example, avidin

4218-725: Is little evidence that supplements have any benefits with respect to cancer or heart disease . Vitamin A and E supplements not only provide no health benefits for generally healthy individuals, but they may increase mortality, though the two large studies that support this conclusion included smokers for whom it was already known that beta-carotene supplements can be harmful. A 2018 meta-analysis found no evidence that intake of vitamin D or calcium for community-dwelling elderly people reduced bone fractures. Europe has regulations that define limits of vitamin (and mineral) dosages for their safe use as dietary supplements. Most vitamins that are sold as dietary supplements are not supposed to exceed

4329-489: Is no FDA approval process for dietary supplements, and no requirement that manufacturers prove the safety or efficacy of supplements introduced before 1994. The Food and Drug Administration must rely on its Adverse Event Reporting System to monitor adverse events that occur with supplements. In 2007, the US Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 21, part III took effect, regulating Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) in

4440-431: Is not sustainable agriculture. An example of a case in which a global view may be warranted is the application of fertilizer or manure , which can improve the productivity of a farm but can pollute nearby rivers and coastal waters ( eutrophication ). The other extreme can also be undesirable, as the problem of low crop yields due to exhaustion of nutrients in the soil has been related to rainforest destruction. In Asia,

4551-526: Is often used in the cultivation of grains, fruits, vegetables, rice, wheat, millets, sugar, corn, soybeans, palm oil and coffee. Potassium chloride (KCl) represents the most widely source of K used in agriculture, accounting for 90% of all potassium produced for agricultural use.   The use of KCl leads to high concentrations of chloride (Clˉ) in soil harming its health due to the increase in soil salinity, imbalance in nutrient availability and this ion's biocidal effect for soil organisms. In consequences

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4662-409: Is readily defined as forever, that is, agricultural environments that are designed to promote endless regeneration". It balances the need for resource conservation with the needs of farmers pursuing their livelihood . It is considered to be reconciliation ecology , accommodating biodiversity within human landscapes. Oftentimes, the execution of sustainable practices within farming comes through

4773-414: Is simultaneously causing environmental changes and being impacted by these changes. Sustainable agriculture consists of environment friendly methods of farming that allow the production of crops or livestock without causing damage to human or natural systems. It involves preventing adverse effects on soil, water, biodiversity, and surrounding or downstream resources, as well as to those working or living on

4884-508: Is synthesized from the amino acid tryptophan . Vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others. Vitamin B 12 is the only vitamin or nutrient not available from plant sources. The Food Fortification Initiative lists countries which have mandatory fortification programs for vitamins folic acid, niacin, vitamin A and vitamins B 1 , B 2 and B 12 . The body's stores for different vitamins vary widely; vitamins A, D, and B 12 are stored in significant amounts, mainly in

4995-539: Is that the vitamins corresponding to letters F–J were either reclassified over time, discarded as false leads, or renamed because of their relationship to vitamin B, which became a complex of vitamins. Sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an understanding of ecosystem services . There are many methods to increase

5106-463: Is the ability to feed ever-growing populations across the world. The growing popularity of sustainable agriculture is connected to the wide-reaching fear that the planet's carrying capacity (or planetary boundaries ), in terms of the ability to feed humanity, has been reached or even exceeded. There are several key principles associated with sustainability in agriculture: It "considers long-term as well as short-term economics because sustainability

5217-607: The American Medical Association approved of the Food and Nutrition Board 's new names niacin and niacin amide for use primarily by non-scientists. It was thought appropriate to choose a name to dissociate nicotinic acid from nicotine , to avoid the perception that vitamins or niacin-rich food contains nicotine, or that cigarettes contain vitamins. The resulting name niacin was derived from ni cotinic ac id + vitam in . Researchers also focused on

5328-497: The Coronavirus disease 2019 ) due to the degradation of natural buffers between humans and animals, reducing biodiversity and creating larger groups of genetically similar animals. Land is a finite resource on Earth. Although expansion of agricultural land can decrease biodiversity and contribute to deforestation , the picture is complex; for instance, a study examining the introduction of sheep by Norse settlers (Vikings) to

5439-770: The DASH diet , can be used in treatment and management of chronic conditions. Dietary recommendations exist for many different countries, and they usually emphasise a balanced diet which is culturally appropriate. These recommendation are different from dietary reference values which provide information about the prevention of nutrient deficiencies. Exclusionary diets are diets with certain groups or specific types of food avoided, either due to health considerations or by choice. Many do not eat food from animal sources to varying degrees (e.g. flexitarianism , pescetarianism , vegetarianism , and veganism ) for health reasons, issues surrounding morality, or to reduce their personal impact on

5550-455: The Economics of Land Degradation Initiative which seek to establish an economic cost-benefit analysis on the practice of sustainable land management and sustainable agriculture. Triple bottom line frameworks include social and environmental alongside a financial bottom line. A sustainable future can be feasible if growth in material consumption and population is slowed down and if there is

5661-638: The Great Depression and World War II , so that in one point of time 40% of the vegetables of the USA was produced in this way. The practice became more popular again in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic . This method permits to grow food in a relatively sustainable way and at the same time can make it easier for poor people to obtain food. Costs, such as environmental problems, not covered in traditional accounting systems (which take into account only

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5772-497: The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine . Funk created the name from vital and amine , because it appeared that these organic micronutrient food factors that prevent beriberi and perhaps other similar dietary-deficiency diseases were required for life, hence "vital", and were chemical amines, hence "amine". This was true of thiamine , but after it was found that vitamin C and other such micronutrients were not amines,

5883-596: The Scottish surgeon James Lind discovered that citrus foods helped prevent scurvy, a particularly deadly disease in which collagen is not properly formed, causing poor wound healing, bleeding of the gums , severe pain, and death. In 1753, Lind published his Treatise on the Scurvy , which recommended using lemons and limes to avoid scurvy , which was adopted by the British Royal Navy . This led to

5994-468: The United States , the number of women farm operators has tripled. In 2007, women operated 14 percent of farms, compared to five percent in 1978. Much of the growth is due to women farming outside of the "male dominated field of conventional agriculture". The practice of growing food in the backyard of houses, schools, etc., by families or by communities became widespread in the US at the time of World War I ,

6105-451: The flooding of the Nile , the long-term use of biochar , and use of crop and livestock landraces that are adapted to less than ideal conditions such as pests, drought, or lack of nutrients. Crops that require high levels of soil nutrients can be cultivated in a more sustainable manner with appropriate fertilizer management practices. Phosphate is a primary component in fertilizer . It is

6216-434: The liver , and an adult's diet may be deficient in vitamins A and D for many months and B 12 in some cases for years, before developing a deficiency condition. However, vitamin B 3 (niacin and niacinamide) is not stored in significant amounts, so stores may last only a couple of weeks. For vitamin C, the first symptoms of scurvy in experimental studies of complete vitamin C deprivation in humans have varied widely, from

6327-415: The loss of biodiversity and increased soil erosion. In modern agriculture, energy is used in on-farm mechanisation, food processing, storage, and transportation processes. It has therefore been found that energy prices are closely linked to food prices . Oil is also used as an input in agricultural chemicals . The International Energy Agency projects higher prices of non-renewable energy resources as

6438-591: The Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C). The term "sustainable agriculture" was defined in 1977 by the USDA as an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term: Yet the idea of having a sustainable relationship with the land has been prevalent in indigenous communities for centuries before the term was formally added to

6549-498: The European Union (same concept as RDAs), followed by what three government organizations deem to be the safe upper intake. RDAs are set higher than EARs to cover people with higher than average needs. Adequate Intakes (AIs) are set when there is not sufficient information to establish EARs and RDAs. Governments are slow to revise information of this nature. For the U.S. values, with the exception of calcium and vitamin D, all of

6660-625: The Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic concluded that, over time, the fine partitioning of land plots contributed more to soil erosion and degradation than grazing itself. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that in coming decades, cropland will continue to be lost to industrial and urban development , along with reclamation of wetlands, and conversion of forest to cultivation, resulting in

6771-597: The Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine "...for their discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye." Wald's contribution was discovering the role vitamin A had in the process. Once discovered, vitamins were actively promoted in articles and advertisements in McCall's , Good Housekeeping , and other media outlets. Marketers enthusiastically promoted cod-liver oil ,

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6882-422: The adoption of technology and environmentally-focused appropriate technology . Practices that can cause long-term damage to soil include excessive tilling of the soil (leading to erosion ) and irrigation without adequate drainage (leading to salinization ). The most important factors for a farming site are climate , soil, nutrients and water resources . Of the four, water and soil conservation are

6993-666: The average annual flow of rivers from rainfall, flows from outside a country, the percentage of water coming from outside a country, and gross water withdrawal. It is estimated that agricultural practices consume 69% of the world's fresh water. Sustainable agriculture attempts to solve multiple problems with one broad solution. The goal of sustainable agricultural practices is to decrease environmental degradation due to farming while increasing crop–and thus food–output. There are many varying strategies attempting to use sustainable farming practices in order to increase rural economic development within small-scale farming communities. Two of

7104-486: The barriers preventing sustainable agricultural practices. Social barriers to sustainable agriculture include cultural shifts, the need for collaboration, incentives, and new legislation. The move from conventional to sustainable agriculture will require significant behavioural changes from both farmers and consumers. Cooperation and collaboration between farmers is necessary to successfully transition to sustainable practices with minimal complications. This can be seen as

7215-545: The beneficial effects of which are questionable. As one example, in the 1950s, the Wonder Bread company sponsored the Howdy Doody television show, with host Buffalo Bob Smith telling the audience, "Wonder Bread builds strong bodies 8 ways", referring to the number of added nutrients . The term "vitamin" was derived from "vitamine", a portmanteau coined in 1912 by the biochemist Casimir Funk while working at

7326-600: The benefits are easily visible with no weeds, pests, etc..., but the long term costs to the soil and surrounding ecosystems are hidden and "externalized". Conventional agricultural practices since the evolution of technology have caused significant damage to the environment through biodiversity loss , disrupted ecosystems, poor water quality, among other harms. The economic obstacles to implementing sustainable agricultural practices include low financial return/profitability, lack of financial incentives, and negligible capital investments. Financial incentives and circumstances play

7437-448: The benefits of dietary supplements for persons with certain health conditions. In some cases, vitamin supplements may have unwanted effects, especially if taken before surgery, with other dietary supplements or medicines, or if the person taking them has certain health conditions. They may also contain levels of vitamins many times higher, and in different forms, than one may ingest through food. Most countries place dietary supplements in

7548-624: The chemistry of flavins , which led to the identification of lactoflavin . For their investigations on carotenoids, flavins and vitamins A and B 2 , they both received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937. In 1931, Albert Szent-Györgyi and a fellow researcher Joseph Svirbely suspected that "hexuronic acid" was actually vitamin C , and gave a sample to Charles Glen King , who proved its activity counter to scurvy in his long-established guinea pig scorbutic assay. In 1937, Szent-Györgyi

7659-622: The conditions in which societies are born into, growing in, and learning from. It deals with shifting away from traditional practices of agricultural and moving into new sustainable practices that will create better societies and conditions. The environmental pillar addresses climate change and focuses on agricultural practices that protect the environment for future generations. The economic pillar discovers ways in which sustainable agriculture can be practiced while fostering economic growth and stability, with minimal disruptions to livelihoods. All three pillars must be addressed to determine and overcome

7770-405: The data date to 1997–2004. All values are consumption per day: EAR US Estimated Average Requirements. RDA US Recommended Dietary Allowances; higher for adults than for children, and may be even higher for women who are pregnant or lactating. AI US and EFSA Adequate Intake; AIs established when there is not sufficient information to set EARs and RDAs. PRI Population Reference Intake

7881-854: The development of drip irrigation and low-pressure pivots, have made it possible to regularly achieve high crop yields in areas where reliance on rainfall alone had previously made successful agriculture unpredictable. However, this progress has come at a price. In many areas, such as the Ogallala Aquifer , the water is being used faster than it can be replenished. According to the UC Davis Agricultural Sustainability Institute, several steps must be taken to develop drought-resistant farming systems even in "normal" years with average rainfall. These measures include both policy and management actions: Indicators for sustainable water resource development include

7992-494: The development of plants and soil organisms is affected, putting at risk soil biodiversity and agricultural productivity. A sustainable option for replacing KCl are chloride-free fertilizers, its use should take into account plants' nutrition needs, and the promotion of soil health. Land degradation is becoming a severe global problem. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change : "About

8103-432: The direct costs of production incurred by the farmer) are known as externalities . Netting studied sustainability and intensive agriculture in smallholder systems through history. There are several studies incorporating externalities such as ecosystem services, biodiversity, land degradation, and sustainable land management in economic analysis. These include The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study and

8214-652: The early 2000s stating that when people in their communities are not factored into the agricultural process that serious harm is done. The social scientist Charles Kellogg has stated that, "In a final effort, exploited people pass their suffering to the land." Sustainable agriculture mean the ability to permanently and continuously "feed its constituent populations". There are a lot of opportunities that can increase farmers' profits, improve communities, and continue sustainable practices. For example, in Uganda , Genetically Modified Organisms were originally illegal. However, with

8325-527: The environment (e.g. environmental vegetarianism ). People on a balanced vegetarian or vegan diet can obtain adequate nutrition, but may need to specifically focus on consuming specific nutrients, such as protein , iron , calcium , zinc , and vitamin B 12 . Raw foodism and intuitive eating are other approaches to dietary choices. Education, income, local availability, and mental health are all major factors for dietary choices. A particular diet may be chosen to promote weight loss or weight gain. Changing

8436-457: The environment. Possible sources of nitrates that would, in principle, be available indefinitely, include: The last option was proposed in the 1970s, but is only gradually becoming feasible. Sustainable options for replacing other nutrient inputs such as phosphorus and potassium are more limited. Other options include long-term crop rotations , returning to natural cycles that annually flood cultivated lands (returning lost nutrients) such as

8547-491: The essential vitamins, notably vitamins D and E. Well-researched human vitamin deficiencies involve thiamine (beriberi), niacin ( pellagra ), vitamin C (scurvy), folate (neural tube defects) and vitamin D (rickets). In much of the developed world these deficiencies are rare due to an adequate supply of food and the addition of vitamins to common foods. In addition to these classical vitamin deficiency diseases, some evidence has also suggested links between vitamin deficiency and

8658-437: The farm or in neighboring areas. Elements of sustainable agriculture can include permaculture , agroforestry , mixed farming , multiple cropping , and crop rotation . Developing sustainable food systems contributes to the sustainability of the human population. For example, one of the best ways to mitigate climate change is to create sustainable food systems based on sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture provides

8769-461: The first instance but is in the second. Most vitamins are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules called vitamers. For example, there are eight vitamers of vitamin E : four tocopherols and four tocotrienols . The term vitamin does not include the three other groups of essential nutrients : minerals , essential fatty acids , and essential amino acids . Major health organizations list thirteen vitamins: Some sources include

8880-467: The first person to receive an award mentioning vitamins, even though it was not specifically about vitamin D. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 1929 was awarded to Christiaan Eijkman and Frederick Gowland Hopkins for their contributions to the discovery of vitamins. Thirty-five years earlier, Eijkman had observed that chickens fed polished white rice developed neurological symptoms similar to those observed in military sailors and soldiers fed

8991-403: The functions of the human body. In 1910, the first vitamin complex was isolated by Japanese scientist Umetaro Suzuki , who succeeded in extracting a water-soluble complex of micronutrients from rice bran and named it aberic acid (later Orizanin ). He published this discovery in a Japanese scientific journal. When the article was translated into German, the translation failed to state that it

9102-406: The hypothesis that other diseases, such as rickets, pellagra, coeliac disease, and scurvy could also be cured by vitamins. Max Nierenstein a friend and Reader of Biochemistry at Bristol University reportedly suggested the "vitamine" name (from "vital amine"). The name soon became synonymous with Hopkins' "accessory factors", and, by the time it was shown that not all vitamins are amines , the word

9213-495: The lexicon. A common consensus is that sustainable farming is the most realistic way to feed growing populations. In order to successfully feed the population of the planet, farming practices must consider future costs–to both the environment and the communities they fuel.   The risk of not being able to provide enough resources for everyone led to the adoption of technology within the sustainability field to increase farm productivity. The ideal end result of this advancement

9324-507: The manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or holding operations for dietary supplements. Even though product registration is not required, these regulations mandate production and quality control standards (including testing for identity, purity and adulterations) for dietary supplements. In the European Union, the Food Supplements Directive requires that only those supplements that have been proven safe can be sold without

9435-505: The most amenable to human intervention. When farmers grow and harvest crops, they remove some nutrients from the soil. Without replenishment, the land suffers from nutrient depletion and becomes either unusable or suffers from reduced yields . Sustainable agriculture depends on replenishing the soil while minimizing the use or need of non-renewable resources, such as natural gas or mineral ores. A farm that can "produce perpetually", yet has negative effects on environmental quality elsewhere

9546-446: The most part, vitamins are obtained from the diet, but some are acquired by other means: for example, microorganisms in the gut flora produce vitamin K and biotin; and one form of vitamin D is synthesized in skin cells when they are exposed to a certain wavelength of ultraviolet light present in sunlight . Humans can produce some vitamins from precursors they consume: for example, vitamin A is synthesized from beta carotene ; and niacin

9657-412: The most popular and opposing strategies within the modern discourse are allowing unrestricted markets to determine food production and deeming food a human right . Neither of these approaches have been proven to work without fail. A promising proposal to rural poverty reduction within agricultural communities is sustainable economic growth; the most important aspect of this policy is to regularly include

9768-444: The need to ensure adequate nutrition, especially to compensate for what was lost in the manufacture of processed foods . Robert W. Yoder is credited with first using the term vitamania , in 1942, to describe the appeal of relying on nutritional supplements rather than on obtaining vitamins from a varied diet of foods. The continuing preoccupation with a healthy lifestyle led to an obsessive consumption of vitamins and multi-vitamins,

9879-543: The nickname limey for British sailors. However, during the 19th century, limes grown in the West Indies were substituted for lemons; these were subsequently found to be much lower in vitamin C. As a result, Arctic expeditions continued to be plagued by scurvy and other deficiency diseases . In the early 20th century, when Robert Falcon Scott made his two expeditions to the Antarctic , the prevailing medical theory

9990-410: The past 10 years, obesity rates have increased by almost 10%. Conversely, if a person is underweight due to illness or malnutrition , they may change their diet to promote weight gain. Intentional changes in weight, though often beneficial, can be potentially harmful to the body if they occur too rapidly. Unintentional rapid weight change can be caused by the body's reaction to some medications, or may be

10101-443: The percentage losses of various nutrients from food types and cooking methods. Some vitamins may become more "bio-available" – that is, usable by the body – when foods are cooked. The table below shows whether various vitamins are susceptible to loss from heat—such as heat from boiling, steaming, frying, etc. The effect of cutting vegetables can be seen from exposure to air and light. Water-soluble vitamins such as B and C dissolve into

10212-552: The poorest farmers in the economy-wide development through the stabilization of small-scale agricultural economies. In 2007, the United Nations reported on " Organic Agriculture and Food Security in Africa", stating that using sustainable agriculture could be a tool in reaching global food security without expanding land usage and reducing environmental impacts . There has been evidence provided by developing nations from

10323-701: The practice varies and meat-eating may be permitted depending on the sects. In Hinduism , vegetarianism is the ideal. Jains are strictly vegetarian and in addition to that the consumption of any roots (ex: potatoes, carrots) is not permitted. In Christianity there is no restriction on the kinds of animals that can be eaten, though various groups within Christianity have practiced specific dietary restrictions for various reasons. The most common diets used by Christians are Mediterranean and vegetarianism . Vitamin Vitamins are organic molecules (or

10434-475: The second most important nutrient for plants after nitrogen, and is often a limiting factor. It is important for sustainable agriculture as it can improve soil fertility and crop yields. Phosphorus is involved in all major metabolic processes including photosynthesis, energy transfer, signal transduction, macromolecular biosynthesis, and respiration. It is needed for root ramification and strength and seed formation, and can increase disease resistance. Phosphorus

10545-399: The specific amount of land needed for sustainable farming is about 12.5 acres which include land for animal fodder, cereal production as a cash crop, and other food crops. In some cases, a small unit of aquaculture is included (AARI-1996). Nitrates are used widely in farming as fertilizer. Unfortunately, a major environmental problem associated with agriculture is the leaching of nitrates into

10656-658: The stress of banana crisis in Uganda, where Banana Bacterial Wilt had the potential to wipe out 90% of yield, they decided to explore GMOs as a possible solution. The government issued the National Biotechnology and Biosafety bill, which will allow scientists that are part of the National Banana Research Program to start experimenting with genetically modified organisms. This effort has the potential to help local communities because

10767-482: The sustainability of agriculture. When developing agriculture within sustainable food systems , it is important to develop flexible business processes and farming practices. Agriculture has an enormous environmental footprint , playing a significant role in causing climate change ( food systems are responsible for one third of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions ), water scarcity , water pollution , land degradation , deforestation and other processes; it

10878-420: The use of pesticides and the effects of climate change. Pesticides are widely used to combat pests that can devastate production and plays a significant role in keeping food prices and production costs low. To move toward sustainable agriculture, farmers are encouraged to utilize green pesticides, which cause less harm to both human health and habitats, but would entail a higher production cost. Climate change

10989-426: The use of medications that interfere with the absorption or use of the vitamin. People who eat a varied diet are unlikely to develop a severe primary vitamin deficiency, but may be consuming less than the recommended amounts; a national food and supplement survey conducted in the US over 2003–2006 reported that over 90% of individuals who did not consume vitamin supplements were found to have inadequate levels of some of

11100-576: The water when a vegetable is boiled, and are then lost when the water is discarded. In setting human nutrient guidelines, government organizations do not necessarily agree on amounts needed to avoid deficiency or maximum amounts to avoid the risk of toxicity. For example, for vitamin C, recommended intakes range from 40 mg/day in India to 155 mg/day for the European Union. The table below shows U.S. Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins, PRIs for

11211-579: The word was shortened to "vitamin" in English. Vitamins are classified as either water-soluble or fat-soluble . In humans there are 13 vitamins: 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E, and K) and 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C). Water-soluble vitamins dissolve easily in water and, in general, are readily excreted from the body, to the degree that urinary output is a strong predictor of vitamin consumption. Because they are not as readily stored, more consistent intake

11322-514: Was a newly discovered nutrient, a claim made in the original Japanese article, and hence his discovery failed to gain publicity. In 1912 Polish-born biochemist Casimir Funk , working in London, isolated the same complex of micronutrients and proposed the complex be named "vitamine". It was later to be known as vitamin B 3 (niacin), though he described it as "anti-beri-beri-factor" (which would today be called thiamine or vitamin B 1 ). Funk proposed

11433-469: Was already ubiquitous. In 1920, Jack Cecil Drummond proposed that the final "e" be dropped to deemphasize the "amine" reference, hence "vitamin", after researchers began to suspect that not all "vitamines" (in particular, vitamin A) have an amine component. The Nobel Prize for Chemistry for 1928 was awarded to Adolf Windaus "for his studies on the constitution of the sterols and their connection with vitamins",

11544-689: Was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery. In 1943, Edward Adelbert Doisy and Henrik Dam were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of vitamin K and its chemical structure. In 1938, Richard Kuhn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on carotenoids and vitamins, specifically B 2 and B 6 . Five people have been awarded Nobel Prizes for direct and indirect studies of vitamin B 12 : George Whipple , George Minot and William P. Murphy (1934), Alexander R. Todd (1957), and Dorothy Hodgkin (1964). In 1967, George Wald , Ragnar Granit and Haldan Keffer Hartline were awarded

11655-536: Was fed only white rice, while the other was fed a diet of meat, fish, barley, rice, and beans. The group that ate only white rice documented 161 crew members with beriberi and 25 deaths, while the latter group had only 14 cases of beriberi and no deaths. This convinced Takaki and the Japanese Navy that diet was the cause of beriberi, but they mistakenly believed that sufficient amounts of protein prevented it. That diseases could result from some dietary deficiencies

11766-648: Was followed in the 1950s by the mass production and marketing of vitamin supplements , including multivitamins , to prevent vitamin deficiencies in the general population. Governments have mandated the addition of some vitamins to staple foods such as flour or milk, referred to as food fortification , to prevent deficiencies. Recommendations for folic acid supplementation during pregnancy reduced risk of infant neural tube defects . from plant origin as provitamin A / all- trans -beta-carotene: orange, ripe yellow fruits, leafy vegetables, carrots, pumpkin, squash, spinach The value of eating certain foods to maintain health

11877-414: Was further investigated by Christiaan Eijkman , who in 1897 discovered that feeding unpolished rice instead of the polished variety to chickens helped to prevent a kind of polyneuritis that was the equivalent of beriberi. The following year, Frederick Hopkins postulated that some foods contained "accessory factors" – in addition to proteins, carbohydrates, fats etc.  – that are necessary for

11988-477: Was recognized long before vitamins were identified. The ancient Egyptians knew that feeding liver to a person may help with night blindness , an illness now known to be caused by a vitamin A deficiency. The advance of ocean voyages during the Age of Discovery resulted in prolonged periods without access to fresh fruits and vegetables, and made illnesses from vitamin deficiency common among ships' crews. In 1747,

12099-530: Was reported by 63,931 individuals to the American Association of Poison Control Centers with 72% of these exposures in children under the age of five. In the US, analysis of a national diet and supplement survey reported that about 7% of adult supplement users exceeded the UL for folate and 5% of those older than age 50 years exceeded the UL for vitamin A. The USDA has conducted extensive studies on

12210-505: Was that scurvy was caused by "tainted" canned food . In 1881, Russian medical doctor Nikolai Lunin studied the effects of scurvy at the University of Tartu . He fed mice an artificial mixture of all the separate constituents of milk known at that time, namely the proteins , fats , carbohydrates , and salts . The mice that received only the individual constituents died, while the mice fed by milk itself developed normally. He made

12321-581: Was the common staple food of the middle class, beriberi resulting from lack of vitamin B 1 was endemic . In 1884, Takaki Kanehiro , a British-trained medical doctor of the Imperial Japanese Navy , observed that beriberi was endemic among low-ranking crew who often ate nothing but rice, but not among officers who consumed a Western-style diet. With the support of the Japanese navy, he experimented using crews of two battleships ; one crew

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