If you are considering taking a vitamin supplement, there are many times where vitamin supplements can be very beneficial for your health.
But not all vitamin supplements are created equally. So are vitamins a waste of money?
There are some out there that are unlikely to have much of an impact upon your health.
There are quality variations in the ingredients used, and different forms of vitamins, some of which are more easily absorbed and utilised by your body. There are also differences in the amounts of and types of binders and fillers which are used in tablets and capsules.
Ideally a balanced diet will provide plenty of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to support your health. However, there are many reasons why this isn’t always the case.
There are also times where our needs for certain vitamins, mineral or nutrients may increase or change in accordance to our needs at the time, our stage of life or our present state of health.
I am often asked if I take lots of supplements and there are some that I take all of the time such as fish oil and CoEnzyme Q10 (in my family we have a genetic tendency to blood clots, so I take these preventatively because they are natural blood thinners which also provide many other health benefits) and others that I may take at certain times as my health needs change. Eg in winter I may take some additional immune support.
In supplemental form, minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium and zinc may be found in different forms or bound to different carrier substances. These variations have a big influence on absorbability and therefore effectiveness, as well as cost.
Magnesium
Magnesium (which approx. 80% of us are deficient in and struggle to get enough from diet alone) can be found in many over the counter or retail products in the form of magnesium orotate. This is poorly absorbed and passes largely undigested into the bowel where it attracts water and stimulates the bowels- this is great if you have sluggish bowels and are constipated, but not ideal if you are magnesium deficient because this form won’t be well absorbed by your body. I almost always recommend people use a magnesium bisglycinate which has far better absorption.
Iron
Iron is another mineral which many women take in supplemental form due to deficiencies. Iron supplements can be problematic for many people when taken in the form of iron sulphate. Many commonly prescribed iron supplements and many over the counter ones, contain this form of iron which is very poorly absorbed and because of this, not only is it less effective in booting iron levels, it is also known to cause many digestive aggravations and can be very binding in the bowels, leading to constipation and discomfort. Again, I favour an iron bisglycinate, which is well absorbed and doesn’t cause the bowel problems that the cheaper form is known to contribute to.
Calcium
Many people are concerned about getting adequate calcium for bone health in particular. They may also be avoiding dairy products due to intolerances or allergies and are concerned about not getting enough calcium. There are actually many ways to get calcium through your diet from non-dairy sources. But if you do need to take a calcium supplement, do not get a calcium supplement which contains calcium carbonate. This is the form of calcium in the most commonly prescribed over the counter calcium supplement. Calcium carbonate is basically chalk and is not well absorbed by your body! Go for a calcium citrate, chelate or hydroxyapatite.
Fish Oil
Fish oils are another supplement which can vary vastly in quality and potency. I always favour the practitioner prescribed fish oil products which contain the desired amount of the active ingredients. They are also further filtered to remove plastics, heavy metals and other toxins which unfortunately are present in fish. All fish oil supplements must contain only a level of mercury which is deemed as safe, but the practitioner ones are further filtered to contain undetectable mercury levels.
Folic Acid
Did you know that up to 40% of us can’t actually absorb folic acid due to genetic polymorphisms?
This potentially has implications for women who are planning to become pregnant as folic acid is very important at this time. There are genetic tests that you can do to find out if you have this genetic polymorphism (the test is approx. $50) but for women who don’t want the test, I always use pre-natal and pregnancy multivitamins which contain the usual form of folic acid plus an activated form so that we have covered all bases if a woman needs to take the active form due to this polymorphism.
Turmeric
Turmeric which is a great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant with many other benefits is poorly absorbed, so again for it to be effective it is worth investing a little more for a good quality one. The same for Coenzyme Q10 (which is super important if you are taking cholesterol medications).
So should you take a supplement? Are vitamins a waste of money?
Vitamins in supplemental form can be very helpful, but there are variations in quality and therefore effectiveness, so choose good quality ones. Ideally don’t self prescribe, but if you are buying vitamins or other supplements over the counter be sure to mention any medications that you are taking as there is potential for interactions.
I could go on and on about over the counter liver tonics, detox kits and fat loss products but that’s a whole other discussion!
Many cheap multivitamins contain more binders and fillers than actual vitamins or may contain a whole list of herbs at below therapeutic dose, so they look like they contain lots of things and can male all sorts of advertising claims but quite possibly don’t really live up to their claims.
