Vitamins

A multivitamins is a preparation intended to serve as a dietary supplement with vitamins, dietary minerals, and other nutritional elements. Such preparations are available in the form of tablets, capsules, pastilles, powders, liquids, or injectable formulations. healthy people, most scientific evidence indicates that multivitamin supplements do not prevent cancer, heart disease, or other ailments, and regular supplementation is not necessary.

who need multivitamins

For certain people, particularly for older people, supplementing the diet with additional vitamins and minerals can have health impacts; however, the majority will not benefit. People with dietary imbalances may include those on restrictive diets and those who cannot or will not eat a nutritious diet. Pregnant women and elderly adults have different nutritional needs compared to other adults, and a multivitamin may be indicated by a physician. Generally, medical advice is to avoid multivitamins during pregnancy, particularly those containing vitamin A, unless they are recommended by a health care professional. However, the NHS recommends 10μg of Vitamin D per day throughout the pregnancy and while breastfeeding, and 400μg of folic acid during the first trimester (first 12 weeks of pregnancy). Some women may need to take iron, vitamin C, or calcium supplements during pregnancy, but only on the advice of a doctor.

Anyone who is malnourished or has a nutritional deficiency should talk to their doctor about taking a multivitamin, says internist Raul Seballos, MD. This can include those who are on a low-calorie diet or avoid certain foods like vegetarians and vegans.

Precautions

The health benefit of vitamins generally follows a biphasic dose-response curve, taking the shape of a bell curve, with the area in the middle being the safe-intake range and the edges representing deficiency and toxicity. For example, the Food and Drug Administration recommends that adults on a 2,000 calorie diet get between 60 and 90 milligrams of vitamin C per day. This is the middle of the bell curve. The upper limit is 2,000 milligrams per day for adults, which is considered potentially dangerous.

studies

A cohort study that received widespread media attention is the Physicians’ Health Study II (PHS-II). PHS-II was a double-blind study of 14,641 male U.S. physicians initially aged 50 years or older (mean age of 64.3) that ran from 1997 to June 1, 2011. The mean time that the men were followed was 11 years. The study compared total cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) for participants taking a daily multivitamin (Centrum Silver by Pfizer) versus a placebo. Compared with the placebo, men taking a daily multivitamin had a small but statistically significant reduction in their total incidence of cancer.

Regulations

The first person to formulate vitamins in the US was Dr. Forrest C. Shaklee. Shaklee introduced a product he dubbed “Shaklee’s Vitalized Minerals” in 1915, which he sold until adopting the now ubiquitous term “vitamin” in 1929.

Because of their categorization as a dietary supplement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most multivitamins sold in the U.S. are not required to undergo the testing procedures typical of pharmaceutical drugs. However, some multivitamins contain very high doses of one or several vitamins or minerals, or are specifically intended to treat, cure, or prevent disease, and therefore require a prescription or medicinal license in the U.S. Since such drugs contain no new substances, they do not require the same testing as would be required by a New Drug Application, but were allowed on the market as drugs due to the Drug Efficacy Study Implementation program.

Vitamins are organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through the diet. For example, Vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it is not considered a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. Most of are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules called vitamers.

Overview on vitamins

Vitamins are essential for the normal growth and development of a multicellular organism. Using the genetic blueprint inherited from its parents, a fetus develops from the nutrients it absorbs. It requires certain vitamins and minerals to be present at certain times. These nutrients facilitate the chemical reactions that produce among other things, skin, bone, and muscle. If there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop a deficiency disease. Even minor deficiencies may cause permanent damage.

Once growth and development are completed, vitamins remain essential nutrients for the healthy maintenance of the cells, tissues, and organs that make up a multicellular organism; they also enable a multicellular life form to efficiently use chemical energy provided by food it eats, and to help process the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats required for cellular respiration.

Deficiencies (Effect of vita-mins deficient intake )

Deficiencies of vitamins are classified as either primary or secondary. A primary deficiency occurs when an organism does not get enough of the vitamin in its food. A secondary deficiency may be due to an underlying disorder that prevents or limits the absorption or use of the vitamin, due to a “lifestyle factor”, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, or the use of medications that interfere with the absorption or use of the vitamin.

Well-researched human vitamin deficiencies involve thiamine (beriberi), niacin (pellagra), vitamin C (scurvy), folate (neural tube defects) and vitamin D (rickets). In much of the developed world these deficiencies are rare due to an adequate supply of food and the addition of vitamins to common foods. In addition to these classical vitamin deficiency diseases, some evidence has also suggested links between vitamin deficiency and a number of different disorders.

Effects of cooking on food

The USDA has conducted extensive studies on the percentage losses of various nutrients from food types and cooking methods. Some vitamins may become more “bio-available” – that is, usable by the body – when foods are cooked. The table below shows whether various vitamins are susceptible to loss from heat—such as heat from boiling, steaming, frying, etc. The effect of cutting vegetables can be seen from exposure to air and light. Water-soluble vitamins such as B and C dissolve into the water when a vegetable is boiled, and are then lost when the water is discarded.

Source

1 Vitamin A-Rich Foods

If you want to see clearly in the dark like a superhero with night vision goggles, load up on vitamin A! It’s found in foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach. So, munch on those veggies and let your eyesight shine!

2 Vitamin C-Rich Foods

Need an immune boost? Look no further than vitamin C! Oranges, strawberries, and bell peppers are just a few examples of foods that are bursting with this immune-supporting vitamin. So, pucker up and embrace the tangy goodness!

3 Vitamin D-Rich Foods

Sunshine in a vitamin? Yes, please! Vitamin D is mostly produced in our bodies when our skin is exposed to sunlight. But you can also find it in foods like fatty fish, fortified milk, and egg yolks. So, soak up some rays or savor a delicious vitamin D-packed meal.

4 Vitamin K-Rich Foods

Want strong bones and a healthy heart? It’s time to get acquainted with vitamin K! Leafy greens like kale, spinach, and broccoli are excellent sources of this bone-loving vitamin. So, channel your inner Popeye and load up on those greens for a vitamin K-powered boost!

Can’t I get all the vitamins I need from a balanced diet alone?

While a balanced diet should provide you with most of the vitamins you need, certain factors can affect nutrient absorption and availability. These factors include digestive health, food preparation methods, and individual variations. In some cases, supplements may be necessary to meet specific vitamin requirements, but it is generally recommended to obtain vitamins from whole foods whenever possible.

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Is it OK to take multivitamins everyday?