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Here’s When You Need (and Don’t Need) Vitamins

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Here’s When You Need (and Don’t Need) Vitamins

MAKEUP “VITAMINS” huge category, but in general it’s useful to think of them as tiny general contractors who build and repair various things on and in your body.

Your body requires small amounts of vitamins to function properly, says Mariana Dineen, a registered dietitian and founder of virtual nutrition practice Elemento Health. Vitamins help strengthen your immune system, strengthen muscles and bones, and more.

“They are essential nutrients, which means our bodies can’t produce enough of them, so we need to get them from food,” she says. Vitamin-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and high-quality meats will help you get enough vitamins. In some cases, vitamin supplements are also helpful.

Are vitamins different from supplements?

YES. NA A At the biological level, vitamins are organic compounds. Your body needs vitamins A, C, D, E, K and eight B vitamins: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7). , folate (B9) and cyanocobalamin (B12).

These nutrients are found naturally in a wide variety of foods, such as fruits and vegetables (A, C and K), nuts (E), meat (B) and mushrooms (D). Your body also makes vitamin D from sunlight, and gut bacteria make some vitamin K.

In comparison, vitamin supplements contain vitamins in the form of capsules, tablets, liquid, chewing gum, or powder. (At least that’s the idea. More on that soon.)

Multivitamins, which some people use interchangeably with vitamins, contain a mixture of vitamins, although many vitamin supplements also contain other substances, such as minerals, herbs and botanicals, protein, fatty acids, or probiotics.

Are vitamins good for your health?

YES, B the required amounts. If you don’t consume enough of certain vitamins, you can become seriously ill. Vitamin deficiency can cause a wide range of health problems, such as night blindness (vitamin A deficiency), fatigue (vitamin B deficiency), swollen gums (vitamin C deficiency), weak bones (vitamin D deficiency), muscle problems (vitamin E deficiency) . or excessive bleeding (vitamin K deficiency).

Vitamins can become unhealthy if you take too much of them, which is more likely with supplements than with food. Vitamin C and B vitamins are water soluble, so what we don’t need is excreted from the body within a few days. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, so we can store excess in our tissues. It’s easier to overdo it with fat-soluble vitamins because they are stored in fat stores. They can accumulate in the body to toxic levels, causing harmful side effects. Taking too much vitamin C and B vitamins is more difficult, but not impossible.

“Supplements are intended to complement an already balanced diet,” says Desi Abeyta, RDN, Men’s health nutrition consultant and founder of Foodtalk Nutrition LLC. “I think most guys get it the other way around: They think about supplements rather than about how to build the base and make sure their foods are nutrient-dense, so they contain water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. what your body needs.”

Apart from vitamins, the foods also provide you with many beneficial nutrients.

“Vitamin supplements are not going to give you all the benefits that whole foods give you: the fiber, the vitamins, the minerals, the antioxidants, the synergies that vitamin supplements can’t provide,” Dineen says.

Are vitamins safe?

THEY MAY BE, but don’t grab the first one you see and assume everything is fine. Vitamin supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so the responsibility for safely producing supplements rests with companies. Do your homework and choose a product that has been verified by a third party, such as NSF.

“It’s important to choose supplements from brands that are third-party tested or certified to ensure purity, dosage accuracy, and even the absence of other harmful additives,” Dineen says.

If you take vitamin supplements, stick to the recommended dose. Each vitamin has a Tolerable Upper Intake Limit—the maximum dose you can safely consume. It’s easy to exceed the maximum value if you take more than one supplement or eat foods and drinks with added vitamins, such as energy drinks, which often contain high doses of B vitamins.

“Many vitamins and fortified products contain the same ingredients, so using multiple products with overlapping ingredients can lead to unintentional overdose,” Dineen says.

Make sure your healthcare provider knows that you also take vitamin supplements.

“Seeking professional advice, whether from a registered dietitian or physician, is important because it will ensure that your vitamin intake meets your personal needs and will avoid interactions with medications, other vitamins, or other nutrients,” Dineen says.

Who should take vitamins?

NOT EVERYONE NEEDS take vitamin supplements. A recent National Institutes of Health study found that, on average, multivitamins do not protect people from early death (they also do not increase the risk).

However, vitamin supplements may be helpful if you are not meeting your nutritional needs.

“They can be very beneficial and essential to our well-being, but only if they are in the right amounts and used correctly,” Dineen says. “They may be beneficial if used to fill nutritional deficiencies.”

Talk to your doctor about vitamin supplements if you have the following:

  • Deficiency symptoms. A healthcare professional may order a blood test to look for vitamin deficiencies. They can then recommend a supplement to help you increase your levels if needed.
  • Limited diet. Vitamin supplements can help people with limited diets, such as vegetarians or vegans, get enough vitamins such as B12.
  • Intestinal problems. Sometimes people with digestive disorders that affect nutrient absorption, such as celiac disease, benefit from vitamin supplements, Dineen says.