ARE MULTIVITAMINS GOOD FOR YOU?

The Body’s Need for Vitamins and Minerals

Ensuring adequate levels of vitamins and minerals is an important component of supporting good health. There are a few important factors that contribute to getting enough of these. The first is diet. Most of us aren’t eating a perfectly balanced diet. We often rely on processed and prepared foods for convenience. These are typically nutrient-poor.

Sadly, even when we seek out whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables they may not contain the levels of vitamins and minerals that they may have for those living a few generations ago. Farming practices that deplete the nutrients in the soil and global climate changes are having an impact on how nutritious our food is.

Micronutrient Inadequacies

According to the Linus Pauling Institute, micronutrient inadequacies in the U.S. are quite common. A micronutrient deficiency can cause a disease. An example would be anemia as a result of low iron levels. A micronutrient deficiency is a bit trickier to identify. Someone with micronutrient deficiencies for example may struggle with fatigue, get sick frequently, or have mood issues. These may be vague and are more difficult to identify.

The Role of Digestion

Another factor that can contribute to not having good levels of vitamins and minerals is poor absorption. This is an often overlooked function that holistic doctors prioritize. People frequently have digestive issues that impair their ability to break down food adequately. It’s common for people to have weakened digestive functioning like low stomach acid and inadequate digestive enzymes. Both are important in the adequate digestion of foods. This may occur as a result of chronic stress, from aging, or from medications like acid-blocking drugs.

A multivitamin can help fill in the gap from the issues mentioned above. I think of it as a holistic insurance policy for nutrition. Granted, it won’t make up entirely for a poor diet but it can be beneficial.

How to Pick A Good Multivitamin

There are so many supplements on the market. It’s easy to be overwhelmed and confused with all the options.

Multivitamin Quality

Most people that I see in my practice are taking a multivitamin. Often, they’re not of the best quality.

Yes, I'm looking at you Centrum, and One A Day.

First, Capsules are Preferable to Tablets.

I’ll never forget my radiology class when I was in medical school. We were looking at x-rays of the colon and wondering what all the little white spots were. My instructor, a radiologist, told us that they were vitamins. That he sees this all the time in x-rays. People take vitamins that don’t break down and they pass through the body. It’s like throwing money into the toilet!

Do this Test on Your Supplements:

Drop your vitamin into a cup of apple cider vinegar. This works for any supplement.

Check on it 20 minutes later. It should have dissolved. If it hasn’t, this supplement will likely not break down in the stomach and be absorbed.

Your stomach has a pH of 1.5 which is very acidic. Apple cider vinegar has a pH of 2-3 which is not as acidic but will replicate the stomach acid close enough for this purpose.

Are Multivitamin Gummies Good for You?

Gummy vitamins are everywhere. People love them!

Sadly, the reason why we love them is because they’re high in sugar. A gummy is a piece of candy.

It’s best to avoid sugar when possible. Our diets are already loaded with sugar and it’s counterproductive to add in more sugar when we’re trying to do something beneficial for our health. Sugar is pro-inflammatory, immune-suppressing, and contributes to insulin resistance.

With all that said, I do make exceptions at times regarding gummies. For children and people who aren’t able to swallow pills, gummies can be a consideration.

A popular gummy vitamin. It contains 3 grams of sugar/serving.

What 3 grams of sugar looks like. This is equal to 263 teaspoons/year.

Some Other Multivitamin Tips

B Vitamins

Y’all are stressed out. This increases the need for B vitamins. One can take a high potency B complex but why not just ensure that your multi has enough? I generally shoot for at least around 25-50 mg of the B vitamins each.

Speaking of B vitamins, I avoid folate (B6), in the form of folic acid. Unfortunately, most vitamins still use folic acid. We now know that almost half the population has a genetic variant called MTHFR that impacts their ability to convert folic acid (the synthetic form of folate) into folate. Better options will be “L-methylfolate” or  “folinic acid”. Natural folate is found in leafy greens and most of us struggle to get enough in our diets.

Iron

It’s generally best to avoid iron in a multivitamin. Iron can cause damage to the body if there is too much of it. The exceptions are for those that have low iron levels. I typically check serum ferritin levels to assess this. Of note, most children, vegans/vegetarians, and menstruating people could benefit from some iron supplementation.

A Naturopathic Doctor’s Conclusion on Multivitamins

There are several factors contributing to us having micronutrient deficiencies and inadequacies. The impact of this can be difficult to recognize as the health manifestations may not be obvious. Taking a good quality multivitamin may help to address this. As a naturopathic doctor, I do consider a good multivitamin as one of the foundations to supporting good health.