As the health and wellness landscape evolves, many people contemplate the importance of incorporating vitamins into their daily routine. Should healthy adults consume vitamins daily, or are lifestyle changes enough to fulfill nutritional needs?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been a consistent year-over-year increase in the use of dietary supplements, with nearly 60% of adults consuming them daily.
Michael Yuan, MD, a primary care physician at AdventHealth Medical Group Primary Care at Founders, has a few suggestions as you consider what steps to take for a healthy and happy 2025.
For Dr. Yuan, there is no absolute answer to this question. Yes, in some instances vitamins can be beneficial if a patient has specific deficiencies.
“There are some people who do require specific vitamins, such as thiamine in those who consume a lot of alcohol, vitamin D in those who have been shown to have low vitamin D levels, and folate in females trying to conceive,” said Dr. Yuan.
However, for a majority of his patients Dr. Yuan typically advises those who are in good health and do not have specific nutritional needs to obtain their nutrients through a balanced diet.
“A healthy balanced lifestyle and diet would be my recommendation. In most people who eat a balanced diet they get enough volume water-soluble vitamins that supplements aren’t necessary,” said Dr. Yuan.
The recent popularity in taking daily supplements and specific vitamins to help prevent sicknesses is linked to poor information and old wives’ tales.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there about vitamins and their benefits. The way supplements are regulated is also different than medications, allowing them to be much broader with their claims. Beyond that there is an undeniable placebo effect plus it is an easy and relatively inexpensive thing to do,” said Dr. Yuan.
Many patients will take vitamin C because they think it will prevent them from getting the cold or vitamin E because they believe that will help prevent cancer or heart disease. Dr. Yuan does not believe there is enough evidence behind those claims to recommend patients take those supplements daily.
“That being said they are not particularly harmful. If you want to spend money on a multivitamin you can, just know that you will wind up paying more than you should because your body can only absorb so much,” said Dr. Yuan.
There are no disadvantages to taking a daily multivitamin, but Dr. Yuan wants to stress that you would be better off eating a healthy, balanced diet and you shouldn’t spend money on these various vitamins unless you have a deficiency.
If you would like to make an appointment with Dr. Yuan to talk about what is best for you, click here.
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