The Facts About Daily Vitamin Supplements - No Hype Here! Just The Facts.Should You Take Daily Vitamin Supplements?
This is the age-old question that no one seems to have an answer to. But what started this shindig on vitamin supplements? We’ve survived millions of years on this earth, why do we need supplements all of a sudden? It’s kind of become "normal" to take vitamin supplements, when in actuality, it’s not normal for your body to take in pure nutrients in the form of a pill. The answer is marketing. Companies want you to buy their daily vitamin supplements so they come up with reasons for why you need them. But the real questions are… 1. Do you need daily vitamin supplements? 2. If you do need them, do you have the money? 3. If you have the money, are they safe for you to take? 4. Do you know enough about vitamins and minerals to understand what you need and don’t need? This last question is what the nutrition section of this website is for! Understanding what you need, how much you need and when you need them. I know you’re dying to know if you should take daily vitamin supplements, so let’s find out! Let’s first consider the actual definition of a dietary supplement. Basically, it’s any form of pill, tablet, liquid, powder, or drink, whether injected or taken orally, that contains a dietary substrate. These sorts of things include…
• Minerals • trace metals • enzymes • amino acids • hormones • extracts • organic products • even animal tissues Daily vitamin supplements (and minerals for that matter) are definitely at the top of this list as far as popularity. Why are they so popular? For starters, many people take multi vitamin supplements to ensure that they’re getting every essential nutrient they need every day. It’s kind of an insurance policy. Others will say that it’s more convenient to take vitamins in the form of a pill rather than having to analyze the foods you eat, thereby making shopping and cooking easier. Unfortunately, this also results in people not needing to learn about the food they eat! Big problem if you ask me. Granted it is rare to be absolutely deficient in any single or multitude of vitamins. However, recent research indicates that problems may occur down the road if an individual takes less than the optimum amount of vitamins and nutrients in each given day. This, of course, is over the span of an entire life (which is why it’s taken nearly 35 years to figure it out).
In short, it’s important for most adults to take some form of a multivitamin supplement to decrease the risk for certain debilitating conditions. But remember, there’s a fine line here. In the case of vitamins and minerals, more is never better! Taking megadoses of any single vitamin (most commonly B12) can have medical consequences. This is one reason why multivitamin manufacturers are coming out with all these new kinds of supplements – they can’t get the dosage right! There’s always too much of something or too little of something else. I’m not sure if we’ll ever get it right. The trouble is that we’re all different and we all need different quantities of the stuff! Are You Getting Enough Vitamins and Minerals From Your Diet? This is kind of a touchy subject, just because most healthy individuals get plenty of vitamins and minerals from their diet without any sort of supplements. The problem is the media! Hokey -looking supplements are promoted like crazy on the internet, television, newspapers, and any other publication you can think of. Aside from the small minority of supplements that are actually useful for some people, most of them are complete rip-offs that will do nothing for your body. The only pill that you may consider taking are daily vitamin supplements - but even these aren't always necessary, especially if you already eat a healthy, balanced diet. This is a key point: most people don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, the very place we get many of the vitamins found in those expensive pills! However, there are a few vitamins, vitamin E in particular, that may be hard to come by. This is the advantage of taking daily vitamin supplements - to get those hard-to-find nutrients that we don't always get each day.
This does not mean, however, that you should rely on your vitamin pills to get everything you need. The fact is that vitamins in the form of a pill are less-active than those found in actual foods. Some are converted to inactive compounds that are simply excreted in the urine or destroyed as if it were a foreign substance. As I mentioned, there are instances, where taking daily vitamin supplements may be in your best interest. Some of these reasons might include… • age • some diet schemes • those involved in vigorous strength training programs • gender • certain digestive illnesses • even injuries One of the most important things you can do for yourself with respect to supplementation is to filter out all the marketing scams. What I mean is, if it’s too good to be true, then it is. Simple, right? There’s no magic potion to give you rippling abs, bulging biceps, a toned butt or life-long vivacity. All the hype surrounding "natural" and "organic" vitamins have also been way overdone. For example, vitamin B12 is vitamin B12. Vitamin C is vitamin C. These are the only items that are natural, and they’re found in many places in your diet, even if you don’t take a multivitamin. Companies may disguise their product from others by adding color, making them a liquid or a powder, or preparing them in some other way that makes them seem different than any old vitamin tablet. Don’t believe it. If anything, the preparations they perform may damage the integrity of the actual nutrients you’re trying to receive. Taking a vitamin pill isn’t natural, anyway. It’s just something we do to make sure we’re getting enough of what we need. It’s not necessary to spend extra money because someone says it’s "all natural" and "organic".
No matter what anyone tells you, food is the best and "most natural" place to find all the vitamins and minerals you need for a healthy life. There’re plenty of reasons why this is true. Food contains absolutely everything you need: fats, carbs, proteins and all the vitamins and minerals required by your body. Where do you think we get all these vitamins to put into pills? We extract them from foods! I’m willing to bet there’re also plenty of other beneficial items in those apples and oranges that we don’t know of yet. Not only does food have everything, but it’s safe! We risk overdosing when taking vitamin pills. This sort of situation can have serious consequences. Overdosing anything, and I mean anything (including water, protein, or anything else) will have undesirable and possibly detrimental effects. Getting your nutrients directly from food is the safest way to ensure you’re getting what you need in the amount you need it. But, should you decide that you need to take daily vitamin supplements, make sure you're choosing pills that don't go above and beyond that recommended daily allowance. There're tons of those mega-potent vitamins (notably B12) that are just completely unnecessary and expensive. What happens to that extra 5000% of B12 that you take in with one of these supplements? Your body simply gets rid of it! You go to the bathroom and it all comes out. It's that simple. Don't waste your money! Taking Daily Vitamin Supplements: The Age Factor As your body and organ systems age, it’s natural for you to lose sensitivity in your senses. For example, you may lose some of your appetite and the taste of foods may not be as satisfying (due to fewer functional taste buds). Furthermore, having deceased spouses or relatives makes it boring and lonely to eat alone. This is probably something you never thought of, but it’s one way that slight nutrient deficiencies can occur. This is where daily vitamin supplements can help – it ensures you’re getting enough of the essential nutrients your body needs to function properly and to avoid disease. Speaking of disease, supplements can reduce the risk of certain cancers, digestive disorders and other diseases. There are certain items such as selenium, lycopene (both help prevent prostate cancer) and vitamin D (helps prevent osteoperosis) common in multivitamin tablets. The problem is that too many people think that more is better! This is definitely not the case…you only need the recommended amount, and that’s it. Too much of anything is toxic. Even water! Taking Daily Vitamin Supplements: Women Have Different Needs! With every changing hormone contents and reproductive cycles, the nutritional needs of women change often. Let’s take a look at these different phases… Adult Women The most common concern for women is the prevention of osteoporosis. With this in mind, calcium supplements with vitamin D are often a great way to make sure you’re getting enough of the stuff. Although a woman is more than likely getting plenty of calcium already (assuming a normal, balanced diet), it’s a good insurance policy. It also frees up your time so you don’t have to think about which foods do and don’t have calcium and vitamin D. Her vitamin usage is in a delicate balance that depends mostly on hormone levels (which are always changing). This is what makes it difficult to eat all the right foods on a daily basis especially when her needs may also change daily. Pregnancy and Nursing
Folic acid is also extremely important for any pregnant woman. Again, if you’re pregnant, make sure you’re getting your folic acid. Taking a folic acid supplement dramatically decreases the risk of giving birth to a child with neural tube defects such as spina bifida. These conditions are lethal for the baby. On the other hand, taking too much of other items can also be detrimental to the young fetus. For example, taking an excess of vitamin A can also cause developmental problems. Menstural Cycles
In particular, women who are trying to lose weight take in even fewer calories, making iron loss even more important. Most multivitamin tablets contain sufficient iron. But sometimes the labeling can be a little confusing… Iron in multivitamin tablets is usually labeled as "ferrous sulfate" or "ferrous lactate". These are simply chemical compounds that contain the iron atom somewhere in its structure (taking pure iron isn’t a good idea). The only difference between the two compounds is the rate at which they’re absorbed. It’s important to note the numbers on the bottle. For example, a multivitamin might say it has 400 mg ferrous lactate with 80 mg of pure iron. What this means is that the 400 mg of the ferrous lactate will yield 80 mg of iron. In other words, the surrounding chemical structure (the sulfate) is dissolved, leaving the iron atom to be absorbed. Taking 400 mg of iron supplement does not mean you're taking 400 mg of pure elemental iron. This is definitely not a good idea for a variety of reasons.
Taking Daily Vitamin Supplements: Pure Vegetarians or Vegans Two words: vitamin B12! There’s no plant on earth that provides a good source of vitamin B12, and that’s a known fact. B12 is only found in animal products. These individuals are usually required to find a vitamin B12 supplement. It’s probably obvious that any problem with your digestive system can result in absorption problems, leading to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. One of the most common is vitamin B12 deficiency due to an infection by a bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori that damages the lining of the stomach. Why is this important? Well, the cells lining the stomach secrete a compound known as intrinsic factor which binds B12. This complex of B12 and intrinsic factor is then absorbed (B12 can not be absorbed without being attached to intrinsic factor). This can occur with any condition disrupting the lining of the stomach. Taking Daily Vitamin Supplements: Injuries and Diseases
So there you have it – taking daily vitamin supplements can be either extremely helpful, detrimental or essentially a placebo. It’s always good to have a reason to supplement – otherwise you’re wasting your money! Return from Daily Vitamin Supplements to the Nutrition Guide Return from Daily Vitamin Supplements to the Smart Strength Training Homepage
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• Vitamins
For example, a sub-par intake of pyridoxine (vitamin B6), cobalamin (vitamin B12), and /or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can increase the risk of certain cancers in genetically predisposed individuals along with heart disease (as usual). This of course isn’t a complete list, but you understand the picture.
Supplements Can Be Good, But Food is Better
This is a special time in a woman’s life, especially for her body. She’s trying to create a place for her baby to develop (the placenta), provide nutrients for the fetus and to create nutritious breast milk with all the essential nutrients that an infant needs. Besides all of this, she has to take care of her own needs! Taking daily vitamin supplements during this time can be especially beneficial for these purposes.
This is a topic of common interest. Before menopause, women lose significant amounts of iron and hemoglobin (a protein that carries oxygen to the body’s tissues). It’s actually pretty rare for them to get sufficient amounts of iron from their normal diet (which is usually around 1,500 – 1,800 calories). 
When treated for certain conditions, the doctor may give you a medication that inhibits your ability to absorb certain vitamins. Other cases, such as after surgeries, burn injuries, broken bones and other conditions, extra nutrient supplementation might be necessary.