You pop a daily multivitamin and it’s supposedly filled to the brim with all your essential nutrients for the day. How does that actually work? How can one tiny capsule contain good-for-us ingredients that are meant to typically be found in a range of foods?
Multivitamins are designed to fill in the “nutritional gaps” in your diet. Simply put – a multivitamin is a handy helper to give you a dose of nutrients that you may not get from food alone. For people with specific food allergies and restrictions, a multivitamin can make a real difference in their health and well-being.
The life of multivitamins in a factory starts with creating a specific formula based on nutritional needs. High-quality ingredients are carefully measured and mixed, then formed into tablets or capsules. Some tablets get special coatings to make them easier to swallow. When completed, the multivitamins are packaged, labelled and stored before being sent out to a shelf near you.
A single multivitamin can aim to contain a broad spectrum of “essential” vitamins and minerals, but there are several factors that influence how well it can meet our nutritional needs.
Multivitamins typically include essential vitamins (A, C, D, E, K, and B-complex) and minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, etc.).
Once absorbed, the nutrients travel to various parts of the body where they are involved in numerous biochemical and physiological processes. Each vitamin has specific roles. For example:
Multivitamins cannot duplicate the full range of nutrients and health benefits that you can get from a diet filled with real fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Also, taking more vitamins than necessary can cause other health problems:
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only. Always check with your doctor or medical practitioner about any health concerns, before embarking on any fitness or nutrition programme, or using any medication.