When I was a child, every morning when my mother made breakfast she would place a single Flintstone vitamin on the edge of my plate. I loved Flintstone vitamins-so much that I eventually learned how to open that childproof bottle myself. This was followed by a stern talking-to from my mother about how vitamins were not candy even if they tasted a lot like it.
I took her lecture seriously, but I also took seriously the importance of a daily supplement. As an adult, I've replaced my beloved Flintstones with a grownup (albeit gummy) multivitamin. I take two in the morning and I rarely miss a day. But new studies show that the use of multivitamins may be moot. Is it true that we're wasting our money on supplements?
"This is absolutely not true," says clinical dietitian Amy Gruber, RD, LDN. "If your diet is high in minimally processed whole foods, your need for a multivitamin is low. If your diet is mainly high-processed, low-nutrient dense foods, you might benefit from a multivitamin."
Gruber is quick to add, however, that multivitamins are a supplement-not a replacement-to whole foods, defined as foods that are minimally processed and contain little to no additives.
However, Gruber does warn against taking vitamin supplements when you do not need them. Some vitamins are water soluble which means your body will not store the nutrient in excess amounts. But as my mother once explained, some vitamins do build up in your body-the health effects of which can be extremely harmful.
"All over-the-counter (OTC) multivitamins are not created equal," says Gruber. "Too little or too much can cause negative health effects."
The only real way to know what vitamins will benefit you is to have a blood test performed by your doctor. "If one is going to take a supplement without the advice of a doctor, I would suggest taking a regular OTC multivitamin with no more than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance, specific for your age and gender," she adds.