Do multivitamins work?
We’re always told multivitamins work for every stage in our lives. Children need their Flintstones. Teenagers need more calcium. Pregnant and breastfeeding women have multis with added iron, folate and omega-3s. Elderly people need more calcium and potassium. Why weren’t we simply born with a pill box in hand, and how in the world did people get healthy before multivitamins were concocted?
Multivitamins are unnecessary unless you are treating a specific condition therapeutically. What is necessary, in fact, are plenty of whole, unprocessed foods, variety in your diet, sunshine, movement and happiness. The body also processes food much better when clean and free of stress, anger and negative emotions.
So do multivitamins work? Here are some reasons they may not be as great for you as you think:
5.) Lack of Proof That They Actually Work
HealthVit
This one of the main things that should make you ask the question, “Do multivitamins work?”
Artificial nutrients, or multivitamins, as they are popularly called, have the same chemical composition as naturally occurring nutrients; however, they are produced very differently from the way plants and animals produce them, despite all the similarities. Therefore, your body might react differently to synthetic nutrients.
Also, it’s unclear how well the body absorbs these artificial nutrients.
While consuming naturally occurring nutrients in foods, you take in a whole range of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients that aid the body in making optimal use of the given nutrients. However, the same cannot be said for the artificial counterparts, as they only contain the vitamin specified and nothing more than that, so it’s unlikely the multivitamins will be used the same way by the body. In some scenarios they may not be utilized by the body at all, resulting in a total waste of money.
4.) Gastrointestinal Upset
Amazing Wellness
The body easily digests food because it is familiar with the combinations of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. But it cannot do the same for strange substances such as the petrochemicals used in the production of multivitamins. Because most multis are heavily processed from inorganic substances and thrown together in an unnatural formula, the body has a hard time identifying and processing them.
More often the body tries to detoxify the random nutrients (if you can really call them that at this point) all at the same time, which often tends to cause stomach upset and gas, so this is enough to make you doubt if multivitamins work.
3.) Harmful Ingredients
Philadelphia Magazine
Fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K should never be taken when in synthetic form – in fact, it’s generally best to avoid consuming synthetics altogether when possible.
This is because synthetic chemicals can be destructive to the body because other food constituents that help in the metabolism of the nutrient have been isolated, allowing the vitamins to run dangerously in the body.
The multivitamins act as drugs in your body. They work aggressively, violently and destructively down the metabolic pathway in your body, possibly creating side effects and new medical conditions that may need more drugs for you to treat.
A good example is the caffeine in energy drinks; the concentrated caffeine can cause anxiety, insomnia and irregular heartbeat rhythm, while the caffeine in tea and coffee is drastically reduced and also saves us from the unpleasant side effects of concentrated caffeine.
Many multis contain an array of synthetic ingredients, even particularly damaging ones like titanium dioxide, natural flavors (including MSG), methyl paraben (propyl paraben), microcrystalline cellulose, colors like D&C red #33, silicon dioxide, talcum powder, pharmaceutical glaze (a.k.a. shellac) and povidone (polyvinylpyrrolidone or PVP).
All these ingredients combined is the reason why most studies say multivitamins don’t work. These ingredients can cause more harm than good.
2.) Worse Eating Habits
Readers Digest
We all are familiar with the idea that if you take a multi, you don’t have to worry too much about getting nutrients in food. It’s always in the back of our mind that we have the multivitamin as insurance, but this is absolutely not true. Food contains the elements we need the most – bioavailable water, an array of nutrients in perfect combinations for absorption, phytonutrients, fiber and active enzymes.
These are what will bring you health, not a multi and less-than-optimal eating.
1.) Inability to Self-Diagnose
With the use of synthetic multivitamins, you are not aware of which mineral or nutrient the body is lacking, and you could also be putting pressure on the body by ingesting minerals not needed for your body.
With this inability to know what is needed for your body, it begs two questions: Do you need multivitamins, and do multivitamins work?
You may think you need more vitamin D, for example, when you actually don’t, which can put a burden on your body to process it. Eat fresh, whole foods, move your body and cleanse your body of waste so you can absorb nutrients more efficiently and you should be fine. If you are concerned that you need certain vitamins and minerals, get a nutrition analysis done so you can see any actual deficiencies in your body.
The answer here is obvious. Studies show that multivitamins don’t work. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day and move your body. For additional health benefits, try juicing fresh vegetables and combine your foods well for optimal digestion and nutrient assimilation. Cleansing the body will help tremendously in vibrancy and ease in daily living while protecting the organs from toxic substances, the real culprits behind chronic ailments and aging.
