Who may be at risk for a nutrient deficiency? Does a multivitamin have a benefit or harm if the diet is already adequate? Explore situations where a multivitamin may be health-promoting.

Who May be at Risk for a Nutrient Deficiency?

For those who eat a healthful diet, a multivitamin may have little or no benefit. A diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, good protein sources, and healthful fats should provide most of the nutrients needed for good health. But not everyone manages to eat a healthful diet. When it comes to specific vitamins and minerals, some Americans get less than adequate amounts, according to criteria set by the National Academy of Medicine. For example, more than 90% of Americans get less than the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin D and vitamin E from food sources alone.

Certain groups are at higher risk for a nutrient deficiency:

Older age

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 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.

Pregnancy

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.S., half of all pregnancies are unplanned. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all women of childbearing age (ages 15 to 45) consume 600 micrograms a day of folic acid. This amount and other important nutrients for pregnancy—iron, calcium, vitamin D, and DHA—are available in a prenatal multivitamin.

Malabsorption conditions

Any condition that interferes with normal digestion can increase the risk of poor absorption of one or several nutrients. Examples include diseases like celiac, ulcerative colitis, or cystic fibrosis, surgeries that remove parts of digestive organs, illnesses that cause excess vomiting or diarrhea, and alcoholism, which can prevent nutrients from being absorbed.

Certain medications

Some diuretics commonly prescribed to lower blood pressure can deplete the body’s stores of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Proton pump inhibitors prescribed for acid reflux and heartburn can prevent the absorption of vitamin B12 and possibly calcium and magnesium. Levodopa and carbidopa prescribed for Parkinson’s disease can reduce the absorption of B vitamins including folate, B6, and B12.

The Role of Vitamin D

For most people, the best way to get enough vitamin D is taking a supplement because it is hard to get enough through food. Although some foods are fortified with vitamin D, few foods contain it naturally. Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms: vitamin D2 (“ergocalciferol” or pre-vitamin D) and vitamin D3 (“cholecalciferol”). Both are also naturally occurring forms that are produced in the presence of the sun’s ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays, but D2 is produced in plants and fungi and D3 in animals, including humans. Vitamin D production in the skin is the primary natural source of vitamin D, but many people have insufficient levels because they live in places with insufficient UVB exposure.

The Benefits and Risks of Multivitamin Use

So, should you take a daily multivitamin? There are some potential benefits, but also potential risks to consider:

Potential Benefits

For those at risk of nutrient deficiencies, a multivitamin can help fill gaps in the diet and ensure adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals. This may be particularly beneficial for older adults, pregnant women, and those with malabsorption conditions or on certain medications. Multivitamins may also provide a “safety net” for those who have trouble meeting their nutrient needs from food alone.

Potential Risks

For people with an already adequate nutrient intake from a healthy diet, taking a multivitamin provides little or no additional benefit and may even be harmful in high doses. Excessive intake of certain vitamins and minerals, such as iron, vitamin A, and vitamin E, can have adverse effects. Additionally, some supplements may interact with medications or have other safety concerns.

When May a Multivitamin Be Helpful?

In summary, a multivitamin may be most helpful for the following groups:

• Older adults who have trouble absorbing or consuming adequate nutrients
• Pregnant women or women planning pregnancy to ensure adequate folate intake
• Those with malabsorption conditions or on certain medications that deplete nutrients
• Those who have trouble meeting their nutrient needs from food alone, such as individuals with poor appetites or limited food access

For those who eat a generally healthy diet, a multivitamin likely provides little additional benefit and may even carry risks of overconsumption. It’s important to discuss the need for a multivitamin with a healthcare provider, who can assess your individual nutrient status and needs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while multivitamins are widely used, their necessity and benefits depend on an individual’s specific circumstances and nutrient needs. For those at risk of deficiencies, a multivitamin may be a helpful supplement to ensure adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals. However, for individuals with a healthy, balanced diet, a multivitamin provides little additional benefit and may even carry risks of overconsumption. It’s important to consult with a healthcare provider to determine if a multivitamin is right for you.

Should I Take a Daily Multivitamin? | The Nutrition Source

Nearly half of adults in the U.S. and 70% of older adults ages 71+ take a vitamin; about one-third of them use a comprehensive multivitamin pill. [1] But is this truly a necessity?

There are certainly diseases caused by a lack of specific nutrients in the diet. Classic examples include scurvy (from a lack of vitamin C), beri-beri (vitamin B1), pellagra (vitamin B3), and rickets (vitamin D). But these conditions are rare in the U.S. and other developed countries where there is generally more access to a wide range of foods, some of which are fortified with vitamins. Individual vitamin supplementation may also be essential in certain cases, such as a deficiency caused by long-term poor nutrition or malabsorption caused by the body’s digestive system not functioning properly.

This page specifically discusses the use of multivitamins, which typically contain about 26 different vitamins and minerals, and often provide 100% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of these micronutrients. We will explore situations that a multivitamin may be health-promoting, as well as if there is a benefit or harm in taking extra nutrients from a pill if the diet is already adequate.

Who May be at Risk for a Nutrient Deficiency?

For those who eat a healthful diet, a multivitamin may have little or no benefit. A diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, good protein sources, and healthful fats should provide most of the nutrients needed for good health. But not everyone manages to eat a healthful diet. When it comes to specific vitamins and minerals, some Americans get less than adequate amounts, according to criteria set by the National Academy of Medicine. For example, more than 90% of Americans get less than the Estimated Average Requirement for vitamin D and vitamin E from food sources alone. [2]

Certain groups are at higher risk for a nutrient deficiency:

• Older age. 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. [3]
• Pregnancy. 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.S., half of all pregnancies are unplanned. That’s why the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all women of childbearing age (ages 15 to 45) consume 600 micrograms a day of folic acid. [3] This amount and other important nutrients for pregnancy—iron, calcium, vitamin D, and DHA—are available in a prenatal multivitamin.
• 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.
• Certain medications. Some diuretics commonly prescribed to lower blood pressure can deplete the body’s stores of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Proton pump inhibitors prescribed for acid reflux and heartburn can prevent the absorption of vitamin B12 and possibly calcium and magnesium. Levodopa and carbidopa prescribed for Parkinson’s disease can reduce the absorption of B vitamins including folate, B6, and B12.

A note on vitamin D

For most people, the best way to get enough vitamin D is taking a supplement because it is hard to get enough through food. Although some foods are fortified with vitamin D, few foods contain it naturally. Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms: vitamin D2 (“ergocalciferol” or pre-vitamin D) and vitamin D3 (“cholecalciferol”). Both are also naturally occurring forms that are produced in the presence of the sun’s ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays, but D2 is produced in plants and fungi and D3 in animals, including humans. Vitamin D production in the skin is the primary natural source of vitamin D, but many people have insufficient levels because they live in places where sunlight is limited in winter, or because they have limited sun exposure. Also, people with darker skin tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin D because the pigment (melanin) acts like a shade, reducing production of vitamin D.

Learn more about this vitamin and supplementation

Which Multivitamin Should I Choose?  

Multivitamins come in various forms (tablets, capsules, liquids, powders) and are packaged as a specific combination of nutrients (B-complex, calcium with vitamin D) or as a comprehensive multivitamin.  

Supplements are a multibillion-dollar industry, with endless designer labels of brands from which to choose. However, an expensive brand name is not necessary as even standard generic brands will deliver results. Look for one that contains the Recommended Daily Allowance amounts and that bears the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal of approval on the label. This seal ensures that the ingredients and amounts of that ingredient listed on the label are contained in the pill. The USP also runs several tests that confirm the pill to be free of contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides and has been manufactured under sanitary and regulated conditions. 

That said, you may wish to consider the following factors before starting a multivitamin or any supplemental vitamin. 

Reasons to use a multivitamin:

• I am eating a limited diet or my appetite is poor so that I am eating less than usual.
• I am following a restricted diet for longer than one week. This could be prescribed such as a liquid diet after a surgical procedure, or a self-imposed diet such as on with the goal of weight loss.
• I have a condition that reduces my body’s ability to absorb nutrients (celiac disease, ulcerative colitis) or have undergone surgery that interferes with the normal absorption of nutrients (gastric bypass surgery, Whipple procedure).
• I temporarily have increased nutrient needs, such as being pregnant.
• I’m very busy and just can’t eat a balanced diet every day.

Reasons that may not need a multivitamin:

• I eat well but am feeling tired all the time (discuss first with your doctor so they can investigate other possible causes).
• I eat a pretty good diet but want to improve my health as much as possible, so it couldn’t hurt to get some extra nutrition from a vitamin.
• I have osteoporosis and need more calcium, or I have iron-deficiency anemia and need more iron (in both scenarios, you may only need to take those individual nutrients rather than a comprehensive multivitamin).

If you are unsure about taking a multivitamin, you may wish to consult with a registered dietitian who can evaluate your current diet to determine any missing nutrients. At that time, suggestions to improve your food intake of those nutrients will be provided, or one or more supplemental vitamins may be prescribed if that is not possible. Always inform your doctor of all supplements you are taking in case of potential interactions with medications.   

Mega-doses (many times the Recommended Daily Allowance) of vitamins are not recommended. This can potentially interfere with the absorption of other nutrients or medications, or can even become toxic if too much is taken for a long period.  

Finally, be wary of supplemental vitamin labels that bait you with promises of “supporting brain health or energy production or healthy skin and hair.” These are general statements about a vitamin that are included for marketing purposes only, but are not specific to the supplement itself.  Also be wary of vitamins that contain extras, like herbs and botanicals, which are typically lacking in research about long-term effects and potential adverse effects. 

Multivitamins and Health 

Knowledge about the optimal intakes of vitamins and minerals to prevent chronic diseases is not set in stone. More long-term studies looking at this relationship are needed.   

There is no arguing that multivitamins are important when nutritional requirements are not met through diet alone. [4] The debate is whether vitamins are needed when the diet is adequate to prevent deficiency in nutrients, as some research has shown no benefit or even harmful effects when taking supplemental vitamins and minerals.  

• After a review of 26 clinical and cohort studies, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concluded there was insufficient evidence to support any benefits of multivitamins or individual vitamins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease or cancer among healthy, nutrient-sufficient adults. [5]  

For many diseases, but especially for cancer, only long-term trials are informative. The following studies looked at the effect of multivitamins on specific diseases and included healthy people as well as those with chronic diseases at the start of the study: 

Cancer

A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial provided a multivitamin or placebo to more than 14,000 male physicians, some with a history of cancer. After 11 years, the men taking a MVI had a significant 8% reduction in total cancers, compared with men taking a placebo. The results did not differ among men who had a history of cancer at the start of the study and men who were healthy at baseline. [6]

Cardiovascular disease

The Physicians’ Health Study II, a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial, provided a multivitamin or placebo to more than 14,000 male physicians, some with a history of cardiovascular disease. After 11 years, compared with the placebo, there was no significant effect of a daily MVI on cardiovascular events. [7]

Mortality

Some research has suggested that the rates of death appear higher in people using multivitamins. However, one major flaw in these studies was that many of the participants had already developed some type of serious illness. 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.

• The Iowa Women’s Health Study looked at the use of 15 vitamins and minerals, including multivitamins, at three different intervals and identified the numbers of women who died over a 19-year period. It showed that women over the age of 55 who took multivitamins were at higher risk for dying than those who did not. [8] A similar risk was found for other vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
  • The Iowa study, however, didn’t exclude women who were sick or take into account how long they were using the vitamins. As a result, it is unknown whether the women were already taking vitamins when they became ill, or if they became ill and then started taking vitamins. In women who were already sick, taking vitamins was unlikely to lower their risk of dying.

The Bottom Line

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. Look for one that contains the Recommended Daily Allowance amounts and that bears the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) seal of approval on the label.

Related

• Vitamins and Minerals
• Workout Supplements

References

1. Bailey RL, Gahche JJ, Lentino CV, Dwyer JT, Engel JS, Thomas PR, Betz JM, Sempos CT, Picciano MF. Dietary supplement use in the United States, 2003–2006. The Journal of nutrition. 2011 Feb 1;141(2):261-6.
2. Fulgoni III VL, Keast DR, Bailey RL, Dwyer J. Foods, fortificants, and supplements: where do Americans get their nutrients?. The Journal of nutrition. 2011 Oct 1;141(10):1847-54.
3. Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes: Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1998.
4. Rautiainen S, Manson JE, Lichtenstein AH, Sesso HD. Dietary supplements and disease prevention—a global overview. Nature Reviews Endocrinology. 2016 Jul;12(7):407-20.
5. Fortmann SP, Burda BU, Senger CA, Lin JS, Whitlock EP. Vitamin and mineral supplements in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer: an updated systematic evidence review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of internal medicine. 2013 Dec 17;159(12):824-34.
6. Gaziano JM, Sesso HD, Christen WG, Bubes V, Smith JP, MacFadyen J, Schvartz M, Manson JE, Glynn RJ, Buring JE. Multivitamins in the prevention of cancer in men: the Physicians’ Health Study II randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012 Nov 14;308(18):1871-80.
7. Sesso HD, Christen WG, Bubes V, Smith JP, MacFadyen J, Schvartz M, Manson JE, Glynn RJ, Buring JE, Gaziano JM. Multivitamins in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in men: the Physicians’ Health Study II randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2012 Nov 7;308(17):1751-60.
8. Mursu J, Robien K, Harnack LJ, Park K, Jacobs DR. Dietary supplements and mortality rate in older women: the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Archives of internal medicine. 2011 Oct 10;171(18):1625-33.

Last reviewed July 2021

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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.

Multivitamins Uses, Side Effects & Warnings

Generic name: multivitamins [ MUL-tee-VYE-ta-mins ]
Brand names: Berocca, Primaplex, Becomject-100, M.V.I.-12, Nephplex Rx,
… show all 306 brands
Nephrocaps, B-Ject 100, Therobec, B-Plex, Formula B, Vitaplex, Tri-Vi-Sol, Vi-Daylin ADC, Nephro-Vite Rx, Lipogen, Lipotriad, Lipoflavonoid, Cholinoid, Liponol, Bee-Comp with C, Cholidase, Cota-B-Plex, 1000 BC, Neurodep, Neuroforte-Six, M.V.I. Pediatric, B-Plex Plus, Nephrolan Rx, Zymacap, Vi-Daylin, Poly-Vi-Sol, Dayalets, Sigtab, Therems, StressTabs, Allbee-C 800, Cefol, Cod Liver Oil, Daily Multiple Vitamins, Daily Vite, Protegra, Sesame St. Vitamins with Extra C, Surbex-T, Theragran, Superplex-T, Vi-Stress, Cod Liver Oil Mint, Animal Shape Vitamins, B-50 Complex, B-Complex 50, Vitamin B Complex 100, Balanced B-100, B-Stress, B-Scorbic, Bee with C, Children’s Chewable Multivitamins, Balanced B-50, Balanced B-150, Unicap Capsule, Unicap Jr. , Unicap, Optilets-500, Super Plenamins, Vitamins for Hair, Tab-A-Vite, One-A-Day Essentials, Essential Balance, Vi-Daylin Chewable, Sunkist Child Chewable with C, Sunkist Child Chewable, Poly-Vi-Sol Chewable, Fruity Chew, Poly-Vit Chew, Chewable-Vite, Flintstones Multivitamins, Bugs Bunny with Extra C, Flintstones with C Multivitamins, Bounty Bear Vitamins, Garfield Vitamins, Vi-Daylin Drops, Poly-Vi-Sol Drops, Baby Vitamin Drop, Vita Drop, Poly Vit Drops, M.V.C. SDV, Glutofac, Nephro-Vite, Vitabee with C, Stress B with C, High Potency B+C, Farbee with C, Surbex with C, Super B Complex, Surbex, Vitamin B-50, Vitamin B-100, Vitamin B-100 T/R, Hexavitamin, Kenwood Therapeutic, Thera, Theravite, Thera-Plus, Oncovite, Beminal-500, High Potency B Complex with B12 and C, Super B-50, Super B-100 TD, Tri-Vit Drops, Stress Formula, One Tab Daily, Vitamin C, E, and Rose Hips, Scotts Emulsion, Stress Formula 600, Tri-Vit, B Complex 50, Mega B, Apatate, T-Vites, High B Complex, Theragenerix, Cernevit, Cardiotek, B-12 Plus Folic Acid, Beminal, Beminal with C Fortis, Bugs Bunny Multiple Vitamins, Fletanol, Male Formula, Allbee with C, Prevital, Surbex Filmtab, T-BMP, Tender Age Vitamin ADC, Watkins Harvest, Foltx, Folgard Rx 2. 2, Cernevit-12, Infuvite, Infuvite Pediatric, Diatx, Vitamin A, D, One-A-Day 50+, Thex Forte, Protegra Cardio, Vitamin Daily Liquid, Rena-Vite Rx, Renal Caps, Renaphro, Cerefolin, Dialyvite Rx, Dialyvite 800, Vesselvite, Folbee Plus, Folbee, Folcaps, Combgen, Abidec, Unichem Multivitamin, Topfit Vitamin B Complex, Topfit Vitamin B Complex Forte, Vitamin B Compound Strong, Health Aid Multivitamin, Vitamins, Essentiale, Jetepar, Neurobion, Vitamin A and D Concentrate, Centrum 8400, M.V.I. Adult, Nephronex, Foltrate, Cardiotek Rx, Folbic, Metanx, D-400 international units, Folbalin Plus, Folbalin, Multi Vits with Beta Carotene, Foltabs 800, Folgard RX, B-Complex with B-12, FaBB, CerefolinNAC, Folamin, DexFol, One-A-Day Men’s Health Formula, Rena-Vite, Equaline One Daily Essential, Daily-Vite Men’s Formula, Folplex, Folmor, Zycose, Biotin Forte, Vigomar Forte, Vimar, Multi-Delyn, Foleve Plus, Folnate, Folnate Plus, Foleve, B 100 Complex, Renatabs, AllanTex, Cardiotek-Rx, NuFol, Folplex 2.2, Reno Caps, Ivites Rx, TL Gard, Vita-Respa, Folast, Triphrocaps, Enfolast-N, Enfolast, Neurpath-B, Triveen-CF, Rovin-CF, Vol-Care Rx, Nephrocaps QT, B-Complex SR, Apetigen, L-methylfolate Ca, Me-Cbl NAC, L-methylfolate Ca, P-5-P, Me-Cbl, MTX Support, Menopause Relief with Lifenol, Vitacirc-B, Alz-Nac, Tri-Vita Drops, Poly-Vita Drops, Prostate 2. 4, Apetex, Folastin, Folbee AR, Metafolbic, Metafolbic Plus, Foltanx, Virt-Vite Forte, Virt-Vite, Foltanx RF, Folbic RF, One Daily Multi-Essential, Flintstones Toddler, Full Spectrum B with C, Metafolbic Plus RF, PoDiaPN, Super Theravite-M, Nature’s Bounty Hair Skin and Nails, Total B with C, Hair, Skin, and Nails Gummies, Concentrated Whole Food Multivitamin, Niva-Fol, Glycogenics, SeroSyn, Virt-Vite Plus, Rheumate, Folinic-Plus, Allbee Plus, Av-VITE FB Forte, Celebrate B-12, Virt-Gard, Mebolic, DEKAs Essential, Multi Vitamin+, Xyzbac, Nufola, Folika-T, Hylavite, K2 Plus D3, Dosoquin, VP-Vite Rx, Genicin Vita-S, Genicin Vita-Q, Zyvit, Folika-V, Tobakient, Renal Vitamin, Folic-K, LorMate, Poly-Vite Drops, WesTab Mini, Flintstones Gummies Plus Immunity Support Children’s Multiv, Flintstones Gummies Complete Children’s Multivitamin, Neuriva Brain performance Plus, WesTab One, WesTab Max, Wescaps, Norwegian Cod Liver Oil With EPA and DHA, Folate Forte, Ristela, K-Right, Carotenall, B Activ, Natrol L-Arginine, Mood Positive 5-HTP Mood and Stress, Olly Undeniable Beauty Hair Skin and Nails Gummy, Methyl Protect, Vitafusion Elderberry Gummies, Davimet

Dosage forms: oral capsule (Lipotropic with Multivitamins; Multiple Vitamins; Multiple Vitamins with Folic Acid and Antioxidants; Therapeutic Multiple Vitamins; Vitamin A and D; Vitamin A, D, E and K; Vitamin B Complex; Vitamin B Complex with C; Vitamin B Complex with C and Folic Acid; Vitamin C and E),
. .. show all 10 dosage forms
oral gum (Multiple Vitamins), oral liquid (Multiple Vitamins; Pediatric Multiple Vitamins; Therapeutic Multiple Vitamins; Vitamin A and D; Vitamin A, D and C; Vitamin B Complex), oral oil (Vitamin A and D), oral solution (Vitamin A, D, E and K), oral tablet (Lipotropic with Multivitamins; Multiple Vitamins; Multiple Vitamins with Folic Acid and Ubiquinone; Therapeutic Multiple Vitamins; Vitamin B Complex; Vitamin B Complex with C; Vitamin B Complex with C and Folic Acid; Vitamin B Complex with Folic Acid; Vitamin B12, Folate, and Acetylcysteine; Vitamin B6, B12 and Folate; Vitamin D and K), oral tablet, chewable (Multiple Vitamins), oral tablet, dispersible (Multiple Vitamins), oral tablet, extended release (Vitamin B Complex; Vitamin B Complex with C), sublingual tablet (Vitamin B12 with Folic Acid)

Drug class: Vitamin and mineral combinations

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com on Jan 12, 2023. Written by Cerner Multum.

What is a multivitamin?

Multivitamins are a combination of many different vitamins that are normally found in foods and other natural sources.

Multivitamins are used to provide vitamins that are not taken in through the diet. Multivitamins are also used to treat vitamin deficiencies (lack of vitamins) caused by illness, pregnancy, poor nutrition, digestive disorders, and many other conditions.

Multivitamins may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Warnings

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of multivitamins. An overdose of vitamins A, D, E, or K can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. Certain minerals contained in a multivitamin may also cause serious overdose symptoms if you take too much.

Before taking this medicine

Many vitamins can cause serious or life-threatening side effects if taken in large doses. Do not take more of this medicine than directed on the label or prescribed by your doctor.

Before you use multivitamins, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and allergies.

Ask a doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Your dose needs may be different during pregnancy. Some vitamins and minerals can harm an unborn baby if taken in large doses. You may need to use a prenatal vitamin specially formulated for pregnant women.

How should I take multivitamins?

Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor.

Never take more than the recommended dose of a multivitamin. Avoid taking more than one multivitamin product at the same time unless your doctor tells you to. Taking similar vitamin products together can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side effects.

Many multivitamin products also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. Minerals (especially taken in large doses) can cause side effects such as tooth staining, increased urination, stomach bleeding, uneven heart rate, confusion, and muscle weakness or limp feeling. Read the label of any multivitamin product you take to make sure you are aware of what it contains.

Take your multivitamin with a full glass of water.

You must chew the chewable tablet before you swallow it.

Place the sublingual tablet under your tongue and allow it to dissolve completely. Do not chew a sublingual tablet or swallow it whole.

Measure liquid medicine carefully. Use the dosing syringe provided, or use a medicine dose-measuring device (not a kitchen spoon).

Use multivitamins regularly to get the most benefit.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Do not freeze.

Store multivitamins in their original container. Storing multivitamins in a glass container can ruin the medication.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of vitamins A, D, E, or K can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. Certain minerals may also cause serious overdose symptoms if you take too much.

Overdose symptoms may include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, hair loss, peeling skin, tingly feeling in or around your mouth, changes in menstrual periods, weight loss, severe headache, muscle or joint pain, severe back pain, blood in your urine, pale skin, and easy bruising or bleeding.

What should I avoid while taking multivitamins?

Avoid taking more than one multivitamin product at the same time unless your doctor tells you to. Taking similar vitamin products together can result in a vitamin overdose or serious side effects.

Avoid the regular use of salt substitutes in your diet if your multivitamin contains potassium. If you are on a low-salt diet, ask your doctor before taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.

Do not take multivitamins with milk, other dairy products, calcium supplements, or antacids that contain calcium. Calcium may make it harder for your body to absorb certain ingredients of the multivitamin.

Multivitamins side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

When taken as directed, multivitamins are not expected to cause serious side effects. Common side effects may include:

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

What other drugs will affect multivitamins?

Multivitamins can interact with certain medications, or affect how medications work in your body. Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to use multivitamins if you are also using:

• tretinoin or isotretinoin;

• an antacid;

• an antibiotic;

• a diuretic or “water pill”;

• heart or blood pressure medications;

• a sulfa drug; or

• NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)–ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve), celecoxib, diclofenac, indomethacin, meloxicam, and others.

This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect multivitamins, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.

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Spring and well-being: why do we need multivitamins?

Brittle nails, burrs, faded skin, hair loss and depressed mood, we are accustomed to attribute to a lack of vitamins. “This is beriberi,” we say and sigh heavily, throwing handfuls of multi-colored vitamin capsules into ourselves. In fact, beriberi is not to blame for anything, few people are familiar with it at all.

Roskachestvo, together with Doctor of Medical Sciences, nutritionist, reflexologist Mariyat Mukhina, is seriously dealing with the issue of spring ailments.

Mariyat Mukhina

doctor of medical sciences, nutritionist, reflexologist

Spring blues

In the spring, diseases are exacerbated. Tired of flu epidemics and cloudy days, the body asks for rest. In early spring, you especially want to sleep, people become lethargic, depression and apathy even come to someone. Meteorologically dependent suffer from pressure surges and headaches, aching joints and mood swings. Flashes in the sun provoke emotional outbursts, and weather changes – frequent colds.

It turns out that it’s not just about vitamins. Although their lack affects many processes inside the body.

Let’s get acquainted: vitamins

Vitaminoses can be divided into several types. Here are the main ones:

• Avitaminosis is a serious pathology in which one or more vitamins are not supplied to the body. It is very rare, in Russia among the peoples of the Far North, where the food is of the same type, and the diet is not balanced.

• Hypervitaminosis – an excess of vitamins, in which they are more than normal by 9-10 times. Moreover, we are talking about fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, F and K. For example, in order to earn an excess of vitamin A, you need to eat 1.5 kg of carrots every day, and for quite a long time, or chew vitamin complexes instead of breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Hypovitaminosis – lack of vitamins in the body. It occurs in 85% of the population, especially in people who eat processed foods, canned foods, fast food lovers living in ecologically disadvantaged areas.

The risk group also includes workers in hazardous industries, smokers, fans of “therapeutic” starvation and uncontrolled medication. Corrected by changing the diet. But to know for sure whether you have enough vitamins, you can only by a blood test.

If our poor health can be attributed to a lack of vitamins, then it is worth calling it hypovitaminosis. Here we’ll talk about it.

Vitamins are not enough only in spring?

If you forbid yourself to eat vegetables and fruits in the summer, then the sun, fresh air and a minimum of viruses will still help the body feel good. And, in comparison with summer well-being, spring seems terrible to us. By the way, things are no better in autumn and winter. You need to monitor your diet almost all year round.

Reference:

It is naive to believe that vegetables and fruits have all the necessary vitamins. In fact, they contain a sufficient amount of only folic acid, carotene and vitamin C. To get B vitamins, you need to eat wholemeal bread, bran, eggs, nuts, cereals, meat and dairy products

Is it worth it to overeat with “vitamins” from the garden in summer?

Fresh vegetables and fruits are needed all year round. Hoping that in the summer you can gain nutrients for the future, unfortunately, is useless.

It will be possible to stock up only with vitamins A, D and E, which are deposited in the fatty cells of the liver.

Vitamin B1 is stored in the body for 4 to 10 days.

B2 and B6, as well as vitamins C and K – about 1.5 months.

It turns out that until winter, and even more so until spring, summer stocks will not be preserved in any way. And the body itself can only produce vitamins D, PP and K, and even then a little.

Therefore, in the spring it is important to take a multivitamin for good health.

Is it possible to do without multivitamins?

It seems that with the current abundance of products in stores, this is not so difficult. You build a balanced diet, where there are products of different composition – and be healthy!

Each vitamin has its own daily requirement. We used to think that it is enough to eat an orange and a carrot a day to get the right amount of vitamin C and vitamin A. A piece of meat to replenish the reserves of vitamins B1 and B2 …

But we forget that, for example, 2-3 cups of coffee a day lead to the fact that thiamine (vitamin B1) is completely decomposed in the body. That during the heat treatment of the product, more than half of the vitamins are lost. After all, it is unlikely that most of you are able to eat three raw carrots every day.

It turns out that you can live without vitamin complexes in tablets, but who can withstand such a diet? Otherwise, we again come to hypovitaminosis.

So you need a multivitamin. They can be drunk for a long time, but, like any medication, multivitamins should be prescribed by a doctor, taking into account the region of residence, individual health characteristics, the amount of physical activity and the current composition of the blood.

Regular intake of properly selected multivitamins is reflected not only in the general well-being and freshness of the skin. About a third improves short-term memory, facilitates the course of many chronic diseases, even if taken 50% of the recommended dose.

Reference:

Remember, taking vitamin complexes will not make junk food healthy. Do you still eat chips and drink beer? Get a disturbed metabolism, obesity and other troubles.

You still need to keep an eye on your diet. If you really want to eat something forbidden and useless, you can afford it, of course. But only occasionally, otherwise no vitamins will help.

Why do we need multivitamins, if our ancestors got along just fine without them?

Many people have a natural question. For some reason, before people did not take any vitamin complexes and felt great, but now, even if you adhere to a healthy diet, you cannot do without multivitamins.

Indeed, vitamin intake rates have changed dramatically in the past 50 years for several reasons.

1. Environmental background. Now, going out on any street in a large city, we get more free radicals in 15 minutes than our grandparents in a lifetime. And to neutralize them, antioxidants are needed, which are vitamins.
2. Breeding of horticultural fruits and vegetables . It goes to the needs of the tastes of buyers towards an increase in sugars, sizes and a decrease in acid, which means a decrease in vitamins. When they say that before “the grass was greener, and the apples were tastier” – so it was! There are much fewer vitamins in greenhouse vegetables than in those grown in the summer in the garden.
3. Alcohol, smoking. Many people lead an unhealthy lifestyle – they smoke, drink … Nicotine and alcohol lead to the fact that the body loses useful substances at a catastrophic rate.

Reference:

By the way, our ancestors constantly used sauerkraut, pickled berries as a source of vitamins. These are fermented foods, in which, as a result of the activity of lactobacilli, the amount of vitamins increases several times.

However, along with taking a multivitamin, proper nutrition is very important.

Top 10 products that will allow you to cope with hypovitaminosis in the spring:

1. Sauerkraut
2. Carrot
3. Frozen blackcurrant
4. Frozen sea buckthorn
5. Fresh herbs
6. Honey
7. Nuts
8. Fish
9. Lean meat
10. Dairy products

Add them to your diet and be healthy!

Why take a multivitamin every day: doctors named 6 reasons

Why take a multivitamin every day: doctors named 6 reasons

Shared: Internet Publications

Other version

A multivitamin is a medical product that contains a group of vitamins designed for one dose. But after all, we consume the necessary nutrients with food, why else should we take synthetic ones every day?

In response to this, doctors name 6 reasons, especially highlighting vitamins for women.

Why vitamins from food are not enough

Yes, we get a lot of nutrients from fruits and vegetables, but not enough. Why is this happening? Medical studies have shown that 76% of adults do not eat enough fruits, and 87% of people do not eat enough vegetables. This is due to different eating habits, seasonality of products and not knowing which vitamin is contained in what. But this is not a sentence.

To make up for the deficiency, multivitamin complexes are needed, and that’s why we need them every day.

Beauty Maintenance

For women, vitamins are of particular importance. Vitamin B ₃ , C and biotin are needed for beautiful and thick hair; A, C, D improve skin quality, promote the production of natural collagen.

But one vitamin complex may not be enough if a woman has a history of problems with internal organs. For example, yellowing skin is not a signal from the body about beriberi, but that you should immediately pay attention to the liver.

Age changes

There is a process of natural aging of the body. With age, it becomes more difficult for him to absorb nutrients from food. Various factors are superimposed on this: stress, digestive problems, a limited diet. Multivitamins solve these problems by adding the right vitamins to the norm.

Heart Support

Taking multivitamins has a good effect on the heart – it needs B 9 for its normal functioning0177 1 , B ₂ , B ₆ , K ₁ , niacin (B ₃ ), CoQ10 and magnesium. There are special B-complexes that contain them.

While B vitamins are chemically distinct, they often work together in a variety of biochemical processes in the body, such as cellular energy production, healthy red blood cell synthesis, and neurological processes.