Multivitamins are supposed to be good
for us and promote good health, right? Well, seeing as how I take one everyday
and often suggest them for others, I thought it was about time I dug a little
deeper into their ingredients, nutritional benefit, and features- as comparable
to many foods in grocery stores now, the variety and selection of multivitamins
have now become quite vast. To obtain adequate nutrition and prevent disease,
your motto should be food first, but if you do take a multivitamin, or are thinking
about taking one in future, do yourself a little due diligence, and research
your contenders beforehand. Below are some of the ingredients and features you
should and shouldn’t look for in a multivitamin and mineral supplement.
Butylated hydroxytoluene, is also known
as BHT and is a food preservative. According to the David Suzuki foundation,
long-term exposures to high doses of BHT can be toxic in animals and cause
liver, thyroid and kidney problems and affect lung function. With respect to
carcinogenicity, BHT has been classified as a 'moderate human health priority'
and has been flagged for future review by Health Canada. Limited evidence
suggests that high doses of BHT may mimic estrogen and prevent expression of
male sex hormones, resulting in adverse reproductive affects. Scarier yet, to
me anyway, is that I've come across this ingredient in both kids and prenatal
supplements. Triacetin is pharmaceutical agent used in manufacturing of capsules and tablets, and has been used as a plasticizers, and solvent. The evidence on this additive is quite limited, but it is generally recognized as safe by the FDA or food and drug administration in the US, but in addition to BHT, this one too is classified as expected to be toxic or harmful, according to Environment Canada's Domestic Substance List. Did I mention it is also an additive to fuel and cigarettes?
Some other 'non-medicinal ingredients' I
might be wary of include magnesium sterate (long story, but just know it's not
the same as the mineral magnesium) and titanium dioxide. Despite all this new
knowledge I still am a multivitamin user, so don't get me wrong, all
supplements aren't bad and they certainly can have their place in the human
diet when need be as it can be hard for some to get enough nutrition in their
diet. The bottom line here is be smart about the multivitamin you choose and
what it contains. Remember that not all multivitamins are well made and can
vary widely in quality. Don't be fooled by 'whole food' multivitamins either,
as they aren't necessarily better. Many will get their 'whole food' nutrients
from yeast, plus some synthetic vitamins, and there is little evidence, if any,
to suggest that whole food vitamins are better absorbed than a regular vitamin.
To be truthful, some nutrients are better absorbed from supplements than food,
including B vitamins folic acid, or B9, and B12. One of the newer players to
the multivitamin and mineral scene is gummy, or candy-like supplements. Gummy
multivitamins tend to have fewer nutrients because the extra sugar and water
crowds out the vitamins and minerals. Frequently vitamins like A, C, D, and E
and the mineral iron can be less than complete in 'complete adult
multivitamins' which are in gummy form.
So how to know if you are choosing a good multivitamin?
Well, whatever multivitamin you do choose, be sure to check the labels for the
nutrients and ingredients they contain and their sources. Check too to see if
they use an independent third party lab to check the raw materials for
contaminants and correct dosage. Look for multivitamins with a NPN or DIN
number on the label. This means they have been assessed by Health Canada,
meaning they are of high quality, and actually do what they claim. As seen in The Telegram May 13, 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment