Multi Vitamin

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Over 50% of Americans claim to take a multivitamin. The typical American diet does not provide adequate nutrients and many take a multivitamin to supplement their diet. There are three different forms to choose from when deciding what multivitamin to take; liquid, chewable or tablet. Quality can vary from product to product, so it is essential that you find a product that your body will absorb and you can benefit from.

Liquid vitamins can be easier for the body to digest because they can be absorbed more readily. They can be a good option for those who have malabsorptive issues, like Crohn’s disease, or those who have trouble swallowing pills. Chewable and tablet forms of multivitamins can be harder for the body to digest because they must be broken down in the digestive system first before they can be absorbed. Lower quality multivitamins may not be completely broken down and therefore they pass through the body without the benefit.

To solve this problem, some manufacturers use enteric coating on their multivitamins. Pharmaceutical drugs regularly use enteric coating and this is why they work so effectively. The coating allows the drug inside the tablet to be protected from stomach acid, so that the drug is properly absorbed in the small intestine. Pills that have enteric coating do not have to be taken with meals. This solves another problem. The problem is that the body can only absorb so much of certain nutrients at one time. For example, the body can only absorb 500 mg of calcium at one time, so if someone took a multivitamin containing calcium with a meal that had calcium in it, they would excrete the excess calcium over 500 mg that they consumed.

Be careful when choosing any supplement. Ask yourself these questions-

1.    Is it complete? Some multivitamins leave out important vitamins and minerals. Make sure it contains 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) and no more. Excess of some vitamins can be toxic.

2.    Is it water soluble or fat soluble? Some vitamins need water to dissolve and others need fat. Make sure if the vitamin is fat soluble that the vitamin contains fat or supplement your diet accordingly.

3.    Is it approved by the FDA or has it passed testing? Supplements are not regulated, so it can be hard to determine if you are getting the quality and quantity the product claims.

 

 

You can also talk to BigTime Results Registered Dietitian about a quality multi vitamin as well.  BigTime Results offers Personal Training Corporate Wellness, and boot camp classes. 

 

Sources-

Bioavailability of dietary supplements (2000) The Pharmaceutical Journal. 264 (7084):304-305.

Wallace JM. (1998) Appendix NC 5 Selecting High Quality Dietary Supplements. 6.

http://www.treeandleaf.org/