Should you take multivitamins?
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For nearly 25 years now, I've been writing, researching and collating information on a whole raft of different health problems. During that time, not surprisingly, I've tried lots of different vitamin and mineral supplements. Plenty were disappointing, some were good but only a few would I class as excellent. What's sad for me is that there are tons of products out there which could be a lot better and a lot more effective if only their producers would pay a bit more attention to the quality of their ingredients.
DEFINITELY NOT ALL THE SAME
It's very easy to assume that because a label says 'Antioxidant', 'Multivitamin' or 'B complex' that all products bearing these names will be of similar quality. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Generally speaking, I’ve found that bargain supplements almost always contain low-cost ingredients which, unfortunately, usually means that they don't produce the expected improvements. Perhaps they’re poorly absorbed and as a result not properly assimilated by the body or, worse still, will pretty much pass straight through without being broken down or utilised at all. Ever heard the phrase 'bedpan bullets'? Well some products are just that. In one end and out the other.
CHEAP AND CHEEKY
Some tablets or capsules might claim to be 'Multivitamin/mineral' but only on closer inspection of the small print might you realise that the mineral content is so small as to be not really worth considering. In other words, it's really a just a multivitamin with a token trace of minerals thrown in to make things look good. Likewise, the type of 'transport' which is chemically attached to that mineral (the thing that helps the mineral to travel across the gut wall into the bloodstream and the name that is written after the name of the mineral i.e. zinc oxide or ferrous sulphate) is often inadequate. Ferrous sulphate, the old prescription iron supplement, familiar to so many women, is a classic example. It's cheap to produce and cheap to buy and, if you've ever used it, you'll know that most of it seems to end up in your stools (hence the black colouring) and not in your bloodstream where it's really needed. It's not that it doesn't work at all, it's simply that it will take much longer to do its job as well as potentially irritating your digestion and constipating your bowels in the process.
The problem when it comes to getting the most from minerals is that they're inorganic substances and can't be taken up by the body unless they are attached to - for simplicity let's describe it this way - some kind of easily absorbable delivery system - which can 'lift' or 'carry' them from the gut into the circulation. It's different with food. The minerals in food usually already have in-built bio-available helpers which do their best to deliver their important nutrient cargo into the blood.
That's why, when it comes to minerals in supplements, it's so important to go for a quality product which will have addressed this issue. I'll be honest and say that I've never been a great fan of the oxides or sulphates that are sometimes included in mineral supplements, preferring citrates, gluconates, ascorbates, fumarates, bisglycinates and amino acid chelates. Look for these names on the labels.
BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD
When people ask me what I think of a particular supplement, I never comment one way or the other unless I've been able to try it for myself. What I do share is my own personal belief (based on vast experience) that, most of the time, you get what you pay for. That's because quality ingredients which have been carefully formulated in a special, usually oxygen-free environment, and properly packaged to extend shelf-life as much as possible, will cost the manufacturer far more to produce than something mass produced in an ordinary factory using cheap ingredients. So the best advice I think I can give is to recommend that you buy the best you can afford. And however appealing the price may seem on that unbelievably cheap ‘special offer’ or ‘1000 tablets for a tenner', if I were you, I'd leave them on the shelf.
WHAT ABOUT SUPPLEMENTS FROM SUPERMARKETS OR CHEMISTS?
While I’m on a negative tack, can I also tell you that, as much as I would like to, I rarely buy ‘own brand’ supplements from chemists or supermarkets anymore. I've spent a great deal of time comparing different formulas and, unfortunately, it seems to me (and again I stress that this is my own personal view) that own brand vitamins and minerals, whilst encouragingly inexpensive, don't seem to use the high quality and well absorbed ingredients favoured by some of the more specialist suppliers. Before anyone jumps down my throat, I'm not saying that supplements sold by chemists and supermarkets are bad; certainly not. If you have a particular product from one of these sources which you think is great, then continue to use it and take no notice of me.
Of course, I do have my own particular favourite labels and these are the ones that I've pictured and recommended on this page. The reason why they’re shown is because I like the ingredients they use and, most important of all, I’ve found them to be helpful. If you need more information on any particular product, just click on the picture and it will take you direct to that company's website or to their own recommended distributor.
As to suppliers, independent health food stores often stock a good range of quality supplements. Alternatively, if you're interested in the products I'm talking about on this page, you could order direct by clicking on any one of the pictures below (this will take you to that company's website) or alternatively visit someone like The Natural Dispensary, Sunshine Health Shop, Victoria Health, The Nutri Centre or Revital, all of whom specialise in quality products.
Check out this one very important point before you go searching
ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD HEALTHY FOOD.
That's because they can't possibly copy the natural balance of nutrients that Mother Nature provides in fresh produce. If you consider yourself to be OK healthwise, rarely suffer from any kind of illness, have a diet that is abundant in vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, pulses, wholegrains and fermented foods, and most of it is organic, if your daily food intake is relatively free of processed junk, artificial additives, hydrogenated fat and sugar, and if you eat regular meals, usually prepared from unprocessed ingredients, then you may not need supplements. Having said that, how much do you think we can rely upon the freshness and nutrient content of any of our so-called fresh produce in today's polluted world; especially considering that such food is often grown in over-used, mineral-depleted soils,
sprayed with goodness knows what, transported over huge distances and stored for long periods of time
before it reaches the shelves of our supermarkets?
How much? Probably not much at all !
Some crops, especially fruits, are often harvested well before they're ready, which makes me wonder if they will always have their full complement of nutrients when they reach the consumer.
(I'll never forget, a few years ago, being amazed at the sign writing I saw on the back of a truck
that I was following on a motorway which proclaimed 'Banana Ripening Service'.
At the time, I thought it must be a joke but apparently not.)
It's also worth remembering that the nutrient levels recommended by officials in health departments
around the world for the purpose of preventing malnutrition and deficiency disease
are unlikely to be rich enough in nourishment to promote good health and wellbeing.
These are just some of the reasons why I believe myself so strongly in using good quality supplements
even though my diet is the best it can be.
If you fall into any of the following categories, then I would certainly advise you talk to your doctor about the possibility of using - at the very least - a good quality vitamin and mineral product
perhaps alongside a supplement of omega 3 and 6 and, if you're on statin drugs, also Co-enzyme Q10.
The dietary information in these articles may also be of interest:
Colour Your Way To a Healthier Diet
Kathryn's Own Healthy Food Favourites
Bone Up on Bone Health
Healthy Weight Loss
ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS
ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD HEALTHY FOOD.
That's because they can't possibly copy the natural balance of nutrients that Mother Nature provides in fresh produce. If you consider yourself to be OK healthwise, rarely suffer from any kind of illness, have a diet that is abundant in vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, pulses, wholegrains and fermented foods, and most of it is organic, if your daily food intake is relatively free of processed junk, artificial additives, hydrogenated fat and sugar, and if you eat regular meals, usually prepared from unprocessed ingredients, then you may not need supplements. Having said that, how much do you think we can rely upon the freshness and nutrient content of any of our so-called fresh produce in today's polluted world; especially considering that such food is often grown in over-used, mineral-depleted soils,
sprayed with goodness knows what, transported over huge distances and stored for long periods of time
before it reaches the shelves of our supermarkets?
How much? Probably not much at all !
Some crops, especially fruits, are often harvested well before they're ready, which makes me wonder if they will always have their full complement of nutrients when they reach the consumer.
(I'll never forget, a few years ago, being amazed at the sign writing I saw on the back of a truck
that I was following on a motorway which proclaimed 'Banana Ripening Service'.
At the time, I thought it must be a joke but apparently not.)
It's also worth remembering that the nutrient levels recommended by officials in health departments
around the world for the purpose of preventing malnutrition and deficiency disease
are unlikely to be rich enough in nourishment to promote good health and wellbeing.
These are just some of the reasons why I believe myself so strongly in using good quality supplements
even though my diet is the best it can be.
If you fall into any of the following categories, then I would certainly advise you talk to your doctor about the possibility of using - at the very least - a good quality vitamin and mineral product
perhaps alongside a supplement of omega 3 and 6 and, if you're on statin drugs, also Co-enzyme Q10.
The dietary information in these articles may also be of interest:
Colour Your Way To a Healthier Diet
Kathryn's Own Healthy Food Favourites
Bone Up on Bone Health
Healthy Weight Loss
SUPPLEMENTS MAY BE HELPFUL: If you follow regular weight loss diets If you:
If you:
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SUPPLEMENTS MAY BE HELPFUL: If you have generally poor health or:
If you:
IMPORTANT: If you're planning a baby, are already pregnant, then talk to your health care provider about the use of supplements, especially folic acid and probiotics. If you're breastfeeding or exhausted by lack of sleep either before or following the birth, it's been my experience that a course of a well-absorbed multinutrient supplement plus a quality probiotic product may be valuable even if your diet is top notch. |
SUPPLEMENT SAVING Good supplements aren't cheap so here's what I do when funds are tight. First buy a small pack (30 day supply). Start with the recommended daily dose and do this for one full month. Then with the second and subsequent packs, I'd use them every other day. I think you still get a worthwhile nutrient boost and of course the pack lasts twice as long. If you're around lots of people with colds or you hit a patch of not-so-good health yourself then you could go back to the full daily dose. Or you might consider taking the recommended dosage every day during the winter months and reducing to one every other day through the summer. I think these are much better options than spending hard earned money on a cheaper product which, although it might seem like a bargain, may not contain the quality or range of absorbable vitamins and minerals you need. |
SUPPLEMENT SAFETY
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MULTIVITAMINS & MINERALS
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Check this link for the Pink Drink and Arkworld's Multivitamin Mineral Complex ARK2 Sorry I don't have product illustrations right now but hope to get them soon And check out my feature on Cholesterol and Statins |
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I also like Higher Nature's Maxi-Multi, great if you're looking for a product which doesn't include iron, and Wise Woman which has herbs and probiotics alongside the vitamins and minerals.
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ANTIOXIDANTS
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B COMPLEX
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The above products are also available from:
The Natural Dispensary www.naturaldispensary.co.uk SunshineHealthShop www.sunshinehealthshop.co.uk Victoria Health www.victoriahealth.com the Nutri Centre www.nutricentre.com |
TOP TIP
Whichever multivitamin/mineral you choose, make sure it has the best chance of being digested and absorbed by following three simple rules:
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These websites offer useful information about when to use nutrient supplements:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/supplements/NU00198
http://www.nutrition.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=11&tax_level=2&tax_subject=393&topic_id=1939&placement_default=0
Kathryn's views are completely independent. She is not employed by any pharmaceutical company, supplement supplier or food producer nor is she persuaded in any way, financially or otherwise, to recommend particular products or services.