Multivitamins do what they say on the bottle: they are tablets or formulas made up of infinite vitamins and minerals
There will certainly have been periods in your life when you feel exhausted and want to boost your immune system, your energy and also improve the quality of your sleep.
But have you ever wondered when and what kind of supplements you should be taking? Should you take the simple, cheaper option and start a multivitamin? Or are individual vitamins and minerals a better option?
Multivitamins do what they say on the bottle: they are tablets or formulas made up of infinite vitamins and minerals. They tend to include vitamins C, D and E, a B complex of vitamins and minerals such as iron, magnesium, zinc and copper.
For those of us who are decidedly more concerned with nutrition, multivitamins can be sidelined for more specific nutrients. For example some people take a vitamin D and B12 supplement every day. Also a daily zinc tablet helps (hopefully) to maintain a good immune system, while others take high strength magnesium night drops for sound sleep and reduced DOMS (muscle soreness).
Multivitamins: Cheap & “convenient” or a waste of money?
The nutritionist Marjolein Dutry van Haeften tells Stylist.com that great care must be taken with multivitamins because they do not always provide the body with what it needs, in the quantities it needs. He also points out that certain ingredients can end up competing with each other such as zinc, magnesium and iron. Does this mean they are not effective? “Possibly“, says. “There is also a huge difference between the quality of the supplements».
You should make sure that everything in a multivitamin is in an absorbable form. “Quite often, for example, you’ll see that supplements contain magnesium oxide, but that’s actually not very well absorbed by the body. The only benefit you might get could be more regular bowel movements, but that’s because (the mineral) stays in the gut and isn’t actually absorbed. Better to take a multivitamin that contains magnesium glycinate, which is better absorbed.
However, this does not mean that multivitamins should be avoided. Van Haeften says that, as a general rule, “if someone takes just one multi, it’s probably good for them.” Basically, a multivitamin is great if you go with the mindset: “I don’t know where to start, I just want to feel a little better.” You just need to make sure you choose a good brand.
Lily Chapman, nutritionist at P3RFORM, says whether to take a multivitamin or a single vitamin is entirely up to the individual. “Using a multivitamin can be beneficial if you want to get short-term micronutrient support when you can’t, for example, eat a wide range of nutrient-dense foods (eg during illness or travel) and it can also be more economic”.
Individual supplements, however, may be more useful if you’re looking for a higher dose of certain vitamins and minerals or want to treat or prevent certain deficiencies.
Individual vitamin supplements: A more scientific approach
According to van Haeften, if you have anemia, for example, a multivitamin containing iron probably isn’t the best way to help, but neither is taking an iron tablet. The best solution is to do a more complete blood test first as there are different forms of anemia.
You need to know if you need iron or certain B vitamins to help you use the stored iron you already have in your body.
It is very important to realize that no single nutrient works in isolation in the body, so you need to think about what you eat and drink throughout the day, as well as the vitamins you take.
THE vitamin Dfor example, requires calcium to be adequately absorbed, so it won’t work properly if your diet is low in nutrients.
Taking nutrients in isolation can interfere with the absorption of other nutrients,” van Haeften emphasizes. If you take a high dose of vitamin B6, for example, you increase your need for zinc. And metals can compete with absorption sites, so high concentrations of calcium and zinc can interfere with magnesium absorption.
“It’s a bit of a Goldilocks scenario where everything has to be right,” he says. “Under no circumstances would you want to take supplements blindly, especially for long periods of time. The best thing to do is to be careful what you put in your body and always seek advice (from professionals or reputable supplement companies) if you want more information.”
It’s also worth noting that any vitamin supplement from a reputable source will contain a ‘safe upper limit’, which is defined as ‘a dose that susceptible individuals could take daily, over a lifetime, without medical supervision’.
While that means you’re unlikely to experience toxic long-term effects, Chapman explains that these upper limits are based on chronic exposure, which could mean that some
people experience short-term, non-serious side effects. “It’s worth noting that the extensive number of supplements on the market means that many have low quality control standards, meaning contamination can be present.”
And finally how to choose the best vitamins for you?
Before taking anything, van Haeften recommends checking your blood vitamin levels. While the NHS recommends we all take vitamin D, particularly in the winter months, it says blindly taking vitamin D every day for a year could lead to levels that are too high. “If you’ve been taking something for three or six months, it’s time to check how it’s working,” he says.
Both she and Chapman believe that the absolute best way to get vitamins and minerals is through food. Unfortunately, however, various diseases/disorders of the digestive system can prevent the absorption of many nutrients from food, and that’s when supplements can be really helpful.
Chapman says you should undergo a cost-benefit analysis of any supplements you’re considering, “incorporating the need, risk, efficacy, safety and reliability of those being considered.” He recommends asking the following questions before purchasing any type of multivitamin or individual nutrient:
Is it safe to use?
Is there evidence of its use?
Is this supplement from a reliable source?
Answering these can help move toward a “food-oriented approach,” he says, “whereby intake occurs only when daily recommendations cannot be met through diet alone or if a diet cannot be modified to to get enough of a particular vitamin or mineral.
As, for example, very often happens with plant-based diets, in which a lack of B12 and iron is often observed. In such cases it is therefore worth taking a supplement after first checking the levels of these vitamins in the blood.
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