Multivitamin Basics
If you’re in excellent health and happen to be part of that tiny 3 percent of the American population that is regularly eating all the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, good for you! But the chances of that are slim. Realistically, virtually no one can be absolutely certain of getting all the nutrients they need from diet alone unless they put a heck of a lot of care, determination and energy into it, so when selecting a multi-vitamin, keep the below in mind:
- A multivitamin is supposed to fill in some blanks in your diet, not write the whole nutritional story.
- Forget “one-a-day” solutions. The nutrients you need won’t fit in a single pill. Plus, some vitamins are most needed and best utilized during the day, while others are best absorbed at night, so breaking up your dosage is a good idea anyway.
- You can easily pay too much for a low-quality vitamin, but you almost certainly won’t get a great vitamin super cheap.
- It’s possible to overdose on vitamin A from retinol; if you are taking lots of antioxidants, choose supplements made from carotenoids instead.
- Look for balanced Bs – at least 100 percent of DVs for B1 (thiamine), B-2 (riboflavin), B-3 (niacin), B-5 (pantothenic acid), B-6 (pyridoxine), B-7 (biotin), B-12 (cobalamin), and folic acid (folate or folacin). Note: Biotin is the most expensive B vitamin and an important biocatalyst for other Bs, but cost-cutting manufacturers often skimp on it.
- For minerals like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, a combo of chelated and non-chelated minerals is best (steadier release). The presence of trace elements like chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, boron, selenium and manganese is a good sign.
- Avoid products with added sweeteners, colors, shellacs or wax coatings. They are unnecessary and bad for you.
Remember that it’s what you do regularly and long term that counts. Taking a multivitamin now and then, on and off, probably won’t have much impact on your health. Take them daily and plan to stay the course.
Q: Can a multivitamin improve my fitness results and sports performance?
A: In a roundabout way, yes. Improve your overall health and your performance will follow suit. “Taking a daily multivitamin isn’t going to increase your sports performance right away, but it will help over the long term,” says Mike Roussell, PhD, author of The Six Pillars of Nutrition: A Simple Diet Solution for Permanent Weight Loss, Better Health, and a Longer Life (Dream Big Publishing, 2011). “Multivitamins can help fill any essential nutrient gaps in your diet and correct deficiencies that could compound over time and work against your fitness results,” he explains. If you’re an athlete, Roussell suggests considering an additional mineral supplement that provides extra zinc and magnesium. These minerals are readily depleted during intense activity, and magnesium depletion in healthy people has been shown to decrease cardiovascular function during exercise. But don’t megadose on any supplement unless you’re following the advice of your health professional. And, keep in mind that the natural form is always better than synthetic, so whenever possible, eat real food instead of relying on a laboratory-based chemical process.
