They may have started using vitamins after their health deteriorated, hoping for a benefit. But in those cases, taking a multivitamin might have been too late. It is important to remember that a multivitamin cannot in any way replace a healthful well-balanced diet. The main purpose of a multivitamin is to fill in nutritional gaps, and provides only a hint of the vast array of healthful nutrients and chemicals naturally found in food.
It cannot offer fiber or the flavor and enjoyment of foods so key to an optimal diet. However, multivitamins can play an important role when nutritional requirements are not met through diet alone.
When this is the case, an expensive brand name is not necessary, as even standard store brands will deliver results. The contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products. Skip to content The Nutrition Source. Harvard T. The Nutrition Source Menu. Search for:. Who May be at Risk for a Nutrient Deficiency?
The elderly are at risk for poor food intake for various reasons: difficulty chewing and swallowing food, experiencing unpleasant taste changes caused by multiple medications, or isolation and loneliness that can depress appetite.
They also have trouble absorbing vitamin B12 from food. The National Academy of Medicine, in fact, recommends that people over the age of 50 eat foods fortified with vitamin B12 or take vitamin B12 pills that are better absorbed than from food sources. Getting enough folate , a B vitamin, is especially important for women who may become pregnant, since adequate folate can help lower the risk of having a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly. For the folate to be effective, it must be taken in the first few weeks of conception, often before a woman knows she is pregnant.
Yet in the U. Malabsorption conditions. Any condition that interferes with normal digestion can increase the risk of poor absorption of one or several nutrients.
Examples: Diseases like celiac, ulcerative colitis, or cystic fibrosis. Surgeries that remove parts of digestive organs such as having a gastric bypass for weight loss or a Whipple procedure that involves many digestive organs.
Illnesses that cause excess vomiting or diarrhea can prevent nutrients from being absorbed. Alcoholism can prevent nutrients, including several B vitamins and vitamin C , from being absorbed.
Talk to your health care provider if you have diabetes or high blood pressure. Melatonin supplements may also raise blood-sugar levels and increase blood pressure levels in people taking some hypertension medications.
One of the best things you can do to protect and improve your health is to stay informed. Health Home Wellness and Prevention. Melatonin for Sleep: Does It Work? Consider melatonin sleep help for occasional insomnia. Use melatonin sleep supplements wisely and safely. If you have dark skin — for example you have an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background — you may also not make enough vitamin D from sunlight. You should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year.
The Department of Health and Social Care recommends that babies from birth to 1 year of age should have a daily supplement containing 8.
Children aged 1 to 4 years old should be given a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D throughout the year. You can buy vitamin D supplements or vitamin drops containing vitamin D for under 5s at most pharmacies and supermarkets.
Women and children who qualify for the Healthy Start scheme can get free supplements containing vitamin D. See the Healthy Start website for more information. Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body hypercalcaemia.
This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart. If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.
Do not take more than micrograms 4, IU of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years. Children aged 1 to 10 years should not have more than 50 micrograms 2, IU a day.
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