Many people take a course of vitamins, wanting to get quick results and become healthy, but miracles do not happen. Advertising often attributes almost magical properties to vitamins, but this is nothing more than a sales ploy. Will courses of vitamin complexes really help improve your health or get rid of diseases altogether, Ekaterina Kositsina, a therapist at the Fomina Clinic network, told Vechernaya Moskva.
Proper nutrition is a source of vitamins
A varied diet and physical activity are key to health, but for some it is boring and time-consuming. Sometimes you want a miracle: you take your vitamins and become healthy. Unfortunately, in real life, there is no magic.
Vitamins are compounds necessary for our body that support metabolism. Most vitamins come from food, but some are produced in the body, such as vitamins D, K, and B12. The main source of vitamins is a varied and balanced diet. And if a healthy person chooses between good nutrition and a multivitamin complex, then nutrition will win.
This is due to the fact that food products, in addition to vitamins and minerals, contain additional substances (for example, dietary fiber), which improve the absorption of vitamins and are themselves beneficial for the body. Thus, vitamin complexes are not a complete alternative to a balanced diet.
When to take extra vitamins
There are conditions in which the need for vitamins is increased. These include:
- pregnancy and lactation;
- dialysis;
- parenteral (artificial) nutrition;
- gastrointestinal diseases accompanied by decreased absorption;
- postoperative period (after gastric surgery);
- poor nutrition, veganism;
- intense physical activity (big sports);
- alcohol consumption.
In such cases, taking vitamins may be justified.
Also, taking vitamins will be necessary in the presence of diseases associated with a deficiency of any vitamin: for example, with scurvy it is a deficiency of vitamin C, and with pellagra it is a deficiency of vitamin B3. It is worth saying that in the 21st century in developed countries these conditions are rare.
You can also take vitamins for prevention: for example, taking vitamin D to prevent fractures in the elderly.
A blood test for vitamins is necessary if a deficiency is suspected (scurvy, pellagra, etc.) or as part of screening for certain diseases. It is not advisable to conduct a broad study.
Vitamins are the same molecules that enter the body with food. They exist in the form of medicines but are most often produced in the form of a dietary supplement – dietary supplement. Dietary supplements are food additives and do not undergo the same quality checks as medications, so the stated amount of vitamins in dietary supplements may differ from the real one. In this case, you have to rely only on the integrity of the manufacturer.
Some vitamins can have a toxic effect in overdose. This most often concerns fat-soluble vitamins A and E. Some vitamins often cause allergic reactions, such as B vitamins.
Conclusion: a varied and balanced diet is the main source of vitamins. Vitamins or multivitamin supplements are not complete food alternatives.
To take vitamins or not to drink is everyone’s personal choice. If you take vitamins, choose a reputable brand and be aware of side effects and allergic reactions.
