Multivitamins Vs. Individual Vitamins: What’s Best For You?
Contents
When people decide to make healthier lifestyle choices, the foods they eat are often the first port of call. There are many reasons as to why this is the case.
Here’s the main one:
To support normal bodily functions, we must obtain vitamins and minerals. Most of these nutrients can be obtained through the foods we eat, which is why a balanced diet should be at the top of your healthy lifestyle checklist!
To safeguard their intake, many people also choose to take vitamin supplements alongside a healthy diet. But, with so many to choose from, it can be hard to make a decision on what to take.
Within this guide, we will be taking you through multivitamins vs. individual vitamins.
Understanding the differences between the two will help you to make a decision on what’s best for your body!
What Are Multivitamins?
Multivitamins are supplements that contain a mix of vitamins, and usually minerals, rather than just one nutrient. People usually take daily multivitamin tablets as a backup for gaps in their diet. A multivitamin can’t make up for an unhealthy diet, though.
Why Take Multivitamins?
The main reason why people take multivitamins is for convenience. Instead of having to source every vitamin separately (there are a lot), a multivitamin combines many of them in one pill.
Other Reasons To Take Multivitamins Include:
- Added peace of mind
- Covers many nutrients at once
- Cost-effective
What Are Individual Vitamins?
As you may have guessed, individual vitamins usually focus on one type of vitamin. This lets you target a specific need, such as vitamin D or iron, rather than covering many nutrients at once.
Why Take Individual Vitamins?
People are often advised to take individual vitamins when they know exactly what their body needs.
This Could Be Down To:
- Diagnosed vitamin deficiencies
- Medical conditions
- Support with a specific area (e.g: bone development)
How To Know What’s Best
Many healthy people who eat a varied diet don’t need a supplement at all. If you’re unsure, ask a doctor or dietitian, who can check for deficiencies with a blood test. Then take the following three areas into consideration:
Your Nutritional Needs
Any type of vitamin is taken to safeguard your nutritional intake. General multivitamins tend to support health and vitality, whereas individual vitamins are more tailored to specific nutritional needs.
Your Lifestyle
There are many different types of vitamins out there, all aimed at different aspects of life. For example, you can get prenatal vitamins for people who are pregnant or trying to conceive, which usually contain folic acid.
Assess your lifestyle and current situation before making a decision.
Dosing Methods
Different vitamins will have different rules of use. Remember to look for something that you will remember to take routinely, as you may not encounter the full effects when sporadically taking vitamins.
More is not better. MedlinePlus advises not taking more than 100% of the RDA unless a provider supervises you, and warns that large amounts of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K can build up in your body and cause harm. Taking a multivitamin plus single vitamins makes overlap easy, so add up what you take.
Which Is Better?
At the end of the day, neither multivitamins nor individual vitamins are better than the other. What you choose to take will entirely depend on your nutritional needs and lifestyle.
Neither replaces a balanced diet. Supplements can help fill specific gaps, but the FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold; manufacturers are responsible for their safety and labeling.
Choose products tested by an independent lab, and tell your doctor or pharmacist about every supplement you take, since some can interact with medicines such as blood thinners.
Sources
- Vitamins, MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia
- Dietary Supplements, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
