Who should take a multivitamin supplement?<\/p>\n
According to Dr Bradshaw, multivitamin supplements aren\u2019t essential for everyone. \u201cThey are only relevant if you have a clinical need or are otherwise unable to meet the recommended daily amounts for your age and circumstances naturally,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
For instance, those on a vegetarian or vegan diet may be at risk of deficiency in nutrients, which are primarily found in animal products like B12, while women with heavy periods may require iron supplementation. Multivitamin supplements may also be beneficial as we get older, as our bodies find it harder to absorb certain nutrients as we age.<\/p>\n
How to choose a multivitamin supplement<\/p>\n
\u201cA multivitamin supplement should contain a range of essential vitamins and minerals, so look out for vitamins A, C, D, E and K, and B vitamins such as B6, B12 and folic acid,\u201d advises Dr Bradshaw. \u201cMinerals including magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron should ideally be in a multivitamin too.\u201d<\/p>\n
You should check that the supplement meets the recommended daily amount for nutrients by looking for the nutrient reference values (NRVs) on the label. Ideally, you want a multivitamin that provides 100% of the NRVs for most essential vitamins and minerals. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s worth noting that going above the daily recommended amount won\u2019t have a beneficial impact and could in fact cause detriment to your health,” notes Bradshaw. <\/p>\n
\u201cLook for products that have been tested by credible third parties such as NSF International<\/a> and British Pharmacopoeia<\/a>,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n She also recommends assessing your diet and lifestyle and thinking about where you need to fill the gaps. For instance, everyone should consider supplementing with vitamin D (the recommended intake for anyone over the age of one is 10mcg) between March and October when we don’t make enough from sunlight, as it’s difficult to get what you need from diet alone. <\/p>\n Finally, consider which type of supplement would suit you best. If you\u2019re not a fan of swallowing tablets, consider a liquid, spray or gummy.<\/p>\n Who should not take a multivitamin?<\/p>\n While multivitamin supplements are generally safe for most people, they\u2019re not for everyone. \u201cIf you\u2019re taking prescription medication, it\u2019s essential to discuss this with your doctor to avoid any conflicts,\u201d says Dr Bradshaw. \u201cVitamins such as iron can interfere with absorption of specific medications.\u201d<\/p>\n Also exercise caution if you\u2019re already taking other supplements as you don\u2019t want to overdo it. \u201cIf, for example, you\u2019re taking a multivitamin and a skin, hair and nails supplement\u2019, you\u2019re likely having too much of one or more components,\u201d explains Dr Bradshaw.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone taking multiple supplements that haven\u2019t been prescribed by a doctor, dietician or qualified practitioner should talk to a medical professional or dietician for advice.<\/p>\n When is the best time to take a multivitamin supplement? <\/p>\n Dr Bradshaw recommends taking your multivitamin supplement alongside a meal containing fat to aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin D. \u201cIt\u2019s best to take it at roughly the same time each day so you consistently get the nutrients and minerals you need,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Who should take a multivitamin supplement? According to Dr Bradshaw, multivitamin supplements aren\u2019t essential for everyone. \u201cThey are…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10274,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,10671,61,60,10108,446],"class_list":{"0":"post-10273","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-hireview","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-most-popular","13":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10273","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10273"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10273\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}