| > | | | | helps in healing of wounds and scars. |
| Multivitamin supplements can be a good way to get | | | | Vitamin D is necessary to properly absorb calcium, a |
| the vitamins you need, especially if your own diet | | | | mineral. If you're deficient in vitamin D, you can |
| doesn't give you all the nutrients you need. | | | | experience fractures, bone loss, and a disease called |
| Are multivitamin supplements really necessary? In | | | | rickets, which can lead to extreme bone pain. The |
| fact, yes; that's especially true if your diet is deficient | | | | body can manufacture Vitamin D if you have enough |
| and doesn't provide adequate nutrition, because they'll | | | | sunlight exposure, but it's usually included in |
| fill in the nutritional gaps your diet doesn't provide. | | | | multivitamin supplements because it can be difficult to |
| That doesn't mean you can eat unhealthily all the | | | | get. However, it's toxic in large doses, so be careful |
| time and get away with it, but multivitamin | | | | how much you take. |
| supplements can give you nutritional support if your | | | | Some multivitamin supplements also contain vitamin K. |
| diet is less than optimal. | | | | Vitamin K deficiency can lead to bleeding, easy |
| Most multivitamin supplements also include minerals. | | | | bruising, and brittle bones, or osteoporosis. |
| Some very important minerals that people can be | | | | Calcium is among the mega minerals that are |
| easily deficient in are magnesium, iron, calcium and | | | | important to good health, and is found in many |
| zinc. Multivitamin supplements also usually contain | | | | multivitamin supplements. Along with vitamin D and |
| many different vitamins, including the ones listed | | | | vitamin K, it's necessary to your diet in order to |
| below. | | | | maintain adequate bone mass. You need enough |
| Vitamin A is one of the vitamins multivitamins | | | | calcium in your diet or through multivitamin |
| supplements usually contain. It's relatively rare to be | | | | supplements for good health, and it also reduces the |
| deficient in vitamin A, unless you are older. You need | | | | risk of fracture in bones for older people. |
| vitamin A to have your immune system function at | | | | While multivitamin supplements may provide more |
| its best, and it's also important to prevent certain | | | | than 100% of your recommended daily allowance of |
| types of birth defects and bone loss. However, it can | | | | some vitamins, it is not a good idea to consume |
| be toxic in large doses, so avoid overuse. | | | | enormous amounts of any vitamin or mineral. The |
| Beta-carotene is another supplement found in | | | | levels in multivitamins are generally considered safe, |
| multivitamin supplements. It functions as an | | | | but supplements containing individual vitamins |
| antioxidant and can also increase white blood cell | | | | sometimes contain doses large enough that they |
| count; it also boosts your immunity. Beta-carotene | | | | could be risky. |
| and vitamin A also are important to eye health. | | | | Although in theory it's possible to get everything you |
| Folic acid is an especially important supplement to | | | | need from your diet, it's rare to get enough vitamins |
| take during pregnancy, and is included in most | | | | and minerals every day from your diet, in adequate |
| prenatal multivitamin supplements. If you are deficient | | | | amounts. There are lots of multivitamin supplements |
| in folic acid while you're pregnant, your baby could be | | | | available, and it's important that you do some |
| born with low birth weight or neural tube defects | | | | research to determine the best one for you. Monitor |
| such as spina bifida. | | | | yourself carefully if you do decide to start taking |
| There are quite a few B vitamins, and most of them | | | | multivitamin supplements, since any side effects may |
| are found in multivitamin supplements. Folic acid is | | | | be detrimental; stop taking them if you do |
| technically a B vitamin. Pyridoxine is another. Along | | | | experience side effects and see if the side effects |
| with B12, pyridoxine is important for controlling levels | | | | go away. If you do experience side effects, ask |
| of homocysteine in the blood. High levels of | | | | your doctor to recommend a multivitamin supplement |
| homocysteine can lead to heart disease, strokes, and | | | | for you. |
| Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin B12 can also help fight | | | | There are about a dozen different vitamins and |
| heart disease, anemia, and memory loss. Thiamine, | | | | minerals recognized as important for humans to |
| also called vitamin B1, is important for proper brain | | | | consume. If you are shortchanged on any of them |
| function. The vitamin niacin, also called B3, prevents a | | | | for a significant amount of time, you could begin to |
| disease called pellagra. Pellagra is relatively rare, but it | | | | experience deficiency symptoms. And again, |
| is caused by a deficiency in niacin and results in scaly | | | | multivitamin supplements can prevent these types of |
| sores on the skin, inflamed mucous membranes, | | | | deficiencies, but are still no substitute for a healthy |
| diarrhea, and mental confusion. | | | | diet and lifestyle, one that includes good nutritious |
| Vitamin C is an antioxidant and a booster of the | | | | food and exercise, too. |
| immune system that helps keep skin healthy and | | | | |