Do You Need to Take a Multivitamin?
Nutrition
🧠 What It Is
Ever feel like you’re not hitting all the marks with your diet? A multivitamin might be the missing piece. While not a substitute for a healthy diet, multivitamins act as a safety net, filling gaps where your diet might fall short. They offer a broad spectrum of essential nutrients, helping to support energy, immunity, and overall health.
🔬 What the Science Says
Nutritional Gaps Are Common: A significant portion of the U.S. population does not meet daily recommendations for several key nutrients. For instance, studies have found that 95% of Americans have inadequate vitamin D intake, 84% for vitamin E, and 52% for magnesium.¹
Cognitive Benefits in Older Adults: Research indicates that daily multivitamin supplementation may help maintain or enhance cognitive functioning in later life.² One study found that older adults taking daily multivitamins demonstrated improved episodic memory and executive functioning compared to those who did not supplement.²
Limitations in Disease Prevention: Some studies have concluded that multivitamins do not significantly reduce the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease or cancer in well-nourished populations, however, these findings may not apply to individuals with specific nutrient deficiencies.³
Potential Cardiovascular Benefits: A systematic review and meta-analysis found that multivitamin and mineral supplementation was associated with a reduced risk of stroke incidence.⁴
Mortality Impact: Research indicates that multivitamin supplementation has little or no effect on mortality risk, suggesting that they may not extend lifespan.⁵
✅ Practical Application
Choose Quality: Opt for multivitamins that are third-party tested, free from fillers, and use bioavailable nutrients like methylated B vitamins.
Check Key Nutrients: Prioritize essentials like vitamin D3, magnesium, zinc, and iodine. Avoid products with unnecessary megadoses.
Look for Transparency: Select products without proprietary blends and with certifications like the Clean Label Project to guarantee safety and purity.
Tailor to Your Needs: Specific life stages, like pregnancy or older adulthood, may require targeted multivitamins with tailored nutrients.
Take With Food: To maximize absorption, pair your multivitamin with a meal containing healthy fats for fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K.
Don’t Rely Solely on Supplements: Use multivitamins to complement, not replace, a diet rich in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
What I Do: I use Performance Lab’s Nutrigenesis Multi. They have a version for men and women. I use it because it is made of highly bioavailable nutrients and cofactors like probiotics and enzymes. It’s third-party tested and Clean Label Project certified for safety and purity.
Live well,
Brian
Check out this article to learn more about what I take: NutriGenesis Multi: A Comprehensive Review.
References
Gahche, J. J., et al. (2011). "Dietary supplement use among U.S. adults has increased since NHANES III (1988–1994)." NCHS Data Brief.
Smith, P. J., et al. (2010). "Nutritional supplementation to enhance cognitive function in older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Ageing Research Reviews.
Fortmann, S. P., et al. (2013). "Vitamin and mineral supplements in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer: A meta-analysis." Annals of Internal Medicine.
Kim, J., et al. (2018). "Association of Multivitamin and Mineral Supplementation and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Kahleova, H., et al. (2022). "The Limited Value of Multivitamin Supplements." JAMA Network Open.