Why You Need a Daily Multivitamin/Mineral

Buy a High-Potency Supplement for Optimal Health

Sep 17, 2009

It is vital to eat healthy food but take a beneficial multivitamin supplement too.

Nutritionists are always saying you can get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs from food. True, but are you a perfect eater? Probably not, so taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement is like having a food insurance policy. Researcher Bruce Ames of the University of California, Berkeley, believes everyone should take a multivitamin/mineral pill every day to get the 100% (or more) of the recommended daily value (DV) of nutrients – it is like a metabolic tune-up.

Contents of Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements

Standard content for most multivitamins are free-radical-fighting antioxidants like vitamins A, C, D, and E, and the important B vitamins for energy and anti-stress. Also included are necessary minerals like calcium, magnesium, selenium, folic acid, zinc and just traces of other minerals but ones still essential for good health. Some multivitamins contain herbs, probiotics and extra antioxidants.

Vitamins, from plants and animals, and minerals, from the Earth, are necessary for healthy-functioning bodies and prevention of diseases. Here are four examples of problems prevented by making sure you have enough of the right stuff – by taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement:

Daily Value vs. Maintenance Value

Multivitamin/mineral supplements list the percent of daily value of nutrients on the labels. It is an amount usually based on 2000 daily calories for adults, so it is used as a frame-of-reference if you eat more or fewer calories. However, the DV is the minimum value to avoid a deficiency. Physician and author Elson Haas (Staying Healthy with Nutrition) recommends, instead of a daily value, a maintenance value that is more up-to-date with the latest scientific research and standards that promote optimum health.

A maintenance value goes beyond the token and often outdated DV, and enhanced, high-potency multivitamins that contain maintenance amounts raise the DVs listed on the labels to greater than 100 percent for most vitamins. As expected, enhanced multivitamins are more expensive than the minimal variety.

Enhanced Multivitamins

Even enhanced multivitamins have many formulations and often some do not include enough maintenance values of, for instance, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and calcium. Therefore, it may be necessary to add another, separate supplement. For example, David Perlmutter, M.D., writer of The Better Brain Book, recommends 500 mcg of vitamin B12 for memory support, especially for those over age 60.

In addition, most physicians recommend between 1000 and 1200 mg of calcium for women; an extra supplement is usually needed to get this amount. Finally, researchers are finding that in-the-news vitamin D not only helps calcium absorption, but also can cut the risk of cancer, heart disease and multiple sclerosis. Experts are now recommending daily doses of 1000 IU (some of which is probably in the separate calcium supplement).

It is important to read the labels on multivitamins, do the math, and perhaps consult with health care professionals to choose additional supplements to the multivitamin.

Purchase High-Potency Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements

Buying high-potency multivitamins online makes it easy to find many specific varieties, receive discounts, pay no taxes (depending on where you live) and get delivery to your door. An example of what is online is Rainbow Light’s Women’s One Multivitamin/Mineral which has a science-based approach to formulation managed by nutrition experts. The supplement includes digestive probiotic cultures and women’s nourishing blend of herbs.

Another example of a particular variety you will find online is Natural Factor’s Men’s 50+ MultiStart. Naturopathic physician Michael Murray formulated the multivitamin that has balanced levels of nutrients. The supplement includes herbs and antioxidants, and has a maintenance value of vitamin B12.

Physician Andrew Weil used a scientific formula in developing his Weil Nutritional Supplements, Daily Multivitamin for Optimum Health. It contains 1000 IU vitamin D, a maintenance value. He believes the multivitamin props up nutritional holes in daily eating.

There are many Web stores online that offer a superb assortment, great discounts and often free shipping and handling (depending on how much you spend). Three such stores are iHerb.com, GetNutri.com, LuckyVitamin.com., or search and find your own.

Take Better-Quality Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements for Optimum Health

Taking a daily, better-quality multivitamin/mineral makes a lot of sense to support and maintain the best health – and to fill in nutritional eating gaps. Buying online can save time and money. Nevertheless, it is still important to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, olive oil, seafood and nuts.

This is an educational article only. Always inform your health care professional about the supplements you take. Seek out their advice.

Reference

Healing with Vitamins: Straight from Nature, Backed by Science--The Best Nutrients to Slow, Stop, and Reverse Disease. New York: Rodale, Inc., 2008.

The copyright of the article Why You Need a Daily Multivitamin/Mineral in Vitamins & Minerals is owned by Arlene Lengyel. Permission to republish Why You Need a Daily Multivitamin/Mineral in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.