Should Everyone Take Vitamins?
Optimal cellular function depends on numerous specific vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. For example, Alkaline Phosphatase, a liver enzyme, requires zinc. Our primary metabolism, i.e., energy production, depends on magnesium and numerous B vitamins. Hormone synthesis requires vitamin D.
Many of today's ailments treated with doctor visits and prescriptions are due to nutritional deficiencies. Nutritional deficiencies may occur for various reasons, which makes my job so interesting! The most common causes I see in practice result from processed foods and inflammatory oils that deplete vital nutrients, inadequate consumption of whole nutrient-dense foods, added stress that increases overall nutrient requirements and compromised absorption due to low stomach acid, gut infections, overconsumption of alcohol and/or chronic use of medication.
Certain nutrients are more difficult than others to get enough of from our food, such as vitamin D and magnesium. In addition, modern agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil and our food to complicate things further. The 2015 to 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identified nutrients that were consumed below the Estimated Average Requirement, including potassium, dietary fiber, choline, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A, D, E, and K.
For that reason, I recommend even the healthiest of individuals undergo basic supplementation. However, it's important to note that while supplements can fill gaps in the diet, they never take the place of real, nutrient-dense food.
If you are going to invest in supplements, quality matters. The supplement industry is highly unregulated. The FDA is not authorized to review supplements for safety or effectiveness. The burden is on the company to make sure its products are safe.
Effectiveness and impurities vary from product to product. There are many forms of vitamins, some more bioavailable or effective than others. The lower quality products usually get it wrong. I use pharmaceutical-grade, bioavailable supplements that are 3rd party tested and stored appropriately from dispensaries like Fullscript, Whole Scripts, and New Beginnings Nutritionals.
If you don't have a relationship with a functional provider, I recommend looking for the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) label at a minimum. Make sure there are no added ingredients like food coloring or sugar - that's a red flag for poor quality. Words like "methyl" indicate that some of the nutrients are more bioavailable, but this can be difficult to decipher on your own. I offer supplement consults at my practice should you need help navigating.
Due to safety concerns, always talk with your healthcare provider before starting or taking any vitamin or supplement product — especially if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications, or have a medical condition!