Are Taking Vitamins/Minerals Right for Me?

Why would someone want to consider a vitamin?

You might be surprised to learn that many Americans are walking around deficient in Iron, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, or Magnesium. If your body happens to be under stress, have an unbalanced diet, or take medications, you could be deficient.

Recently, I was asked how I felt about people taking multivitamins. So…here’s my answer…

In a nutshell: Probably fine but check with your dietitian or doctor with the specific one(s) and brand(s) you are interested in taking- especially if you have something in your medical history or you take medications.

In less of a nutshell: Seriously, there are a lot of reasons to check with your health providers because it’s easy to think that supplements labeled ‘natural’ or just ‘vitamins’ are safe- but not always and trust me, you don’t want to end up with the consequences if you happen to have adverse effect. Here’s why:

They’re Not Regulated

Dietary supplements including vitamins and minerals haven’t always been held up to the same standards as many other items we may put in our bodies. While the FDA now has something called “current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP)”, there are additional items to look for on the bottle: USP (United States Pharmacopeia), NSF International, or Consumer Labs.

Doses Of Each Vitamin/Mineral Greatly Vary

Every nutrient has a RDA or Recommended Daily Allowance or RDI (Reference Daily Intake). The RDI expands upon the RDA and essentially means that the intake level of that particular nutrient is considered sufficient to meet the requirements of most healthy individual (based on their gender, age, and other factors such as pregnancy).

The UL or the tolerable Upper Limit lets you know the maximum intake for each nutrient. Consuming close to the UL or more can have serious consequences. Fat soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored in the fat and will stay longer in your system making it easier to achieve dangerous levels. It’s important to note that even water soluble vitamins may have a UL.

Unfortunately, the amount of each nutrient in each multi can vary greatly from one another and you might not even know what you’re low or high in.

For more information, the NIH has provided free fact sheets on nutrients here.

They Can Interact With Your Medications

If your multi has a proprietary blend that contains herbs, some of these can cause your medications to breakdown too quickly or to be less effective. Probably the most commonly known interactions are Vitamin K and Warfarin (Heparin) or Grapefruit and Pomegranate which interact with a long list of medications.

Certain medications can also cause your body to excrete beneficial nutrients.

In the end, if you’re a generally healthy person with a healthy diet you may not need any extra vitamins or minerals. The next time you visit your doctor, you should ask if adding a supplement or multi to your routine is a good idea.

If you are having specific symptoms of a nutrient imbalance, such as a change in nails or hair or energy level, talking to your doctor is a good idea; as is seeing a dietitian who can perform a physical assessment, review your dietary intake, and look at your labs and medical history before advising for or against nutrient supplementation.

Yours in Health,

Julie Wallace, RDN, LD

This information is for educational purposes only. It is important to check with your personal health providers before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.