Vitamin and mineral supplements provide essential vitamins and minerals, essential to maintaining a healthy tissue environment and overall good health. But select wisely — avoid products making extravagant claims or contain potentially toxic ingredients, instead look for those certified by U.S. Pharmacopeia, NSF International or Underwriters Laboratory as certified products.
These water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B complex vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, folic acid and B12). Since these can’t be stored in your body for future use, replenishment should take place regularly.
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamins can be divided into two broad categories: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid folic acid and cobalamin (B12). While fat-soluble vitamins may be stored for long periods of time in liver fatty tissues or stored as excess amounts in urine for later consumption, excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins leave your body through urine; hence why you need to consume them regularly!
Water-soluble vitamins play an essential role in immune health, brain function and energy production. Absorbed through your small intestine and transported throughout your body via various tissues and organs, deficiencies are common for people dehydrated or suffering malabsorption syndromes or following strict vegan diets; any shortages in this regard can have severe repercussions in terms of mood swings, skin health concerns and immunity system function. Your kidneys regulate these levels by flushing excess out through urine output.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can be readily absorbed through diet-derived lipid sources like avocados, olive oil, seeds and nuts. This group of thirteen vitamins is known for helping build bones as well as performing various physiological functions; deficiencies have traditionally manifested clinically as night blindness (vitamin A deficiency), osteomalacia (vitamin D deficiency) increased oxidative stress and hemorrhage (vitamin E deficiency) or hemorrhaging (vitamin E), but can now be linked with cancer or other complex disorders.
Vitamins are stored in liver and fatty tissue until they’re needed by the body, when excess is expelled through urine. While it is rarely possible to get too much vitamin from food sources alone, taking supplement medications may require following dosage recommendations closely in order to avoid potential toxicities that could arise from overdosing.
Minerals
Just like vitamins, minerals are micronutrients your body needs for normal growth and function. Minerals are inorganic elements found both on earth as well as foods like meat, fruit and vegetables. Most minerals require only small amounts, while calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium are essential in greater amounts for bone and blood cell formation, muscle contraction and nerve transmission (25). Iron, chromium zinc fluoride iodine are also vital in trace amounts (26).
Most people can get all of the minerals they need from eating a well-rounded diet; however, if yours contains limited quantities of certain minerals you may require supplements.
Multivitamin/mineral products (MVs) or multivitamin products contain multiple vitamins and minerals in combination, often with herbs or other ingredients. While some studies have revealed an increased cancer risk from taking multivitamin/mineral products for men with prostate cancer and women with breast cancer, others have not [4]. Furthermore, FDA does not regulate such products nor require they meet certain strength, quality and purity standards.
Multivitamins
Multivitamins, often referred to as multiples or simply vitamins, contain both water- and fat-soluble nutrients in one supplement form. Available as tablets, capsules, chewable gummies and liquids. Multivitamins may help if you suffer from vitamin deficiency or are looking to improve overall health.
Vegan and vegetarian diets often leave gaps in their nutritional intake due to restrictions that restrict animal products, leaving vegans and vegetarians deficient in micronutrients such as iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B12, folate acid and omega-3 fatty acids. Supplementation may help fill these dietary needs.
Multivitamins should not be seen as a replacement for a healthy diet. Eating foods rich in nutrients is the best way to stay nourished, while too much vitamin or mineral intake could be harmful. Always consult your physician prior to beginning any new supplement; they’ll know the appropriate doses and forms for you.
