SAFE SUPPLEMENTATION

Taking a daily multivitamin is certainly one way of ensuring you get all the key vitamins and minerals you need on a daily basis. A good quality vitamin and mineral supplement will provide you with some or all of of the typical adult daily requireents for vitamins and minerals. Reading the label can help you decide which supplement is a good one, however, new research comparing various supplement companies found that information on supplement bottles can be inaccurate and difficult to understand, not to mention hard to read if you need glasses.

Some studies have found that certain supplements had quantities of vitamins and minerals in the actual supplement that differed from what was listed on the label. This can be of particular concern for vitamins such as A, B6 and minerals like iron, zinc and selenium which are harmful in large doses. Ensure your supplement contains a DIN number (Drug Identification Number) and check the expiry date on the bottle. The study also found that the rate of disintegration of some supplements did not meet the acceptable quality standards.

When choosing a supplement get advice from your pharmacist, doctor or dietitian. If you take supplements without the advice from a health professional, try not to “cocktail” by taking lots of individual supplements and instead stick to a multivitamin and mineral supplement. This will ensure you are not taking more than the Upper Tolerable Limit for any vitamin or mineral. Tell your doctor about the supplements you are taking and be sure none of your supplements are interfering in the absorption or effectiveness of your prescription medications. Prescription medications may also affect the time of day you take your supplement. Some recommend taking a multivitamin on an empty stomach at night to improve absorption. Some supplements like calcium should be taken in separate doses throughout the day rather than all together. Choose a trusted and well-known brand that you know does research on their supplements.

The Bottom Line: It is important to remember that a supplement is not providing you with the phytochemicals or nutriceutical compounds found in foods themselves so eating a well balanced and nutritious diet is still important.