Multivitamins: To Have Or Not To Have?

These days there is no shortage of multivitamins: they are available in all shapes and sizes, and each multivitamin claims to be the absolute best in the market. Seeing all these multivitamins and being bombarded with their claimed health benefits may leave you wondering, ‘do I need to take a multivitamin?’ The answer to this question depends on several factors which will be discussed shortly. What you need to remember is that most, if not all of your vitamin needs can easily be satisfied by eating a well-balanced diet. In fact, and this fact may surprise you, you can cause a lot of health problems for yourself and fall prey to possible organ damage if you overdose on vitamins. So make sure that you consume multivitamins only when you need them, so as to avoid risking possible health complications.

Do You Need A Multivitamin?

Here is a comprehensive list of all the circumstances under which taking a multivitamin daily would not affect your health in an adverse manner!

1. If you are an elderly individual.
2. If you do not get adequate exposure to sunlight.
3. If you have poor daily dietary habits, and do not consume enough fruits and vegetables.
4. If you are a vegetarian or a vegan.
5. If you are pregnant or attempting to get pregnant.
6. If you are a breastfeeding mother.
7. If you are in the post menopausal phase.
8. If you suffer from a nutrient depleting ailment such as cancer or AIDS.
9. If you are lactose intolerant or have a health complication which hinders vitamin absorption and utilization by the body such as colitis or pancreatitis.
10. If you consume fewer than 1200 calories on a daily basis.
11. If you are a smoker.
12. If you consume excessive quantities of alcohol.

Multivitamins and You!

Do you feel like you could possibly see yourself fitting into one of the descriptions mentioned above, but feel unsure about whether you actually need supplementary multivitamins or not? The best judge if this confusion would be your health practitioner. After conducting a medical examination and possibly even some specific tests if need be, your doctor will be able to tell you exactly whether you need a multivitamin or not, which one you should consume, and how often! Most vegans and vegetarians are deficient in vitamin B-12. If their dietary choices do not cover the entire spectrum of essential vitamins, then more than just the B-12 multivitamin will be required! When you are out to purchase multivitamins, avoid the bottles that offer 100% of the daily requirement of the vitamin and those that claim to give you a 300% mega dose! Such high levels of vitamins in the body can lead to a vitamin overdose and can debilitate your system in more ways than one. So take care of your diet, because the natural food items that you consume should be your first source of fulfilling your vitamin needs!