10 Essential Nutrients You May Be Missing

Multivitamins: Should you take one?

Health experts agree: Food should be your first and primary source for your nutritional needs. “All the nutrients we need are in food,” Blake says. There are many different vitamins and minerals found in any one piece of food, like an apple, for instance, along with hundreds of other plant chemicals. Many of these compounds work together to promote good health, such as how calcium needs vitamin D to help build strong bones; and we’re still discovering new plant and other food chemicals and what roles they may play in our health. Also, vitamins and minerals in food are more “bioavailable” than they are in supplement form, meaning that our bodies can more easily absorb and use them.” Plus, studies have failed to show that taking a daily multivitamin will help you live longer or help protect against chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease.

That said, a daily multivitamin pill or specific vitamin or mineral supplement may benefit certain people who are at higher risk for deficiencies, such as pregnant women, vegetarians, vegans and older adults. Blake recommends working with your healthcare provider to ensure you’re meeting your own needs.

Reviewed by Elaine Brown, MD on January 14, 2014

Sources

https://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Dietary_Reference_Intakes.aspx

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/nutritionreport/pdf/Nutrition_Book_complete508_final.pdf#zoom=100

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002402.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/nutritionreport/pdf/Nutrition_Book_complete508_final.pdf#zoom=100

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/#h3

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/index.html#function

https://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6793#.UM45dXPjmFc

NIH quick facts, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-QuickFacts/

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/vitamin-b12-deficiency-can-be-sneaky-harmful-201301105780

https://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6793#.UM45dXPjmFc

Personal telephone interview, 12/13/12, Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, LDN - Author: Nutrition & You, 2012, Nutrition & You, Core Concepts for Health, 2011; Clinical Associate Professor / Boston University; National media spokesperson for Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; salgeblake@comcast.net; 978 443 0172

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-QuickFacts/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002403.htm

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminB12/index.html#function

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/#h3

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-QuickFacts/

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-QuickFacts/

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminC/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002404.htm

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-QuickFacts/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminC-HealthProfessional/#h3

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2307?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=Abridged&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=orange

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/781.html

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-QuickFacts/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/#h3

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/drefs.html#ref27https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(3):266-281. (PubMed)

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamin-healthprofessional

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#h3

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminE/; https://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6792#.UM5vu3PjmFc;

Fulgoni VL 3rd, Keast DR, Bailey, Dwyer J. Foods, fortificants, and supplements: where do Americans get their nutrients? J Nutr. 2011;141(10):18-47-1854. (PubMed)

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/lifestages/olderadults/index.html

https://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6792#.UM5vu3PjmFc

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-HealthProffesional

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminE-QuickFacts/

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

Howarth NC, Saltzman E, Roberts SB. Dietary fiber and weight regulation. Nutr Rev. 2001;59(5):129-139. (PubMed)

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

https://nil.nih/gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002470.htm

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3043?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=Peas%2C+green%2C+frozen%2C+unprepared

https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-fiber-foods/NU00582

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/fa/

https://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-b9-000338.htm

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/; Blake

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/

https://healthfinder.gov/prevention/ViewTopic.aspx?topicID=19&cnt=1&areaID=5&TopicContentID=128

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/#h3

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/iron/

Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Iron. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press; 2001:290-393. (National Academy Press)

https://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6798#.UM5l7XPjmFc

https://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/iron-000309.htm

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/#h2

https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/potassium/

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

https://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm

https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/DRI/DRI_Water/186-268.pdf

https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2010/DietaryGuidelines2010.pdf

https://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6801#.UM5tCXPjmFc

https://umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002413.htm