8Oct/10Off
How do I find a multivitamin that doesn't cancel itself out?
I have been searching for a multivitamin that doesn't cancel itself out in nutritional value. For example, from what I have read it is not good to take calcium with other vitamins and minerals, it should be taken separately and at a different time. Also, vitamin B1 cancels B2 when it is taken at the same time. This list goes on, too much iron can lead to a deficiency in this or that, too much calcium can lead to a deficiency in magnesium. There is so much information to be gathered before creating the ultimate multivitamin and no one seems to be doing it before they put the product on the shelf and we buy it. So what is the best multi-vitamin (without extensive testing) for me (a woman)?
October 8th, 2010 - 10:40
Well, most multis don’t have a ton of calcium in them, so some of the competing vitamins and minerals will still be absorbed. Iron is different altogether. Very little of iron is actually absorbed by most people when it comes in a pill form. Vitamin C can help iron’s absorption. I know what you mean though. You have to wonder what good a multi is really doing. As the other person said, you don’t know how much of the pill is actually absorbed. In fact, I work in a lab, and we tried to dissolve a multi in a slightly acidic solution, and there was a lot of stuff left that was insoluble. Here’s what I’ve decided to do, with much research: I’ve stopped taking my multi, but I’ve gotten other supplements. I looked at my diet (which is very high in fruits, veggies, and whole grains) and decided where I might be deficient, and I only take those supplements. It’s not very many. And there are some out there, that have a few complimentary vitamins lumped together, so that cuts down on what you need to take. I would trust my diet completely, but sometimes I cook my veggies, and who knows how many nutrients they lose just sitting at the store. Plus, they’re finding now that some vitamins in excess of the RDA are very beneficial for being anti-cancer nutrients. Case in point: Vitamin D. They’re now suggesting that we should get at least twice as much D as the RDA, and that it may lead to a 60% reduction of all cancers (just get 15 minutes of sunlight and you’re doing great). So, it’s a numbers guessing game. But, you can’t worry yourself over it, because emotional health is sometimes more important that physical health in warding off diseases. Sorry to have rambled–I just feel your pain. :)
October 8th, 2010 - 10:40
None. First, you’re obsessing about dropping dry chemicals into a pit of acid and how effectively they might be absorbed when they are all supplemental to your dietary intake.
A lot of the benefit from vitamins has to do with the existing balance in your body. The best thing you can do is correct your diet before considering a supplement and asking yourself whether you really notice a difference when you do take one.
Most vitamin deficiencies are easy to diagnose and obvious (you would probably go to a doctor considering that you looked up interactions between most of the things in multivitamins.) Minerals or trace elements usually present either toxicity through excess consumption or an imbalance in ratio which is generally corrected by ceasing supplementation instead of something more drastic like anti-chelation agents.
Try something like Centrum or any major name multi-vitamin. You don’t want to take 1 different pill every 3 minutes for the whole day do you?