Your health is very important in order for you to live your lives to the fullest. A healthy lifestyle composed of proper diet, exercise and adequate sleep, rest and enough time for work and play helps you enjoy daily living. Today I would like to talk about vitamin supplements or, more specifically, multivitamins. In order for you to meet the recommended daily allowance, you may also need to take some multivitamins.
However, not all multivitamins are created the same. Some cater to a specific segment of the population like children, seniors, men and women. For example, women’s vitamins have more Calcium content than men’s vitamins; or prenatal vitamins have more Folic Acid content than those that aren’t.
So let’s see just how different one multivitamin is from another.
Types of Multivitamins
Children’s Multivitamins. These are made specifically to meet the needs of growing children. Picky eaters benefit from multivitamins since they do not usually receive the vitamins they need from not being able to eat a balanced diet. Talk to your pediatrician about which multivitamin will best provide your child the supplement he or she needs. Don’t forget to ask about the right dosage!
Seniors’ Multivitamins. Just as the young ones have their own needs, the seniors do, too! Seniors need multivitamins in order to keep their aging bodies healthy. Why the need for multivitamins? See, seniors may be taking medications and these medications may prevent their bodies from properly absorbing vitamins from the food they eat. Some seniors have difficulty in eating, therefore lacking a balanced diet. Seniors are more deficient in Vitamins D, A, C, E and K. Regular intake of multivitamins with proper dosage will help the elderly.
Women’s Multivitamins. Women have different health needs than men. Women of child-bearing age need Iron more than men, because menstruation may cause Iron deficiency. Multivitamins for women compose of recommended daily values of Iron, Calcium and Folic Acid. Also, womens’ need for vitamins changes as they get older. 20-year old women may need a different multivitamin from those who are in menopausal women.
Prenatal Multivitamins. These are very important for pregnant women in order to keep their bodies healthy throughout the pregnancy. Actually these prenatal vitamins are not just for the women, but also to nourish their developing babies. Even those who are trying to conceive may want to get a dose of 400 mcg of Folic Acid at least one month starting to try to conceive and then move on to at least 600 mcg once they become pregnant. Prenatal vitamins also include include Iron.
Men’s Multivitamins. These are tailored to meet the needs of men to keep their bodies healthy and strong. Men are recommended to meet the following daily:
- 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium
- 700 mg of phosphorus
- 410 mg of magnesium
- 90 mg vitamin C
- 15 mg vitamin E
- 16 mg of niacin
- 1.3 mg riboflavin
- 1.3 mg vitamin B6
- 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate
- 2.4 mcg vitamin B12
Due to different lifestyle habits, diet and current health condition, some of these vitamins may either be deficient or present in excess. This is why informing your doctor is very important so you will know exactly what your body needs.