By Denis Collier RD, M.Sc., PFLC and the SHAPE Team

Multivitamins should be taken as a supplement and not a substitute to for a healthy, well balanced diet. The first recommendation from any dietician will always be to try and obtain the vitamins and minerals you require each day by choosing the right types and amounts of healthy foods. Supplement use should be seen as lending support to this primary goal.

What Are Some Reasons Why I Should Take a Multivitamin?

• It is genuinely difficult for some individuals to obtain the recommended amounts of some nutrients through diet alone. For example, some women have calcium requirements as high as1300 mg per day, and iron requirements as high as 18 mg per day. It is extremely difficult to meet these targets without consuming a great amount of milk and meat, respectively.
  
• The proper doses of antioxidants, B vitamins, and bone building nutrients (i.e. 500 mg of calcium) can help defend against degenerative conditions and slow the biological processes of aging, as well as improve immune system function, and enhance your daily energy level.
  
• The ability of the body to absorb certain nutrients declines with age. For example, adults over the age of 50 cannot absorb vitamin B12 very efficiently.
  
• There is evidence that some vitamins may have disease-fighting benefits when taken in amounts above the officially recommended intake.
  
• A multivitamin will give your nutrition a boost.

What Should I Look For in a Multivitamin?

• A desirable multiple vitamin and mineral product should be enriched with antioxidants.
  
• he main anti-oxidants include: vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and selenium. These nutrients have the ability to neutralize substances called free radicals that have been linked to the development of cancer and heart disease.
  
• Provide a full complement of the B-vitamins as a B-50 complex. Enhanced B-vitamin status through supplementation has been shown to help reduce risk of heart disease, reduce certain inflammatory states, and maintain brain and cognitive function as we age.
  
• The B vitamins: B1, B2, B6, B12 and folic acid. These vitamins are vital to the energy metabolism process and may have protective effects on the heart. Folic acid is also essential for any woman who is pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
  
• Osteoporosis is a problem that requires a lifelong strategy to prevent its development. The bone-builders: calcium, vitamin D. Calcium is the principal nutrient in the structure of bone, and vitamin D works to ensure calcium is efficiently absorbed from the digestive tract.
  
• Another issue affecting primarily women is lack of iron. The body needs iron to make hemoglobin, the component of red blood cells that carries oxygen to all of your tissues. In muscles, oxygen is stored in a pigment called myoglobin, which is also made from iron. To help meet iron requirements, it is recommended to talk a multivitamin and mineral supplement. The Recommended Dietary Allowance for women ages 19-50 years is about 18 mg per day. However, when it comes to iron supplements, more is not better. Excessive doses can be toxic, causing damage to the liver and intestines.
  
• Additionally, the supplement should contain vitamin A, iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, iodine and chromium.
  
• Generally, a good rule is that the pill should contain 100-300% of the recommendations for most vitamins and minerals.
  
• When it comes to brand names, capsule, tablet or chewable-from, the decisions are really personal preferences. At SHAPE, we recommend the multivitamin by Nutra-Therapeutics as it contains all the essential vitamins, minerals, B-complex and antioxidants that have been demonstrated to be the most effective by the current research.

DISCLAIMER
The information on www.shapehealthandwellness.com is for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to replace the advice or attention of health-care professionals. Please consult your physician or book a consultation with SHAPE before changing your diet or exercise program, for diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and/or injuries, for advice regarding medications, and prior to making use of any of the information within our website, articles or newsletters.