The need for good high-potency multiple vitamin/mineral supplements for people wanting to function optimally is becoming hard to deny. When multiple nutrients are recommended, many of their requirements may be met in a single multiple product. This saves the user time and expense, while providing insurance against potential unrecognized deficiencies.
Of the major vitamins, some are water-soluble and some are oil-soluble. Water-soluble vitamins must be taken into the body daily, as they cannot be stored and are excreted within one to four days. These include vitamin C and the B-complex vitamins. Oil-soluble vitamins can be stored for longer periods of time in the body's fatty tissue and the liver. These include vitamins A, D, E and K. Both types of vitamins are needed by the body for proper functioning.
If your desire is only to achieve adequate health then supplementation may not be necessary if your diet is very good. Optimal health, however, requires optimal nutrient intake; a diet high in processed foods and those grown in increasingly depleted soils virtually guarantees the need for supplementation.
Some principles for supplement selection:
Because the potency of most vitamins may be decreased by sunlight, make sure that the container holding your vitamins is dark enough to shield its contents properly. Vitamin supplements should be kept in a cool, dark place.
All vitamin supplements work best when taken in combination with food. Unless specified otherwise, oil-soluble vitamins should be taken before meals, and water-soluble ones should be taken after meals.
Although all children should benefit from multivitamin supplementation, it is especially important for children with ADHD.
A multivitamin will help compensate for dietary deficiencies.
In October of 2003, a massive study of almost 150,000 people was published and found that those who reported they regularly took multivitamin supplements were less likely to be diagnosed a decade later with colon cancer [American Journal of Epidemiology 158 (2003): p.621]. Breaking down the various nutrients, it is thought that perhaps it was the increased calcium and vitamin D intake from supplements that was responsible for the reduced risk [Cancer Causes Control 14 (2003): p.1] Note that dairy products were NOT found to be protective.
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