In an ideal world, where everyone leads a healthy life, your body would be more than happy with all the nutrients and vitamins it has at its fingertips. Unfortunately, our reality is a little different from our dreams and most people cannot get to plan their meals in advance, much less incorporate vegetables or fruits on a daily basis.
That is the reason for the existence of multivitamins, components that help you obtain the nutritional elements that you cannot get through diet. However, each body is different and needs different nutrients according to the activities carried out by the person, their age or body mass.
We know that choosing the perfect multivitamin is a difficult task and that is why we help you answer some questions to choose the one that best suits your needs.
Most important vitamins and minerals
The word “multivitamin” is actually a bad way to refer to this supplement, as it is made up of vitamins and minerals. Both are micronutrients and you need them in small amounts to perform more intense tasks or exercise or to last a little longer during the day.
The vitamins that your body needs the most to function properly are: A, C, D, E, K and the group of B vitamins, which in turn includes thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, niacin, B6 and B12.
Although they seem like a lot of vitamins to remember, you can easily get them through a balanced diet. In turn, the most common minerals in food are usually: calcium, potassium, iron, copper, magnesium and iodine.
Who should take multivitamins?
It is perfectly normal to include multivitamins in your diet ; however, you should not replace your meals with them. These supplements, as their name describes so well, are not designed to fully compensate for the nutrients your body needs.
The task of this product is to fill in those places where your diet fails, but they always work on a basis of good nutrition. Therefore, it is recommended to maintain a regularity in your diet with a high content of fruits and vegetables, since it is the most natural way to obtain these vitamins.
However, some people have great benefits when consuming them. In fact, a study published in Nutrients found that the use of multivitamins reduced the intake of inadequate micronutrients in the adults who participated (Blumberg, Bailey, Sesso, & Ulrich, 2018)
In any case, if you want to start taking multivitamins , you should consult your regular doctor, since the requirements are different for each individual. In general rules, you should take it into consideration if you have the following characteristics:
- You eat less than 1,600 calories a day.
- You have food limitations due to allergies or other medical conditions.
- You have adopted vegetarianism, veganism, or another restrictive diet.
What to look for in a multivitamin?
It has been proven by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that understanding the labels of multivitamins has become a very difficult task to understand (Marra and Bailey, 2018) This may be due to the wide variety of brands that exist in the market, from the cheapest and worst in quality to the best you can find.
Therefore, this is what you should keep in mind when choosing a good multivitamin :
- Look for the acronym “CGMP” on the label, this means that you are complying with the quality of the drugs and avoid the possibilities of contamination.
- Acquire that brand that is known for its good quality, since they are usually verified by third-party companies.
- Choose those vitamins that actually contain nutrients and not their synthetic forms; for example, folate instead of folic acid.
- Stay away from artificial flavors and sweeteners, as well as other unnecessary ingredients.
There is no universal multivitamin
Typically, you need around 30 vitamins and minerals in various forms on a daily basis, but a multivitamin is totally personal and you have to take into account a number of factors. The age, gender and medical history of the person must be taken into consideration to prevent consequences.
The best recommendation we can give you is to consult with a doctor who will carry out the necessary studies on you and, in that way, can advise you specifically. These tests should include a blood test, the patient’s symptoms, and their history.
When to take multivitamins
When you are a woman, your metabolism works differently like your hormones, which means that they have different requirements when taking supplements. Most of the female population chooses to take varieties of folic acid or folate, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and iron.
If you are pregnant, prenatal nutrition it is essential to help the development of your baby and yourself. In this case, it is usually recommended to take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects in the newborn. In addition, an article in Nutrition Journal states that pregnant women should consume lower amounts of vitamin A , as this can increase the chances of having birth defects (Ward, 2014).
On the other hand, men also have nutritional needs. The ideal multivitamin for a man should contain vitamin E to prevent prostate problems. In addition, to help your heart you can consume magnesium, antioxidant vitamins A, C, E, selenium and zinc.
Lastly, older adults require more vitamins because their metabolism slows down over the years. A good idea is to take vitamin D to keep your bones strong, vitamin B12 for more energy, and potassium to lower high blood pressure levels.
References
- Blumberg, JB, Bailey, RL, D. Sesso, HD and Ulrich, CM (2018). The Evolving Role of Multivitamin / Multimineral Supplement Use among Adults in the Age of Personalized Nutrition. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390 / nu10020248
- Marra, MV and Bailey, RL (2018). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Micronutrient Supplementation. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. doi: 10.1016 / j.jand.2018.07.022.
- Ward, E. (2014). Addressing nutritional gaps with multivitamin and mineral supplements. Nutrition Journal. doi: 10.1186 / 1475-2891-13-72
