• Are multivitamins a waste of money?
• Rich in food… poor in nutrients
• Your #1 insurance policy for good health

I have five supplements that I recommend that everyone take… every single day. And for the most part, my patients understand the rationale behind them.

They recognize that a high-quality omega-3 supplement can slash inflammation and pain and keep their hearts and brains working in top-notch condition.

Most of them also readily accept the fact that vitamin D deficiency is running rampant here in the U.S. So adding a vitamin D3 formula in cholecalciferol form only makes good sense.

When it comes to CoQ10 (in the reduced form of ubiquinol), it’s a no-brainer. This nutrient is vital to a strong, healthy heart and cellular mitochondrial energy.

I even get nods of agreement when I recommend taking a multi-strain probiotic formula to balance gut microbiota and maintain a healthy digestive system.

So I’m always surprised when a patient questions the validity of taking a daily multivitamin. But I can understand their misgivings. After all, over the past few years news headlines have been rife with claims that multivitamins don’t stop disease and may be a waste of money.

Let’s get that cleared up right now.

Rich in Food… Poor in Nutrients

Vitamin deficiencies – even when they’re mild – can contribute to a whole host of problems including heart disease, chronic pain, inflammation, depression, cancer and other health issues.

But I have to tell you. These days it’s virtually impossible to get all of the vitamins and minerals you need through diet alone.

Over the years, the growing soil for our fruits and vegetables has been stripped of nutrients. The excessive use of pesticides and herbicides don’t help matters much, either. Top that off with all of the canned, processed, sugary and salty on grocery store shelves, and it doesn’t bode well for our future health.

In other words, we have plenty of food here in the U.S. But when it comes to the nutrient value of those foods, we’re poverty-stricken.

As a result, many American adults today are woefully lacking in vitamin D, magnesium, the B vitamins, potassium, vitamin E, choline and other vital nutrients.

This, my friend, is why you need a multivitamin/mineral supplement.

Your #1 Insurance Policy for Good Health

Multivitamins aren’t intended to stop one single health threat or disease. Rather, the purpose of a multivitamin is to fill in nutritional gaps that – if not addressed – could lead to some very serious health concerns.

I consider this a very inexpensive insurance policy against deficiencies that could ultimately shorten your lifespan or leave you incapacitated in your later years.

And one more thing… multivitamins don’t just help fill in the gaps in your diet. They also protect your telomeres.

These are the protective DNA caps on the end of your chromosomes. The thing is, each time your cells divide your telomeres lose some of their length. The shorter they get, the faster you age and the sicker you become.

However, women who take a daily multivitamin have telomeres that are about 10 years younger than women who don’t. That’s a big difference!

When looking for a multivitamin, I recommend passing up the gummy-bear versions and wholesale brands. Instead, look for a well-rounded whole food multivitamin that includes vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

You’ll find that when all of these health-giving nutrients are encapsulated, they usually won’t fit into a single pill. So the dosage could be as many as six pills a day. But the results will be worth it.

I suggest dividing them up with your meals so that you get sustained nutrition and energy throughout the day.

SOURCES:

Wallace TC, et al. Multivitamin/mineral supplement contribution to micronutrient intakes in the United States, 2007-2010. J Am Coll Nutr. 2014;33(2):94-102.

Xu Q, et al. Multivitamin use and telomere length in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Jun;89(6):1857-63.