Herbs for Health: The Importance of Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

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You're eating a balanced diet, taking note of the food groups and the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). But you’re still wondering: Do you need vitamin and mineral supplements? Yes, you do, says Louis Tobian, Ph.D., a University of Minnesota scientist who has spent years studying diet and its relationship to heart disease and blood pressure.

“If you’re living in the real world—with people eating out more and so forth—it’s really hard to eat a perfect diet,” Tobian says. “Take a multivitamin a day,” he says, and if you take a good one, that might be all the supplementation you need.

Mary Ellen Camire, associate professor of food science at the University of Maine, says that a lot of people use multivitamins as a safety net, “in case they have a bad day and eat a lot of junk food.”

“Americans like a quick fix,” she says. “The multivitamins provide this.”

But, she says, “recommended intakes are for the whole population,” and depending on age or health, “you may need more or less.”

Which vitamins are for you?

Determining what nutrients to take “depends on the individual,” Camire says. For example, some people staying out of the sun may need supplemental vitamin D.

“Women have different needs; they lose iron with their periods. And calcium is very important to young girls,” says Camire, the mother of a teenage daughter who is going through a phase of eating only instant mashed potatoes. Camire has to make sure her daughter is getting what she needs. Tobian, a professor emeritus who reveals he is “kind of old” but still “very active,” suggests a “One-A-Day” multivitamin and mineral supplement. He says people should also consider taking extra antioxidants, such as vitamins E and C. “No multivitamin pill has enough E,” he says. “E is a genuine antioxidant—the evidence shows that it’s advantageous.”

Camire and Tobian agree that, along with multivitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, eating right and exercising are still important.

“Supplements are good,” Tobian says, “but the big thing is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I really believe in a good diet and exercise. . . . It’s highly abnormal and unhealthy for our bodies to be sedentary.”

Who might benefit?

According to the American Dietetic Association, complete multivitamin and mineral supplements are effective, safe, and may be helpful, especially when:

• The rush of everyday life prevents you from ­eating the U.S. Food Guide Pyramid’s recommended number of servings from each food category, especially grains, fruits and vegetables.

• You’re on a weight loss program that is very low in calories.

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