Kamis, 17 November 2011

What You Need to Know About Multivitamins

vitamins supplements


Supplements can add nutrients to your diet. Experts sort through a variety of multis.


Basic Multivitamins


What they are: One-pill wonders that offer 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance (RDA), as suggested by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, for many important vitamins.

Benefits: They give you much of what you need in a day, including vitamins A, C, D, and E, B vitamins, and folic acid. Bonus: You have only one tablet to remember to take and swallow. 

Keep in mind: Some single pills also include minerals, such as iron, calcium, and magnesium. But their levels can fall short of what’s recommended. The RDA for calcium, for example, is 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams. But because calcium is bulky, including that much would make for one giant pill. Therefore an additional mineral supplement may be wise in some cases. (Note: Check with your doctor before introducing any vitamins or supplements into your diet.)

Food-Based Multivitamins

What they are: Vitamins combined with powdered whole foods. “The manufacturers basically break down vegetables, fruits, and other food ingredients, add vitamins, and formulate that into capsules,” explains Preeti Kulkarni, a naturopathic doctor in Los Gatos, Calif.

Benefits: Less chance of stomach upset. “Since you’re combining the vitamins with real food,” says Kulkarni, “they will be absorbed better and shouldn’t cause gastric distress.” In fact, it’s even OK to take this kind of multi on an empty stomach. 


Keep in mind: Despite the name, the vitamins you’re getting aren’t necessarily more natural; often they’re the same synthetically produced versions as in basic multis.


Adult Chewable Multivitamins


What they are: Single pills in a form you don’t have to swallow whole.
Benefits: Not having to force down large pills, which is a boon to those who have trouble swallowing tablets or who experience stomach problems when they do. 

Keep in mind: These aren’t the same as the gummy or chewable vitamins that kids take. “The levels of vitamins in children’s formulas won’t give adults all they need,” says Tara Gidus, a registered dietitian in Orlando, Fla. (Too bad, considering kids’ chewables tend to taste better).


Women’s Multivitamins

What they are: Souped-up multivitamins that contain larger amounts of nutrients that many women require.

Benefits: They help you get the RDA of such vitamins and minerals as folic acid, calcium, and iron. Because iron can irritate the stomach, though, be sure to take these vitamins with a meal. 

Keep in mind: These formulas come in age-specific varieties, too. Ones for women over 50, for instance, may contain higher levels of vitamins C and E and less iron.
 
source : http://alam-hadi.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-you-need-to-know-about.html 

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