Khaberni - Many turn to multivitamins as an easy way to compensate for any potential nutritional deficiencies, especially given the fast-paced lifestyle and the difficulty of adhering to a balanced daily diet. However, the question remains: Is taking a daily multivitamin supplement truly beneficial, or is it just a false sense of health security?
To answer this question, Verywell Health reported a conversation with American nutrition expert Ann Van Beber, a professor of nutrition sciences at Texas Christian University. She emphasized that "the best option is always to get vitamins and minerals from food first," noting that most nutrients are available in a wide variety of foods, and no single diet guarantees meeting all needs alone.
Despite the preference for natural food, Van Beber explained that many people do not consume a sufficient variety of foods, which may lead to deficiencies in some essential elements for overall health and prevention of chronic diseases. In this case, multivitamins can be considered a "safety net" that compensates for potential deficiencies and not a substitute for healthy food.
However, she warned against taking supplements without medical consultation, due to the potential interaction of vitamins and minerals with some medications or their effects on absorption within the body, which may pose a health risk in some cases.
The expert advises choosing a supplement that contains both vitamins and minerals together, with proportions close to 100% of the recommended daily amount. Some vitamins need specific minerals to function efficiently within the body, and the absence of these elements may reduce their benefits.
Exceeding the recommended amounts significantly may lead to nutritional imbalance, cause poisoning by some vitamins or minerals, or impair the absorption of other elements.
Van Beber also mentioned that liquid supplements are absorbed faster than tablets, which might be suitable for some people and not others, depending on individual health needs.
Are supplements always effective?
The expert confirms that there is a real possibility for some supplements to be ineffective, as dietary supplements in the United States do not undergo strict regulation to prove their effectiveness. Therefore, it is advisable to choose products that have undergone independent testing by certified bodies, such as the "United States Pharmacopeia," to verify the accuracy of the ingredients listed on the package.
Van Beber concludes that vitamins and minerals work best when consumed as part of natural food, where they come "packaged" with helper elements that enhance their absorption, like calcium found in milk associated with vitamin "D," an example clearly showing the superiority of food over supplements.
