Multi Vitamins - Mineral Supplements Information
Are you considering taking a multi vitamin? If your diet is lacking in essential nutrients, minerals, vitamins and multi vitamins, your health could be affected.
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Minerals and Multi Vitamins Balance The Daily Nutrient Intake
A multi vitamin will normally include minerals too. Even most one a day vitamin supplements will contain essential minerals. You can also get vitamin mineral nutritional supplements that provide only specific vitamins or minerals. These may be good if you know you only need those particular nutrients. But if in doubt, a supplement that provides all your daily needs can give you peace of mind.
If you are regularly eating a healthy, balanced diet you may not need to even think about nutrition. But most people do not eat well. And, if you exercise a lot, engage in sports, sweat profusely, drink lots of water or fluids, have a chronic illness, are a cigarette smoker or heavy drinker, you may not be able to get enough essential nutrients in your diet. So, a vitamin mineral supplement can be your guarantee of adequate nutrition.
Vitamin Supplement To Combat Potential Deficiencies
You may not even know you are deficient. Some deficiencies take years to show in your health. A vitamin mineral supplement is your insurance policy. The easiest way to get all the essential vitamins and minerals you need is to take a one a day vitamin supplement.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) publishes recommended guidelines for essential vitamins and minerals . You find these guidelines printed on supplement packages, showing each nutrient's percentage of daily minimum. The essential vitamins are A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E and K. The essential major minerals are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and sulfur. The essential trace minerals are, copper, iron, fluoride, chromium, iodine, molybdenum, zinc, selenium and manganese. The majors are needed in larger amounts, while the trace are needed in much smaller amounts.
A multi vitamin may require you take more than one pill daily, perhaps one with each meal. The one a day vitamin type is just that, one pill taken daily. Many multi vitamins are higher potency or contain non-essential nutrients. There are also multi types that use whole food sources which are simply bulkier than the chemically isolated variety.
You will find that supplements may contain synthetic nutrients. This is not a cause for concern. Research has found that synthetic nutrients are perfectly safe and work just like natural ones.
You may find people touting high-doses of vitamins or minerals as cures for this, that or the other. Generally there is little confirmed research that shows that high doses of most nutrients have a health benefit. One of the advantages of a one a day vitamin or a multi vitamin is that you get what you need according to USDA guidelines, not the ultra high doses some advocates recommend.
You have many choices of excellent brands of supplements that meet rigorous standards for safety and potency. Some come in a time-release or enteric coated variety which may result in less waste as they are absorbed more slowly. But, be prudent. Check with your doctor or health care provider to be sure taking a vitamin mineral supplement is appropriate for you.
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