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MyFitnessPal Community

Are multivitamins worth it?

DebTavares

Do our bodies absorb multivitamins, or only a small portion of them? I remember hearing this but not sure. Anyone know?

Replies

Meerataila

To me, yes. Although I'm hoping they're more like training wheels until I figure out how to get almost everything from food.

I say 'almost' because I'm vegan and planning to stay that way, so I will always need B12 supplements, and I don't get enough sun, so I should also take vitamin D every day. Which brings up a point: If our bodies didn't absorb vitamins from pills, there'd probably be a lot of sick or dead vegans and indoorsy types. Not to mention gastric bypass patients who definitely have to supplement.

IronSmasher

They'll never be as effective or as good for overall health as whole foods.

btc1987

They'll never be as effective or as good for overall health as whole foods.

Never is such a strong word. Science, man! It's like... ever evolving and stuff.

NK1112

There's been a lot of hype both ways on this topic. If you decide to take vitamins, do so with your meal. Don't rely on the vitamins to provide the nutrients you need, and don't get any vitamin that is more than the RDA for daily allowance. Some vitamins can become toxic if you get too much of them, and others are just passed out through your kidney's in urine.

When I wasn't certain which ones to take I asked my doc and he did a vitamin and mineral blood panel to see what, if any I was low in and told me toake the one or two that I was lacking.

IronSmasher

They'll never be as effective or as good for overall health as whole foods.

Never is such a strong word. Science, man! It's like... ever evolving and stuff.

They never will. It's impossible by their definition.

IronSmasher

There's been a lot of hype both ways on this topic. If you decide to take vitamins, do so with your meal. Don't rely on the vitamins to provide the nutrients you need, and don't get any vitamin that is more than the RDA for daily allowance. Some vitamins can become toxic if you get too much of them, and others are just passed out through your kidney's in urine.

When I wasn't certain which ones to take I asked my doc and he did a vitamin and mineral blood panel to see what, if any I was low in and told me toake the one or two that I was lacking.

If it was someone actually qualified in dietetics, they would've looked to improve your diet, but perhaps you can help provide anecdotal evidence. Did you have a follow up blood panel to see if the vitamins were effective?

MarissaPalm

I heard that over time, your body will eventually stop absorbing the vitamins. They will just "stop working", therefore making you go back to getting everything you need from your diet, anyways.

Meerataila

I heard that over time, your body will eventually stop absorbing the vitamins. They will just "stop working", therefore making you go back to getting everything you need from your diet, anyways.

I doubt this is true. There are people who are decades out from gastric bypass who aren't dead from ceasing to absorb their vitamins, and from what I understand, these patients are supposed to take a good multivitamin every day for life because they have absorption issues due to the intestinal rerouting.

WalkingAlong

It doesn't make sense that we stop absorbing vitamins from pill forms. Once things are broken down in digestion I don't think our bodies can tell what came from a pill versus a carrot.

I don't take them. They're cheap insurance but studies show that in areas where food is plentiful, they don't do anything to improve health.

paperpudding

I heard that over time, your body will eventually stop absorbing the vitamins. They will just "stop working", therefore making you go back to getting everything you need from your diet, anyways.

This does not make sense.

There are people who need to take vitamins/supplements long term and they still absorb perfectly well.

My take on it is that people should only take a vitamin/supplement if it is something they are known to be deficient in - general multi vitamins are not neccesary for most people.

eg vegans may need B12 supplements, people who are indoors a lot or in locations like the South Pole may need Vitamin D, some people may need iron supplements if they are anemic.
All of above may not be able to get that particular vitamin/substance from their food (or the sun, in case of Vitamin D) so supplementation may be required.

The only one I would take without knowing I was deficient is folic acid if I were trying to conceive and in early pregnancy - because of the implications for neural tube defects (ie spina bifida). I may not need it if my diet is sufficient but benefit outweighs risk of not taking.