Checkout lane: Multivitamins meant to supplement generally healthy diets
A.J. Bauer
Nov 26, 2007 at 12:01 AM Nov 26, 2007 at 3:36 AM
Americans always seem to be on the lookout for the next panacea, and multivitamins -- many of which boast complete daily values of essential vitamins and minerals -- are the perennial favorite.
Americans always seem to be on the lookout for the next panacea, and multivitamins - many of which boast complete daily values of essential vitamins and minerals - are the perennial favorite.
"I think there's always that magic bullet thing," said Bryan Hebert, manager of Common Sense Market in Plymouth. "People think that you buy one bottle and get better, when it's not that way."
Multivitamins are meant to supplement generally healthy diets, said Lori Lieberman, a registered dietician who has offices in South Weymouth, Quincy and Sharon.
"Vitamins are not a replacement for nourishment," she said. "You require food, calories for fuel, and a multivitamin is no replacement."
Heber said he steers customers toward "whole food" solutions to vitamin or mineral deficiencies. These solutions can range from drinking more milk to counteract calcium deficiency, to consuming targeted food – grown supplements, often concentrated from the juices of various foods.
Heber went so far as to say that traditional multivitamins - which often contain synthetic vitamins and minerals - can actually produce ill effects, as the body can struggle to absorb synthetics.
While Lieberman also recommended eating whole foods as the best way to obtain essential vitamins and minerals, she said that for most people, taking a multivitamin won't hurt and may help.
"I think there's no harm in everyone taking (multivitamins)," so long as they don't have a disease preventing them from properly absorbing certain minerals, Lieberman said. "But they shouldn't think they're automatically getting a healthy intake because of it."
Lieberman also suggested that potential multivitamin consumers do their homework on the particular vitamin they are thinking of purchasing. To do so, she recommends visiting www.consumerlab.com, a Web site that features independent reviews of many health supplements.
Most importantly, Lieberman said, those who are unsure of what multivitamin, if any, is right for them should consult with a registered dietician.
A.J. Bauer may be reached at ajbauer@ledger.com.