In early 1935 a reformed drinker named Bill Wilson formed Alcoholics Anonymous; Mussolini’s Italy attacked Ethiopia while Swiss researchers discovered a way to artificially synthesize vitamin C, paving the path for mass production and marketing of other vitamins. While the first two incidents would transform the world for the better and worse respectively; the jury is still out for the third.
Currently, 56% of US population use multivitamins while global supplement usage, specially in the Asian countries, are on the rise.
But the real question is, whether it is beneficial for you to take multivitamins regularly or this is just another marketing gimmick for the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry?
Vitamins and Minerals:
In 1912, Dr Casimir Funk described the active properties in unpolished rise husks as ‘vitamines’ . Till date 13 vitamins have being universally recognized.
Vitamins are classified based on their solubility. They are of two types- Fat and Water Soluble. There are four fat soluble Vitamins (A,D,E.K) . These Vitamins can be stored in the body. Nine water soluble vitamins ( 8 B-Vitamins and Vitamin C) are recognized, which are readily excreted from the body.
Sources of vitamins:
Functions: Most of the vitamins have wide range of functions. See the table below-
Dietary Minerals are equally essential for proper functioning of the body. Minerals are broadly categorized into major minerals and trace elements. Major minerals include calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium and magnesium. Trace elements are chlorine, copper, cobalt, zinc, sulphur, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, iron, iodine and selenium. Major minerals are required in relatively large (or major) quantities while trace elements are needed in very small (or trace) amounts.
Sources of Minerals: Can be found in variety of foods (dry fruits, vegetables, cereals, meat etc.)
Functions: Minerals are important constituents of tissues, muscle, bones, teeth, and nerve cells. Moreover, they are necessary for many biochemical reactions in our body.
Don’t we get vitamins and minerals in our diet ?
From pre-historic times ancient hunter gatherers subsisted on a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and lean meat. But with the beginning of the industrial age our lifestyle and diets gradually began to change. In the 21st century high carbohydrate, high fat diets have become the norm since they are quicker, easier and cheaper to sustain. So ideally we should be getting all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from our regular balanced diet. But in the fast-paced modern society this is just a wishful thinking.
What is a Multivitamin supplement?
Multivitamins contain multiple micronutrients such as vitamins and dietary minerals. They are classified by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as dietary supplements. These are available in variety of formulas and typically as a ‘over the counter’ medication.
Research about the usage of multi-vitamins:
Researches are still ongoing about the health benefits of multi-vitamins. Interestingly, the evidence till now is decidedly mixed. While many research papers published in peer-reviewed journals support the routine usage of supplements, others do not. Although some studies found no clear evidence that multi-vitamins prevent cancer or chronic diseases most analysis showed clear benefits in plugging the nutritional gap.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health “…Many don’t eat the healthiest of diets. That’s why a multi-vitamin can help fill in the gaps, and may have added health benefits”.
Precautions:
Pregnant women , children, elderly, people with chronic diseases may have special nutritional needs. Any supplements should be started only after a thorough health check-up and on the advise of a doctor. Moreover, multivitamins should be taken by following the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance). Overdoses can lead to toxicity.
Final Verdict:
Dr Jeffrey Blumberg, a senior nutrition scientist at Tufts University and a lifelong nutrition researcher says, “Its a very prudent thing for many people to choose to take a multivitamin”. From the above discussions it is clear that ideally we should be eating super healthy foods daily, for our body to function at optimum capacity. But practically this is not possible in today’s modern world. Moreover, diet that is deficient in vitamins and minerals would make us feel sluggish and lousy.
So, in a nutshell this is what I suggest to all my patients, friends and families-
- Take a high quality broad spectrum multivitamin on a regular basis.
- Ideally, you should take a multivitamin after breakfast.
- Healthy adults can take multivitamin continuously for 11 months, and then stop for one month before continuing again. In another variation, you can take for first 25 days of each month and then stop for last 5-6 days before starting again.
- Routine supplements must be combined with healthy eating.
The above suggestions are the result of my discussions with several doctors and from my experience and feedback from lots of patients. Try it out, and let us know about your experience.
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