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Do You Really Need a Multivitamin?
Multivitamins — they’re a contentious topic. Some healthcare professionals believe they only make your urine more expensive while others believe they offer benefits, especially for people who don’t eat a nutrient-dense diet. What do multivitamins do for you? Most importantly, are they in some way harmful?
It’s always better to get your vitamins and minerals by eating a healthy diet rather than swallowing a pill. The reality is you don’t KNOW what’s in a multivitamin or other supplement, thanks to the way the FDA regulates, or doesn’t regulate supplements.
About a year ago, I subscribed to a service that tests a variety of commercial supplements to see if they’re pure and contain the concentration of active ingredients they say they do. I was surprised to find that some contained only a portion of what was on the label and also had other “surprise” ingredients like heavy metals. So, you really have to buy from reputable companies that use independent testing firms to verify their contents.
Although some supplements may be beneficial for certain individuals, I’m not a fan of multivitamins for the average person for a number of reasons. Many years ago, my husband and I took a multivitamin each day. After all, what harm could it do? But after reading studies that have come out over the last few years, we’re glad we tossed the multivites.
