The Power of Multivitamins?

Vitamin supplements are one of the most debated topics out there in terms of "lifesaver vs. scam" arguments. Ranging from your bargain basement One a Day multivitamin to high-quality but expensive brands such as Usana and Nutrilite, the health and sports supplements sector has exploded over the last couple decades, defying even the recession with industry growth.

While vitamin supplements are hotly debated, there is no real controversy about the importance of vitamins for physical health. Researchers at Yale University have found that a lack of Vitamin E can result in an up to 60% more likely chance of physical decline. Ideally the best way of attaining important vitamins is to get them straight from foods. However, for many of us in our busy lives that is not always possible. Moreover, in some cases acquiring the daily recommended amount from foods would require us to eat far more than we ever could or would want to.

New studies are now indicating that vitamins have a significant impact not only on physical, but also mental health. UC Irvine scientists have found that a form of Vitamin B3 called Nicotinamide plays a role in reducing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. It lowers levels of a protein that leads to the development of tangles, one of two brain lesions associated with the disease. Vitamin B3 also strengthens the pathways through which information travels in brain cells. This helps keep neurons alive and Alzheimer's at bay.

Research from the UK indicates that Vitamin D also has positive effects in staving off dementia:

Compared to participants with healthy levels of vitamin D, those who were severely deficient in the vitamin were 60 per cent more likely to experience substantial general cognitive decline, and 31 per cent more likely to experience new problems with mental flexibility. The researchers describe the results as “the first...to identify a clear link between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline.”

One of the most important considerations with multivitamins is the risk associated with exceeding the daily recommended amount. For some vitamins there is no established daily amount which makes it difficult to judge if you are consuming too much or too little. However, an often overlooked fact is that there is no risk from water-soluble vitamins (the 12 B Vitamins and Vitamin C). Any amount of these vitamins not absorbed by your body throughout the day is simply flushed out. The risk of overdose comes from Vitamins A, D, E, and K. These are fat-soluble vitamins meaning excess amounts are stored in fat cells. This can become poisonous at high levels, although you generally have to consume very large quantities of these in order for them to have adverse effects.

It is smart to be watchful of your vitamin intake. But just as there is an unreasonable phobia of taking mass amounts of vitamins for health, so too is there an unreasonable phobia of taking too little vitamins for fear of overdose.