The
Benefits of taking a Daily Multivitamin
Daily Multivitamin - For Your Health
By: Dr. George Obikoya
As the baby boomers continue to age, people of
all ages are increasingly keen on taking responsibility for their
own health and are showing more and more interest in watching their
diet and taking vitamin supplements to maintain their health and
well-being. In particular, there is a growing awareness of the benefits
of health supplements for both young and old.
To scientists, and health conscious people, the fact that we can
benefit from supplements has never been in doubt. Yet, many of us
are not quite clear what exactly the benefits of taking a daily
multivitamin are. Not only do most of us fail to eat a varied and
well-balanced diet on a regular basis, at certain times in their
lives, many people may require more of certain nutrients than their
diets can provide - for example, young children, teenagers, pregnant
women, those on vegetarian or poorly designed slimming diets, and
chronically ill or elderly people. Furthermore, there are also some
nutrients that may be difficult to get in food in adequate amounts
and therefore may need to be taken as a supplement by certain people,
for example, folic acid for women during pre-conception and in the
first three months of pregnancy.
In general, a good daily multivitamin/mineral supplement improves
your overall bodily functioning and boosts both your physical and
mental health and well-being. Sometimes supplementation with specific
nutrients may be more appropriate in order to address any individual
specific needs. For example, CoQ10 is especially helpful for those
at risk for heart disease, and Vitamins C and E, taken in combination
to help ward off Alzheimer's disease. A multivitamin supplement
usually contains the recommended daily dose of a variety of vitamins
and other nutrients. Sometimes, multivitamin supplements are formulated
for specific age groups, or individual conditions such as pregnancy.
Multivitamins also are at their most efficient when they are in
liquid form, as the body has been proven to absorb them five times
more efficiently than multivitamins in pill form.
Many people report a feeling of general well being when they are
taking their daily multivitamins regularly. The individual vitamins
and nutrients in a quality daily multivitamin dose delivers to you
their specific benefits of each individual vitamin, plus you get
the combined (synergistic) benefits of all of the ingredients working
together. Vitamin E, for example, a fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin
helps to neutralize potentially damaging free radicals in the body
and it is particularly important for the protection of cell membranes
as well as maintaining healthy skin, heart and circulation, nerves,
muscles and red blood cells. Vitamin C on the other hand is water
soluble, but like Vitamin E, it is an antioxidant. It helps white
blood cells combat infection, is essential for wound healing, for
the formation of collagen, for healthy skin, and for the formation
of other important structural materials in bones, teeth and capillaries.
It also helps with the absorption of iron from plant sources. Vitamins
D, K, A, and other nutrients in a multivitamin supplement all have
specific beneficial effects on our bodies ranging from minimizing
the risks of heart problems to helping to ward off Alzeheimer’s
disease.
It is important to take your daily multivitamin in a liquid form
regularly to enjoy these benefits to their fullest extent. Vigorous
training, for example, increases the production of free radicals
in the body. When involved in an exercise program, we should, therefore,
increase the intake of antioxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin
C and vitamin E, and ensure you take adequate amounts of the proper
vitamins and minerals required to maintain strong, healthy bones
and joints such as calcium and iron. Also, older people over 55
years, convalescents, those who consume large amounts of alcohol,
those with active, busy lives, people with colds, smokers, those
exposed to excessive pollution, athletes and routine aspirin users
need to take more daily and regular multivitamins.
A good multivitamin is the foundation of health
and nutrition. Take a look at our scientific reviews of many of
the popular brands for factors such as ingredients, areas of improvement,
quality level, and overall value. If you are looking for a high
quality liquid multivitamin, we suggest that you take a look at
the Multivitamin
Product Comparisons.
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