Multivitamins: How Essential Are They?

 Many people have developed a habit of taking their daily dose of multivitamins because multivitamins are considered good for you. These folks figure that it is best to take precautions and fortify themselves with multivitamins, rather than develop a vitamin deficiency. Well, on the one hand it is true that multivitamins are both harmless and effective, but on the other hand, multivitamins have been embroiled in controversy of late.  

Modern lifestyles are hectic and demanding, and it is indeed difficult for a majority of people to derive their nutritional requirements from diet. People spend more time being away from home and end up eating out regularly. Now, restaurant food is not as wholesome as home-cooked food, but a lot tastier because it is made with fatty and spicy ingredients guaranteed to please the taste buds. So, people end up eating more than they should and yet do not get the much-needed vitamins.  

Eating out is one factor – another important factor is stress. Stress spells threat to both mental and physical health, and it significantly depreciates the nutritional value people derive from their diet. There’s no escape from stress in any situation – every situation nowadays is loaded with an overdose of stress. The third dangerous factor is lack of exercise, which again is due to our modern lifestyle. To make things worse, skipping meals and irregular meals timings have become a habit nowadays, and these also depreciate the nutritional value of food.  

All these factors – nutritionally deficient food, poor eating habits, stress and insufficient exercise –combine to throw the body out of gear. And these are the reasons very why so many people choose to pop a multivitamin pill – maybe even a couple of pills – daily. 

If you too are surrounded by stress and the conditions associated with modern lifestyle, then you will surely benefit from a daily multivitamin supplement. The best thing about multivitamins is that you don’t have to take a doctor’s opinion on them. If your health is good, and you are not on any medication, then taking the recommended dose of multivitamins is considered safe.  

With water-soluble vitamins like B vitamins and Vitamin C, even if you take them in excess, the body will process the required amounts and get rid of the excess through urine. Hence, taking these water-soluble vitamins could be considered quite safe.  

However, when it comes to fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A and D, the excess amounts get stored in the liver. Though marginally higher doses don’t cause any adverse side effects, there’s an outside chance of developing health complications in case of extreme overdose.  

All said and done, excessive consumption of anything is not advisable and the same goes for multivitamins. Before planning your multivitamin intake, you have to take into consideration that these days a lot of readymade foods are fortified with vitamins and minerals, especially cereals and orange juice. If you have any doubt about how much multivitamins to take, it would be best to clarify your doubts with a doctor or a nutritionist.  

Once you have come to the conclusion – either on your own or after consulting your doctor/nutritionist – that you need to go in for multivitamin supplements, all you have to do is go out and buy some. Many brands of multivitamin supplements are available both in liquid and pill form. You must read the manufacturer’s label for the information given and settle for a well-known brand. Once you begin the dosage, be regular with it, and you will feel the difference multivitamins make to your health.