Our bodies are living organisms that need a constant supply of essential nutrients in order to generate new cells, ward off disease, and remain healthy. When we take a multivitamin supplement, it makes up for the nutrients we don’t get from the food we eat.
Do I need to take a supplement?
Theoretically, a balanced diet will provide with essential nutrients. In reality, it is hard to achieve.
These are days of multitasking. Unfortunately, it spares us little time to grab a nutritious bite and exercise. Stress takes its toll. Contrary to our belief we are not eating right, leave apart the exercise. Years of depletion have robbed our soil and consequently its produce of essential nutrients. Hence, we have to look for supplements to fill in those gaps.
Our bodies are a living organism that need a constant supply of essential nutrients in order to generate new cells, ward off disease, and remain healthy. When we take a multivitamin supplement, it makes up for the nutrients we don’t get from the foods we eat. If we are missing these nutrients we can build up deficiencies that can lead to all sorts of health problems-for example cardiovascular disease, problems with the immune system problem, even cancer.
Who needs supplement?
Recent research says that all adults and children can benefit from a multi-vitamin supplement.
Supplements help maintain health and vitality as age advances. Lactating mothers, adolescents and pregnant ladies need extra nutrition.
Our nutrition reserve often lacks in calcium, magnesium iron, zinc, copper and manganese. Iron deficiency is common in girls and ladies.
Smokers are low on vitamin C.
Strict vegetarians and elderly people need to replenish B12 vitamin as it wards off anemia. Ladies on oral contraceptive pills and alcoholics are short on B and C vitamins.
Pills are not a shortcut to better health and the prevention of chronic diseases, says Larry Appeal, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology and Clinical Research. “Other nutrition recommendations have much stronger evidence of benefits—eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and reducing the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and sugar you eat.”
The exception is supplemental folic acid for women of child-bearing potential, Appeal says. “Folic acid prevents neural tube defects in babies when women take it before and during early pregnancy. That’s why multivitamins are recommended for young women.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all women of reproductive age get 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. The amount of iron in a multivitamin may also be beneficial for women of child-bearing potential, Appeal adds.
“I don’t recommend other supplements,” Appeal says. “If you follow a healthy diet, you can get all the vitamins and minerals you need from food.”
Ladies should take a folic acid supplement before and during pregnancy to prevent birth defects.
People with kidney disorders have less of vitamin D in their system.
Multivitamin supplements contain several vitamins or minerals instead of only one vitamin or minerals. Some vitamin or minerals yield more benefits when they are taken together with some other vitamin or minerals.
For example
* Vitamins C and E are more effective when taken together.
* Taking selenium increase the heart-healthy effects of vitamin E.
* Vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and folic acid are most beneficial when taken together.
* Calcium and magnesium work better when taken together.
Supplements are extra to your nutrition and should remain that way.
Helps to strengthen the immune system
Helps to improve physical fitness and strength
Useful in improving memory and concentration
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