The growing awareness about vitamin deficiency among the adult population and the need for a balanced diet have led many of us to search for multivitamin supplements. There are several multivitamin tablets and capsules available in the market, claiming to contain all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to support our dietary requirements. While searching for the right multivitamin supplement, it is important to understand the role of vitamins and minerals, the deficiencies caused by them as well as the adverse effects of over usage and prolonged usage of multivitamins.
Recommended Dietary Allowances, Adequate Intake and Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for Vitamins and Minerals:
The labels of multivitamin supplements often mention in detail the composition of the products, explaining the number of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. It is essential to go through this information before buying a multivitamin product. Also, it is important to understand the recommended dietary allowances of vitamins and minerals for an average human body.
Dietary reference index or DRI is a general term assigned to a set of reference values for planning and assessment of intake of nutrients by healthy people. Recommended dietary allowances or RDA was introduced in 1943 by Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council (US), National Academy of Sciences and has been accepted worldwide as a basis for measuring intake of the estimated amount of nutrients per day required for the maintenance of optimal health. As defined by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, the recommended dietary allowance is the average daily level of intake sufficient to meet the nutrient requirements of most healthy people. Adequate intake or AI denotes a level assumed to ensure nutritional adequacy. Tolerable upper intake level is the maximum daily intake of nutrients without causing any adverse health effects.
Vitamin Over Dosage and Mineral Toxicity:
The RDA values for different vitamins and minerals vary by age and gender. Apart from RDA values, the levels of tolerable upper intake of vitamins need to be understood to avoid overdosage. For example, it is known that Vitamin A is good for vision, optimal bone growth, and a strong immune system. However, the intake of vitamin A beyond tolerable upper intake levels might prove harmful to bones. Minerals, too, can prove detrimental if taken beyond upper intake levels. Calcium is essential for strong bones but a high amount of calcium in the body might cause prostate cancer. Sodium is often consumed beyond upper intake levels. Intake of too much potassium through high-dosage supplements might cause toxicity.
Apart from understanding RDA and upper intake levels, it is also necessary to have an idea about the absence of certain vitamins in diet and then work accordingly towards replenishing their levels in the body through multivitamin supplements. Most people do not get enough of vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, folic acid, and vitamin K. Similarly, deficiencies of zinc, iron and iodine are common. Hence, the myths and misconceptions regarding the intake of vitamins and minerals need to be dispelled before finalizing a multivitamin supplement to complement your diet.
Is Regular Intake of Multivitamin Supplements Really Advisable?
It has been observed that people include multivitamin supplements in their diets, taking them regularly without being aware of the necessity and risks. A few experts are of the opinion that the regular intake of multivitamin supplements is not really healthy. While a balanced diet provides most of the nutrients required by the body, multivitamin tablets are supposed to only supplement the diet with an addition of a few vitamins and minerals that the diet might be lacking.
It is always advisable to consult a physician before using multivitamin supplements to understand the requirements of vitamins and minerals in the body and avoid overdosage. Some supplements such as those targeting weight-loss contain stimulants that might pose cardiovascular risks. Certain vitamin supplement products claiming to contain extracts from native plants need to be taken with precaution. For example, kava, a native plant of south pacific is known to treat anxiety and insomnia. However, it has been found that kava carries risks of liver damage. Intake of such supplements can be really dangerous even for a short duration. Other supplements boasting of mega doses of certain vitamins and minerals also need to be looked at thoroughly before intake to avoid vitamin toxicity.
Purayati’s Multivitamin Supplements for All Age Groups:
As its name suggests, Purayati is committed to replenishing nutritional requirements needed among the adult population in India. There is a widespread deficiency of vitamins and minerals in adult Indian population. Purayati has come up with multivitamin supplements for all age groups to bridge the gaps of vitamin deficiencies. The composition of each product has been formulated keeping in mind recommended dietary allowances. All the supplement products are vegetarian and are manufactured in a well-equipped FSSAI and ISO 9001:2008 certified plant and are of premium and efficacious quality.
Multivitamin for Men: This multivitamin supplement for men contains 23 vital nutrients to support dietary requirements of active and working men. Rich in oxidants and minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper, calcium, and selenium, this is one of the best multivitamin supplements available for men.
Multivitamin for Senior Men: Nutritional requirements differ according to age as the absorption of vitamins and minerals in body changes. Purayati’s multivitamin supplements for senior men has been formulated keeping in mind the nutritional requirements of men over fifty years. The product contains all the essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to supplement old age dietary requirements.
Multivitamin for Women: Women have different nutritional requirements and need more amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Purayati’s multivitamin supplement for women has optimized the number of vitamins and minerals including increased dosage of calcium to support the dietary needs of active working women.
Multivitamin for Senior Women: Specially formulated for women over fifty years of age, Purayati’s multivitamin supplement for senior women contains 23 essential nutrients including magnesium, calcium, and selenium to support dietary requirements of senior women.
Multivitamin for Hair, Skin & Nails: Healthy hair and skin need a balanced diet. Purayati’s multivitamin for hair, skin and nails is made up of 17 nutrients containing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to ensure optimal growth of hair, skin, and nails.
