Vitamin Supplementation: What Vitamins should I take?
Vitamin Supplementation | Multivitamins | Benefits | Side effects | Deficiency | Weight loss | Skin | Hair | Metabolism | Energy
Whether they have completely occupied your medicine box or spilling out of your bathroom cabinet, you’re not alone if you’re one of the millions of people who consume a vitamin or supplement each day.
You may be trying vitamin supplementation to treat a deficiency or reduce your risk of certain diseases — or you may just feel cautious about your health after finding a supplement with catchy tag that promises to improve your health. From vitamin A to zinc, people have been buying dietary supplements for decades as they consider it as a “magical pill”. Recommendations for dietary supplement are available everywhere — on advertisements, through social media, and from your neighbors, friends, and family.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins and minerals are termed as micronutrients. They are utilized by the body to execute normal metabolic functions. Micronutrients need to be derived from the food we consume as human bodies don’t naturally produce these factors.
Vitamins are classified as fat soluble and water soluble. Fat soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, and E. They are absorbed with fats and accumulate in the body’s liver and fatty tissue. Water soluble vitamins like Vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins (such as vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and folate) need to be dissolved in water for absorption. They cannot be stored in body and those vitamins not utilized are filtered by the kidney’s and lost in the urine.
Minerals are inorganic elements found in soil and water that neither plants nor animals can produce innately. They include such elements as calcium, sodium and potassium etcetera. Some minerals are trace substances, elements observed in small amounts in living systems, such as copper, iodine and zinc. These are needed in very small proportion to other nutrients.
Summary: Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients. They are utilized by body to execute normal metabolic functions.
Vitamin Supplements
Vitamins are organic compounds, found in plants and animals, that are utilized by our body to perform various metabolic processes including normal cellular growth and development. Micronutrients, as the term implies, are needed in small amounts. These substances cannot replace a healthy diet. The human body after all requires water and other macronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats for energy, metabolism, cellular repair and other bodily functions.
Consumption of large doses of vitamins (hypervitaminosis) and mineral supplementation can be harmful and lead to toxicity. How common is hypervitaminosis? It most commonly occurs among fat soluble vitamins (like vitamins D, A, E, K) since these are stored in the body and not filtered easily as water soluble vitamins. The American Association of Poison Control Centers 2016 report indicated that the overdose exposure to all formulations of vitamins, multivitamins and minerals was reported by 63,931 individuals with a large majority of cases being children under the age of five.
Supplements are consumed to fulfill recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals in order to execute healthy body functions and optimal health. The best way to get vitamins and minerals is to eat a balanced diet, a supplement can act as a booster in body.
What Are Multivitamins?
Multivitamins are dietary supplements prepared in a variety of oral forms on the market from capsules, tablets, gummies, powders, liquid, and even injectable formulations. They are a blend of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional elements. Injectable formulations are given under supervision of doctors and dieticians.
Some people may benefit from multivitamin supplements. For example, those with poor diets, post-surgical gastric bypass and bariatric patients that have had procedures that modify portions of their gut and thereby their ability to absorb nutrients, or those at a great risk of macular degeneration. Each component is added at a dose below the tolerable upper intake level set by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), without risk of adverse health effects. There isn’t a standard list of ingredients and one manufacturer may choose to include or exclude a certain substance from its product. Also it is important to note that unlike prescription medications, the FDA does not review supplements for effectiveness before they enter the market for mass consumption.
If a dietary supplements contains any new ingredients the manufacturer is only required to submit data to the FDA supporting its safety, not its effectiveness. The FDA has categorized supplements as “Food” and not as a “Drug”.
| Recommended Dietary Allowance for Vitamins and Minerals | |
| Vitamin / Mineral | RDA |
| Vitamin A | 800μg |
| Vitamin D | 5μg |
| Vitamin E | 10mg |
| Vitamin C | 60mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 1.4mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 1μg |
| Vitamin B7 | 0.15mg |
| Calcium | 800mg |
| Zinc | 15mg |
| Iodine | 150μg |
| Magnesium | 300mg |
| Iron | 14mg |
| Phosphorous | 800mg |
| Pantothenic Acid | 6mg |
| Folate | 200μg |
| Niacin | 18mg |
| Riboflavin | 1.6mg |
| Thiamin | 1.4mg |
(Source: Emerald Insight)
Summary: Multivitamins are dietary supplements that are prepared in a form of capsules, pastilles, powders, liquids or injectable formulations. They are a blend of vitamins, minerals and other nutritional elements.
Vitamin Supplementation: Did You Know?
Vitamins and their requirement in the body were a controversy until the early 1900’s when epidemiologists, chemists and physician’s research efforts enabled us to understand the importance of both vitamins and minerals.
Biochemist Casimir Funk, in 1912, introduced the term ‘vitamin’ in a research publication. It was accepted by the medical community. Funk is considered the father of vitamin therapy. His work includes identification of nutritional components that were missing in vitamin deficiency diseases such as scurvy caused by deficiency of vitamin C, beri beri caused by too little vitamin B1, pellagra due to inadequate vitamin B3 and rickets due to poor vitamin D. The discovery of all vitamins was determined by 1948.
Vitamins were utilized only from primary foods up until the 1930. Later the US government began fortifying foods with specific nutrients to treat and prevent deficiencies that were common at that time. For example, addition of iodine in salt to prevent goiter, addition of folic acid in grain products to avoid neural tube defects during pregnancy and fortification of milk with vitamin D to prevent Rickets. By the end of the 1940’s, minerals and vitamin supplements were available for sale to the general public. A good amount of marketing of these supplements was done in popular magazines for example, promotion of cod liver oil containing vitamin D as bottled sunshine.
Summary: Epidemiologists, chemists and physicians’ research efforts enabled us to understand the importance of both vitamins and minerals.
Do Multivitamins Work?
Some people believe that multivitamins work for betterment of health, reduce risk of chronic diseases and compensate for poor nutrition. 13 vitamins and about 15 minerals are important to your health. Some help in boosting your immunity, proper functioning of organs and production of enzymes while others help in reproduction, maintenance, growth and the regulation of bodily processes. Vitamins for joints, immune system booster vitamins and best vitamins for skin are available in the market.
Some supplements contain ingredients that interact with medications, so consultation is required with your healthcare provider before consuming. For example certain multivitamins or vitamin supplements do have the potential to interact with antibiotics and blood thinning medications.
Multivitamins Benefits
- Some studies show that people who consume multivitamins have a reduced risk of heart disease, other studies have found no link overall, the evidence is mixed.
- Some studies relate multivitamin use to a reduced risk of cancer, while some studies find no benefit.
- Multivitamins may also have an impact on your mood. Research has not only shown links between bad mood and nutrient deficiencies but also between nutritional supplements and reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression. Vitamins for anxiety are common these days.
- Multivitamins may help in improving memory, but the evidence is limited.
- Vitamin C is one of the immune vitamins that helps in boosting your immune system.
- Healthy hair and skin are result of consumption of vitamin B3, biotin, vitamin A,C,E and are considered the best hair, skin and nail vitamins.
Summary: Multivitamins have mixed and limited benefit according to the overall research and typcially should be recommended for certain populations.
Multivitamins Side-Effects
Few side effects of vitamin supplementation are observed in people who take multivitamins. Some side effects are common, others are rare.
Common side effects include:
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Upset stomach
- Nausea
Rare side effects include:
- Headaches
- Nosebleeds
Summary: Nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea, flushing and unpleasant taste sometimes occur with use of multivitamins. If any of these effects last or get worse, inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Vitamin Deficiency Test
Below are our picks for the best vitamin deficiency tests you can order online:
- Best test for multiple B vitamins: Testing.com B Vitamins Test
- Best vitamin B12 test: WebMD Vitamin B12 Test
- Best for vitamin D: MountSinai Vitamin D Test
- Best iron test: HOA Iron Test
- Best test for multiple nutrients: Thriva vitamin and mineral blood Test
Best Time To Take Vitamins
Consumption of vitamins can be the best way to support your nutritional needs, like vitamins for energy— but there is an accurate way to do it. It’s not only related to time of the day but is also about syncing the habits with your eating and drinking schedule.
Multivitamins can be trickier at times; Sometimes, they contain both water- and fat-soluble vitamins. The best way to take a multivitamin is with food so any fat can help with absorption. You can also drink a water-based beverage to wash it all down. Your body absorbs and stores nutrients in various ways. You need to consider it while consuming single-nutrient supplements and multivitamins. For example, some nutrients are better absorbed with meals, while others can be taken on an empty stomach.
The time of day is also important while consuming supplements. Its better to take some supplements in morning and some in the evening.
Vitamins that may be better when taken in the morning include:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Some B Vitamins
Vitamins and supplements that may be better when taken in the evening include:
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B-3 (niacin)
Should You Take Multivitamins?
According to researches, multivitamins are not required by everyone. If you eat a well balanced and nutritious diet, you don’t need supplements. The finest source of vitamin and minerals is a plate that contains all food groups.
A doctor may recommend vitamins if you:
- Consume a vegetarian diet
- Eat calories lower than 1200 calories daily
- Suffer from medical conditions, such as cancer, that makes it difficult to eat healthy food with adequate nutrition
- Have a chronic intestinal condition that leads to malabsorption, such as, celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome
- Suffer from alcoholism and/or an alcoholic related disease
- Had surgery such as gastric bypass
Consultation with a doctor is appropriate if you have any of the above conditions or concerns about a deficiency before consuming any supplements.
The Bottom Line: Vitamin Supplementation
Vitamins and minerals are termed as micronutrients. They are utilized by the body to execute normal metabolic functions. Micronutrients need to be derived from the food we consume as human bodies don’t produce them. Multivitamins improve human health and fill nutritional gaps nausea, stomach upset, diarrhea, flushing and unpleasant taste are potential side effects that may occur with consumption of these supplements. If any of these effects last or get worse, inform your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Should I take a multivitamin? According to research, vitamin supplementation is not required by everyone. If you eat a well balanced and nutritious diet, you don’t need supplements. For many, a well-balanced diet consisting of lean proteins, derived from plants and meats, fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be adequate that supplements aren’t necessary.
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Are supplements prescribed by doctors?
Your doctor may “prescribe” a supplement if he/she finds out a risk of depletion of certain vitamins or minerals that are essential for your optimal health. Supplements are added on the basis of patient’s age, diet, health issues and risks.
Are multivitamins useful?
Adults consuming a balanced diet with adequate amount of macronutrients and micronutrients do not need to take multivitamins. Supplements bring benefits to only those individuals who have poor nutritional status or specific medical condition.
Should vitamins be consumed on an empty stomach?
Water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and folate can be taken on an empty stomach with water. But, fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, E, D, and K need to be taken with food to ensure proper absorption.