Why multivitamins are important

You may wonder why you should take multivitamins? Who needs them? Which ones are the best? Multivitamins are meant to provide the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals recommended for healthy and balanced nutritional needs. This can be an important daily support because most Americans have some nutritional deficits.

Your ReNue RX pharmacist can give you guidance when it comes to choosing the multivitamin best for you. Your pharmacist will look at your profile including age, medications, and medical conditions, and then make a recommendation for your best health. Depending on your health needs, you may even want to see your family practice physician for suggestions of additional supplements to boost nutritional needs above and beyond a daily multivitamin.

A diet that includes plenty of fruits , vegetables , whole grains , good protein sources , and healthful fats should provide most of the nutrients needed for good health. But not everyone manages to eat a healthful diet. When it comes to specific vitamins and minerals, some Americans get less than adequate amounts, according to criteria set by the National Academy of Medicine.

Multivitamins come in various forms tablets, capsules, liquid s, powders and are packaged as a specific combination of nutrients B-complex, calcium with vitamin D or as a comprehensive multivita min. S upplement s are a multibillion-dollar industry, with endless designer labels of brands from which to choose.

However, an expensive brand name is not necessary as even st andard generic brand s will deliver results. This seal ensures that the ingredients and amounts of that ingredient listed on the label are c ontained in the pill. The USP also runs several tests that confirm the pill to be free of contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides and has been manufactured under sanitary and regulated conditions.

That said, you may wish to consider the following factors before starting a multivitamin or any supplemental vitamin. If yo u are unsure about taking a multivitamin , you may wish to consult with a registered dietitian who can evaluate your current diet to determine any missing nutrients. At that time , suggestions to improve your food intake of those nutrients will be provided, or one or more supplemental vitamin s may be prescribed if th at is not possible.

Always inform your doctor of all supplements you are taking in case of potential interactions with medications. M ega-dose s many times the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins are not recommended. This can potentially interfere with the absorption of other nutrients or medications, or can even become toxic if too much is taken for a long period.

Also be wary of vitamins that contain extras, like herbs and botanicals, which are typically lacking in research about long-term effects and potential adverse effects.

Knowledge about the optimal intakes of vitamins and mi nerals to prevent chronic diseases is not set in stone. More long-term studies looking at this relationship are needed.

There is no arguing that multivitamins are important when nutritional requirements are not met through diet alone. For many diseases, but especially for cancer, only long-term trials are informative. The following studies looked at the effect of multivitamins on specific diseases and include d healthy people as well as those w ith chronic disease s at the start of the study :. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial provided a multivitamin or placebo to more than 14, male physicians, some with a history of cancer.

The results did not differ among men who had a history of cancer at the start of the study and men who were healthy at baseline. After 11 years, compared with the placebo, there was no significant effect of a daily MVI on cardiovascular events. Some research has suggested that the rates of death appear higher in people using multivitamins. However, one major flaw in these studies was that many of the participants had already developed some type of serious illness.

They may have started using vitamins after their health deteriorated, hoping for a benefit. But in those cases, taking a multivitamin might have been too late.

It is important to remember that a multivitamin cannot in any way replace a healthful well-balanced diet. This could be a cool promotional headline or banner that we'd want someone to see when they open the cart. Why take a multivitamin? At the same time, it gets harder for the body to absorb nutrients. Medications can further deplete our body of nutrients. A multivitamin can offset these deficiencies. Good for your heart: Studies show that taking a high-quality multivitamin may reduce cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the U. Reduces cancer risk: Vitamin use has been associated with a decreased risk of some cancers.