Is there a professional out there that can tell me if the taking of vitamin suppliments is really worthwhile?

Question:

I am all for getting vitamins and minerals and the good stuff for my body, but I kind of doubt the efficacy of getting nutrients in the form of a vitamin tablet. I hear that the body only absorbs about 10 percent this way.

Answers:
Hi,

I've been in the health and nutrition fields for over 20 years, I have a background in orthomolecular nutrition and biomolecular mechanics and I've been the head of product research and development for two national and multi-national nutrition companies. Here's the scoop on your question:

Depending on the type of tablet and the coating (or lack thereof) that comes on it the bioavailability (how much you body uses after you ingest it) will vary. (Ref: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Institute on Aging, and Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Absorbtion and Bioavailability, p. 233a, 1999)

Hard-pressed tablets don't often breakdown readily in your system (they'll pass through the digestive system and out with feces). If they do breakdown then some of the ingredients found in them can actually be 'burned out' because of the immense heat that's generated via the manufacturing process. (Ref: Journal of Nutrition. 129(5):1202-3, 1998 Sept.)

Soft-pressed tablets are usually a better buy since most of what they have will be absorbed by your body. (Ref: Journal of Biochemistry. 289(6):1002-5, 2006 Aug.)

However, some ingredients need to have an enteric coating (i.e., and amino acid or sugar coating) before they can be readily absorbed by your body.

So, here's the big and small of the issue: When you purchase supplements make certain you trust the person you're purchasing them from. If the person is knowledgeable then they'll have already found what works and what doesn't and you won't have to worry about it. Purchasing stuff from a retail store is a shot in the dark as it concerns quality.

The only way you can be certain if your body actually needs certain nutrients is to have a hair analysis. If you'd like more information on this you can visit my site (below) and read about it.

If you have any questions, please feel free to write and ask.

Lonnie Honeycutt, C.N.C.
http://www.betterlifetoday.com

Other Answers:
thats right the best way is just to eat healthy if u want another 10% then go ahead but it really doesn't do much *_*

If you eat a balanced diet and eat meat you do not need vitamins. You are also correct that their is a loss in the process of digestion, though it is not anywhere near the 90% that you state. Having said that, most people do not eat a balanced diet. I know that I don't - so I take a generic multivitamin daily. If I was a female during childbearing years I would take a multivitamin with iron. Again I would take a generic. The brand names are overpriced and have the same ingredients.

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Is there a professional out there that can tell me if the taking of vitamin suppliments is really worthwhile?

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