Here’s Why You Should Start Taking Vitamins

A healthy and balanced diet is necessary if you want to look and feel good, and we don’t always get the nutrients we need each day. Multivitamins contain a variety of vitamins and nutrients, and are designed to boost your daily intake. According to a recent survey, more than two out of three Americans take dietary supplements, and multivitamins are the most popular. If you’re looking to improve your health, you might already be considering multivitamins. But what are the specific benefits?

Multivitamins correct nutritional deficiencies

While American diets are typically rich in calories, they are also low in nutrients. To counteract this, most multivitamins are zero calories and nutrient-dense. If your diet falls short of the nutrients you need, you’ll be able to easily fill the gap with a multivitamin. A one-a-day multivitamin protects you against nutritional deficiencies and makes your diet more balanced. And a more balanced diet leads to a healthier you, which is also a more alert, energized, and focused you.

Multivitamins boost weight loss

A study showed that women who took multivitamins were less hungry, which encouraged weight loss when paired with a diet and exercise program. Men on the same program lost more weight while taking multivitamins. Nutritional deficiencies interfere with hormones responsible for turning off hunger during and after meals, and multivitamins correct this problem by allowing hormones to signal to you that you’re no longer hungry.

Obviously, there’s no magical supplement that’s going to help you drop weight instantly. A combination of physical activity and dieting, in combination with multivitamins, will maximize your weight loss potential. Evidence suggests that taking a daily multivitamin provides you with nutrients that help burn more calories by boosting your metabolism. Some vitamins, such as vitamin B, play an important role in the metabolization of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This means that multivitamins can be helpful if you’ve hit a plateau in your weight loss program.

Slower aging, better memory, and lower risk of disease

Another study suggested that women who begin taking multivitamins at a young age experience less age-related DNA deficiencies. Multivitamins can improve memory, as well as boost alertness and general well-being. Multivitamins also led to, on average, a reduced risk of all cancers by 12 percent (excluding prostate cancer).

Finding the right multivitamin for you

If you do decide to start taking multivitamins, you’ll then have to decide which multivitamin you want. There are a ton of options on the market, so how do you find the right one for you? One useful way is by looking at the “Supplemental Facts” section on the packaging, which lists the percentage of daily value provided by each vitamin. Most nutritionists and vitamin manufacturers recommend higher amounts of nutrients than the FDA-established daily values. For instance, the recommended daily value for vitamin C is 60 mg, but most professionals recommend 500 mg. However, if you’re only looking to correct nutritional deficiencies, a low-dose multivitamin with a daily value of approximately 100 percent is adequate.

Additionally, there are different types of multivitamins specific to different situations. There are multivitamins specific for pregnancy, before, after, and during menopause, and multivitamins for children and teens. Multivitamins are especially recommended for the elderly, vegans and vegetarians, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Make sure to evaluate all your options and choose the multivitamin that best fits your lifestyle. If you’re unsure, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor for a recommendation.

Multivitamins are becoming increasingly popular as more people try to live healthier lifestyles. For optimal long-term results, combine multivitamin use with a rich diet and exercise. Healthy living requires a number of things, but the right vitamins can make a world of difference.