Multi-Vitamins: The most basic, yet beneficial supplement

The Mighty Multi Misunderstood but Not Forgotten

By Scott Berliner R.Ph

March 29, 2003

Through all the years of my career in nutrition, it still amazes me how many of my patients that are either sick or well, take supplements to improve their health, but do not take a basic multivitamin-with-minerals every day.

This power tool of nutrients should be the basis of any vitamin protocol. You should balance your vitamins, as you do our meals. Taking individual vitamins, and not taking a multivitamin, is like eating vegetables without protein. The “multi” can be a wonderfully simple and inexpensive way of getting all the basic nutrients that we would like to get from our diet. Of course, through the lack of availability of quality food products, overfarmed soil, and only seasonally available organic produce, this is an easy solution to insure basic vitamin and mineral health for most individuals. The few people that can eat well-balanced meals of quality may be able to get away without vitamins, but they are a very elite club.

A good multivitamin-with-minerals can supply all the necessary antioxidants we require, to exist in a world that challenges us daily with all kinds of environmental toxins, including pesticides and hormones. These toxins increase our risk of cancer and other degenerative diseases.

Most people will benefit from B vitamins, which are so important for a healthy neurological system, healthy hair and nails, good energy, and mood stability.

The minerals in a “multi” provide much needed electrolytes to every cell in the body, to maintain good hydration. Without these minerals, a person could drink a gallon of water, and still be dehydrated. The minerals in a “multi” are an aid in having healthy bones and teeth. The trace minerals found in a quality “multi” can aid in sugar metabolism, as well as other digestive processes. These are the minerals that can help us stay alkaline. Alkaline is where we need to be, in order to reduce the risk of diseases that thrive in an acidic environment.

Many people that do take a multivitamin enjoy the convenience of a “once a day.” For those people, who only remember to take one tablet or capsule a day, this is better than none at all. There are fine once-daily multis out there, like New Chapter’s food-based Only One or Bluebonnet’s Maxi One and Multi One. For those people that can remember to take a vitamin more than once a day, they will enjoy the benefits of repeated dosing of water-soluble vitamins, which are flushed out of the body in only a few hours. The B vitamins that are so necessary to deal with stress and provide energy are examples of these. Since most people need added energy in the afternoon, usually between the hours of three and five, when energy lags, the benefits of a “multi” that is divided into two or more doses per day, can be greatly appreciated. New Chapter’s food-based “multis” are outstanding examples. Every Man and Every Woman for the younger set, and Every Man II and “Everywoman II” for the older generation, are grown in food and have unusually high absorption and assimilation properties. This process of growing the vitamins in food enables the body to treat the vitamins like food, making them easier to digest. Bluebonnet’s Super Earth Formula is a high quality, less expensive “multi.” It is a three- tablet-a-day vitamin. Due to the high amount of energy-producing B vitamins in these combinations, I often recommend taking them in the morning, and the rest in the early afternoon, but not any at night. It is amazing how good you can feel when you take these vitamins at the appropriate times.

For the more “nutritionally needy” there are some very powerful “multis” that combine all of the necessary vitamins and minerals, as well as coenzymes, which aid in absorption. Tyler’s “Multiplex 2” (with or without iron) combines the coenzymatic form of the B vitamins with the Krebb’s cycle minerals. These stimulate the energy pathways.

Bluebonnet has a popular multi called Super Vita Coq10 Formula that combines a high potency B-Complex with a multivitamin-with-minerals and CoQ10. CoQ10 is the catalyst for many enzyme-driven mechanisms in the body. Three caplets a day provides wonderful vitamin and mineral coverage. This “multi” is perfectly suited to anyone, including people on a “statin type” of cholesterol lowering drug. In addition to all the wonderful vitamins and minerals in this “multi,” this “three a day” provides coenzyme Q10, which increases your energy.

Before considering any kind of nutritional supplementation, seek out the appropriate “multi” for your lifestyle and health needs. Speak to health professionals that know how to advise you, and avoid recommendations based on a single experience. Most people that live in today’s hectic world would benefit from a basic multivitamin. For more information about what might work for you, and other nutritional questions, please address your questions to me at scott@lifesciencepharmacy.com

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