Is it good to take a multivitamin?
23 Nov 2022 • 1 min read
These little powerhouses may contain all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to maintain good health In an ideal world, we’d get all the nutrients we need from eating a healthy, balanced diet, but it can be tricky for some people to get enough. That’s where a multivitamin comes in handy. A 2014 study published in Nutrition Journal found that while a varied diet is the best source of essential vitamins and minerals, a multivitamin may help fill in any small but critical nutritional gaps that could otherwise lead to deficiencies. Taking a multivitamin not only tops up your vitamin and mineral levels, it also has a number of benefits for your body and brain. Find out why these tiny tablets can have a big impact on your health.
Who needs a multivitamin?
Eating a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, wholegrain foods and healthy sources of protein should provide us with a good balance of nutrients, but not many of us eat this well. The way we process certain vitamins also means we need to keep replenishing them. The fat-soluble vitamins – A, D, E and K – can be stored in our bodies, giving us a ready supply. But others need to be consumed every day to help our bodies function normally. These are all the B vits and the powerful antioxidant vitamin C. These are water-soluble vitamins, so we need to consume enough of them each day, whether that’s from our food or via a supplement. Certain groups of people will also benefit from taking a multivitamin, such as:- those with allergies or intolerances – they may not be eating enough fruit and vegetables or are not eating widely from a range of different food groups
- vegetarians and vegans – they could be missing out on certain micronutrients that are mainly found in meat, like vitamin B12 and iron, but a multivitamin will include these micronutrients in the right quantities for optimum health
- pregnant women – pregnancy increases your body’s need for certain nutrients, such as iron and folate, so you may benefit from taking a multivitamin if you’re pregnant or trying for a baby
- the over 50s – after this age, our bodies find it harder to absorb some of the essential nutrients that we need, including vitamin B12
- children aged six months to five years – the government recommends young children take vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day