Vitamins are organic compounds that our body needs to function properly. There are 13 essential vitamins that the body cannot make on its own, so we must get them from our diet:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin K
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine)
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- Vitamin B3 (niacin)
- Pantothenic acid
- Biotin
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Folate (folic acid)
Vitamins can be either fat-soluble, which means they are stored in the body’s fat tissue, or water-soluble, meaning they are either used by the body immediately or are excreted in the urine. There is one exception: Vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin, can be stored in the liver for years.
Vitamin supplements are very popular pills. During the last 10 years, sales of vitamins had been growing at about 4 percent per year, but this year sales may grow by 8 percent due to the recession and people’s desire to ward off medical bills. Vitamins are available through natural and specialty retailers, which are the most popular source, as well as discount supermarkets and club stores. Some people mail order vitamins or get them from their healthcare provider.
Whether we actually need to take vitamins or not is up for debate. Most experts say that eating a balanced diet provides all the vitamins and minerals we need. “The evidence shows that a healthy diet and exercise are the best way to ward off disease; a vitamin cannot replace those benefits,” says Eric Rimm, associate professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. In addition, new research confirms that multivitamin use does not provide protection from heart disease or cancer. Finally, the jury is out on whether taking multivitamins gives us the same benefits as getting them in foods. Accumulating evidence suggests that other compounds in the food, combined with the vitamins and minerals, are healthier than taking vitamins separately.
However, women who want to get pregnant may need supplements including folic acid and omega 3 fatty acids, and people who don’t eat well or who are chronically stressed out may benefit from multivitamin supplementation. The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine establishes the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) for vitamins. These numbers are based on the nutritional needs of most healthy people. One thing that is clear is that taking a single multivitamin each day won’t hurt your health, so if cost isn’t an issue there’s no need to worry that you might do yourself harm. However, there’s also no reason to pay more than you should for vitamins, so here are some ideas for getting your money’s worth out of your vitamin budget.
Choose a Good Vitamin Brand
Every vitamin manufacturer has access to the same ingredients, so buying more expensive or name brand vitamins doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get anything better than generic vitamins. However, very cheap vitamins may be stored too long or at the wrong temperatures or packaged more poorly, so don’t go for the cheapest you can find.
Do Not Equate Price with Quality
Some vitamin supplements may have more or less of a particular ingredient. Some multivitamins are checked for quality and purity by non-profit organizations including overseas bodies such as the United States Pharmacopeia and NSF International. If the product passes their tests, they get a quality seal. It should be noted that the absence of that seal doesn’t necessarily mean that a product is of poor quality or purity.
Buy Only What You Need
There’s no point in spending the money taking vitamins you don’t need, and high doses of certain vitamins can even be poisonous. A simple blood test can show you what vitamins you may be lacking, and you can ask your doctor about what special needs you might have at this time in your life. If you are trying to get pregnant, your doctor may recommend a folic acid supplement, and if you live in the south and might be lacking vitamin D, a vitamin D supplement might be a good choice. Don’t forget to ask how much you should take, and in what form is best.
