Multivitamins: worth it?

jrgold

I have read various articles concerning multivitamins and the conclusions seem to be mixed.

What do you think? Do you take a multi and if so, what kind?

Cold_Steel

Eh, to each their own, If you not eating a vitamin/ mineral/ folic acid enriched diet as a woman I would get a multi- with folic acid but if you are eating plenty of greens and other high vitamin foods then there is no need.

The bottom line they are called supplements for a reason, they are to supplement for any deficiency you may have.

Get a blood test done, a full panel to show you your vitamin absorption etc.

I have a huge problem with B vitamin deficiency so I take a B12 supplement along with trying to eat more vitamin b foods.

Tiffany919

they're pretty important if you're working out. i go with the food based ones so that they don't upset my stomach and for better absorption.

i have used rainbow light women's one and i am now trying out new chapter's women's one, but this one has less calcium and iron, so i'm trying to get that in other ways.

you can find these on amazon for less than you would see them at whole foods.

jrgold

Thanks - i didnt know there was such a thing as 'food based' multis.

I always felt like when i took one of those big centrum pills that nothing was really going anywhere

ATT949

Vitamins, as part of the supplement industry, are hugely profitable and, as we've seen, hard for most people to justify from a nutritional/medical perspective.

Having almost destroyed our bodies and/or lives through food, and perhaps other, addictions it's very tempting to try to dot all the i's and cross the t's when it comes to getting back on track. And the companies that sell supplements are happy to take you money while you try.

When I was losing weight, I had a net of only 800 to 1k cals/day. I bought a "bucket" of multi-vitamins at CostCo and took "one a day" just in case I wasn't getting enough vitamins and minerals from my food.

Now that I'm eating "normal" amounts of food, I'm taking the vitamin 'til they're gone and that will be it. Even at 2k cals/day (that's my target), I'm getting at least the RDA of vitamins and minerals.

So, why bother?

bcattoes

You are correct. There is a lot of conflicting information on how safe multivitamins are. I stopped taking a multi and now just take a B-complex supplement (as advised by my PCP), fish oil pills and vitamin D when I'm not going to be in the sun. I don't have any deficiencies so I figure there is no need for a supplement.

healthybabs

The decision to take supplements or not should be discussed with your physician based upon a full blood panel being completed. I know younger folks tend to not go to the doctor regularly unless they are sick but at least an annual physical with blood work should be something everyone does to ensure good health later on in life. I think if you are in process of weight loss staying in touch with your doctor is most important so your progress and other health factors can be monitored.
With all this being said, at the recommendation of my physician, I take a women's over 50 multi vitamin, 2 fish oil tabs, l-glutamine, calcium w/vitamin D for my supplements. We reevaluate that every 3 months based on my blood work and weight loss progress. So....that's how I do it and what I would recommend.

UponThisRock

The usefulness of multivitamins is a theory that's never been proven