By Oluwatise Osinaike
I’m sure I am not the only one that has been told severally of the importance of multivitamins or supplements. You hear things like oh you look so lean and worn out make sure you get some multivitamins or some bone supplements to use.
In our world today, many adults who have the means are currently on one daily supplement or the other. A number of young people are also into the fad of taking supplements.
It has become more of a trend or perhaps a signpost of love for one’s health. It gets more interesting when people commit so much funds to supplements because they think all about their health depend on it.
Multivitamins basically contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals, designed to support the overall health and the wellness of humans.
You can say the same for supplements. But supplements contains specific nutrients designed to support a particular health concern or need.
The Abuse
The use of supplements and multivitamins has become a major issue in our world today because many have been told they are essential part of wellness.
They come in different names. If it’s not Well Man it is Well Woman, if it isn’t Beta Man it is Beta Woman. And you have brands like Reload Plus and so many others.
All these are good. I buy some of them for my parents as they are also approaching old age. But then I have come to understand there is a need to exercise caution in the way they are being consumed..
When and why we use them
First off, Multivitamins and general body supplements are to be used on doctor’s prescription. Multivitamins contains about 60-70% of the essential vitamins that are vital to the body, so it basically helps to supply you the vitamins and minerals that are deficient in the body.
Some of these vitamins are at times gotten from the food you eat, which makes it even harder to know the ones you lack.
So once you start taking multivitamins based on self-knowledge or self-prescription, it’s more like you are doing a guess work because you either take more than the vitamins required in your body or you take the ones that are not needed at all.
At times, the purpose of body supplements might not necessarily be to get these nutrients but to support weak links in the body and to also help the body absorb the nutrients that you are already getting from your diet.
You use multivitamins when you have documented deficiencies. If you don’t have a documented deficiency of vitamins, you have no business using vitamins supplements.
I get the fact that many of these supplements also have other advantages asides improving health, some help to glow skin, some improves hair texture and give fine nails.
But for how long will one be dependent on medications to look good? Are you going to be on medications for the rest of your life just because you want to glow your skin and have fine nails?
There is no doubt that multivitamins are also encouraged in cases of pregnant women and also needed in the overall wellbeing of mother and the unborn child. But the right kind of diet is more critical to wellbeing than the medications.
Should incase your diets are restricted, take for instance, you have been asked not to eat meat, due to health issues you might need to also consider the use of multivitamins.
This is because meat is a very good source of vitamin b12 (which helps in most bodily functions), getting a vitamin baby supplement would help to not lose out on its advantages.
Adverse Effects
Though not proven, those on multivitamins and supplements without following a doctor’s prescription have higher chances of getting cancer.
Other adverse effects may include potential interference with other medications, potential toxicity as you may already have enough vitamins or minerals in your system, false reassurance and of course wastage of money.
Don’t just go out to buy a supplement because MR A is using it, and he is looking so much younger than his age. Speak with your doctor before embarking on any daily supplement.