Do you need a multivitamin? The answer is... most likely not. Yes, our soils are not as replete with minerals as they were 50 years ago, and so the nutrient content of our foods have decreased noticeably. Also, if you have certain medical conditions, you need higher levels of a number of nutrients. Are you on medications? Many medications deplete your body of vitamins/minerals. Are you exposed to toxins? Um, yeah, unless you live in a bubble. Do you have a genetic susceptibility to not being able to use vitamins/ minerals? Many people do. At this point, it sure sounds like everyone needs a multi doesn’t it? Well, hold on, I've only established that all of us need to work harder to get SOME of the nutrients our bodies need. Here's the thing about multis: They are not regulated by the FDA, so they may not have what they claim on the label. Second, remember my post from last week? By trying to get all your nutrients in one multi, sometimes there is competition between nutrients in the multi for absorption. You may also get too much of certain vitamins/minerals, and not enough of others. So how can you know what exactly you need? A trained medical professional will be able to help you determine what you're lacking. (And yes, there are great companies out there that can do lab tests to check exactly what nutrients you’re deficient in and how much extra you need.)
Well, that's a lot to swallow. Every sentence in this post thus far is easily a topic of its own, and future entries will address some of these more in detail. The conclusion is this: a multivitamin is a shotgun approach that may not be the ideal way to get all that you need. It is often better to supplement individual nutrients depending on your personal needs. And of course, always eat a healthy diet heavy in colorful fruits/vegetables, and you’ll be less likely to be deficient in a number of nutrients.
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