Value of vitamins: When to take daily supplements

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – New research shows a daily multivitamin may not be as useful as many people think.

A study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that for healthy adults, a daily multivitamin may not lower the risk of death or prolong life.

Dr. Thao Tran, family physician for Kettering Health, said most of our daily vitamin intake comes from the foods we eat, as long as we maintain a balanced diet.

“People who can eat the colors of the rainbow, that is going to be the absolute best way for you to get your vitamins, because it has the natural way for you to absorb it,” Tran said.

Tran said when it comes to vitamins, your body has a limit and anything over becomes excess.

“Just thinking about the scenario of pickup trucks once a pickup truck is fully loaded, no matter how much more stuff that you have to put on the truck, the truck can only load so much,” Tran said.

Not all multivitamins are created equal. Tran said specifically gummies may not contain all the vitamins and minerals you’re looking for.

“A lot of them can’t contain iron, you know, a lot of them don’t contain calcium that might be in a separate gummy, so looking at the nutrition label is very important,” Tran said.

Tran said there are some people may benefit from taking supplements, such as pregnant women, adults over 65, vegetarians and people with certain medical conditions or vitamin deficiencies.

That’s why Tran said keeping up with your regular check-ups is essential.

“If you come in for your well checks, we can determine if a vitamin is going to be helpful to you if you indeed have a deficiency,” Tran said.