It makes sense: We have insurance for our cars and homes—so why not have an insurance policy for our diets and whole-body health, too?* Take a quality multivitamin regularly (we know, we know, it’s easy to forget) and you can rest easier knowing you’re providing your body with a baseline supply of the important vitamins, minerals, and other bioactives it needs to hum along smoothly.* “A quality multivitamin should include a comprehensive array of essential water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, macrominerals, and microminerals at clinically relevant doses for daily nutritional support,”* she says. Better yet, a truly supreme formula might even “feature specialized botanical bioactives and phytonutrients to complement the nutrient array and incrementally support the customer’s daily health, cellular functions, and longevity.”* When hunting for a multi that will truly get the job done, look for a formula that contains vitamins A, C, D3, E, K1 and K2, and all eight B vitamins (including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, B6, biotin, folate, and B12), Ferira recommends. You’ll also want to see the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, iodine, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and chromium on the list of ingredients. First and foremost, know this: “Multis are safe at their core,” says Ferira. “There are always exceptions to the rule for irresponsible brands, but I’m talking about reputable, high-quality, clean brands here.” That said, there are a few things to be aware of when taking a multivitamin. One big one? In some cases, your multivitamin could interact with certain medications you take, according to dietitian Jessica Cording, R.D., CDN, author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. If you take medication to reduce blood clotting, for example, talk to your doctor before taking any supplement that contains vitamin K (or when significantly changing your dietary vitamin K intake, for that matter) since the vitamin contributes to blood clotting and can thus be counterproductive to blood thinning.* Research10 also suggests that smokers and former smokers may want to avoid large amounts of beta-carotene (the precursor to vitamin A found in plant foods and many supplements). Excess vitamin A11 may also have negative impacts on pregnant women, but as with most things in nutrition, there’s some nuance to consider. Ferira explains, “when we’re talking about vitamin A toxicity, there are specific retinoic acid metabolites that are actually found in certain drugs, not supplements, that are genuinely bad for baby’s development.” Even though that type of vitamin A and science doesn’t apply to supplements, “out of an abundance of caution, pregnant women should avoid supplements with 10,000 I.U. (3,000 mcg) or more of preformed vitamin A, which is the retinol form. This ‘upper limit’ doesn’t apply to the beta-carotene vitamin A form at all.” One caution relevant to multivitamins that’s super clear-cut is iron poisoning in young children. Ferira explains, “This concern of accidental pediatric iron overdose is exactly why multivitamins that contain iron include warnings on their labels, explicitly calling out this risk and directing the consumer to keep out of children’s reach.” So to repeat: Keep out of reach of children (who may mistake your multi capsule, tablet, etc., for candy). One less serious consideration to keep in mind? Some people may experience digestive upset after taking multivitamins, depending on the formula and when they take their supplement. “For some individuals, including myself, taking a multivitamin first thing in the morning—whether on an empty stomach or not—simply doesn’t jibe with our biology,” Ferira says. “A high-quality multivitamin should feature an array of macro- and microminerals in its formula—but it is not uncommon for that mineral load to be too much for one’s stomach in the a.m.” Luckily, simply taking your multi with lunch should put that issue to bed. And while some days are better than none, every day is the frequency multivitamins are designed for because as Ferira reminds us, “we have daily requirements for an entire slew of micronutrients.” Ferira adds, “If your multi is loaded enough to deliver antioxidant micro- and phytonutrient powerhouses like vitamins C and E, glutathione, resveratrol, etc., these actives combat oxidative stress and support cellular integrity and resilience,” all mechanisms that bolster longevity and potential for graceful aging on the daily.* And if your multivitamin contains specialized botanicals like carotenoids18 (we’re talking about beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, etc.) at clinically studied doses, then your vision is incrementally supported by those bioactives.* Considering all three of these have been identified as “nutrients of concern” in the U.S., meaning that a significant portion of the population doesn’t get nearly enough of them, supporting sufficiency with a daily multi becomes an easy and important way to support our musculoskeletal and joint health.* Furthermore, a multivitamin is perfectly positioned to deliver the lesser-known (but essential) bone health nutrients, too. Ferira shares that, “we know from the science that unique forms of fat-soluble vitamins, specifically vitamin K2 in the MK-7 form21, plus an array of minerals22 (zinc, iron, selenium, silica, copper, boron, and manganese) all possess distinct actions in the body promoting bone density, quality, and strength.”* Enter: a comprehensive multivitamin. When it comes to our hair, in addition to high-quality protein from your diet, Ferira explains, “We also know that antioxidants, as well as sufficiency in B vitamin biotin24 and trace mineral silica25 play functional roles for the health of our hair, too.”* As for our nails, Ferira goes on to say that, “For an attentive health care practitioner, looking at the health of one’s nails26 and how that changes over time gives major intel on micronutrient adequacy versus inadequacy.” Given the role consistent multivitamin use has in supporting nutritional sufficiency, taking a quality multi—particularly a formula that also provides plant antioxidant compounds, in addition to the usual vitamins and minerals—can ultimately promote the health of our hair, skin, and nails.* Select a multivitamin that provides not only vitamin K (in both K1 and K2 forms) but also goes above and beyond to include phytonutrients in order to supply your body with heart-friendly nutritional insurance.* After all, the heart is a rather important organ. Given the short, short list of potential concerns and slew of positive effects, there’s really no reason not to add a comprehensive multivitamin to your healthy living arsenal, now, is there? We didn’t think so.
