Most doctors agree that Multi-Vitamins, Calcium and Fish Oil are good dietary supplements since our food habits often preclude a balanced intake of all nutrients required for a healthy body. Photo Credit: PRNewsFotoJune 25, 2009, (Sawf News) - Most doctors agree that Multi-Vitamins, Calcium and Fish Oil are good dietary supplements since our food habits often preclude a balanced intake of all nutrients required for a healthy body.
According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a supplement industry trade group, more than 150 million Americans take dietary supplements.
The first rule is to stick with name brand Multi Vitamin, says Dr. Marie Savard, M.D., ABC News Medical Contributor.
Take a single multi-vitamin tablet, which has everything in it that the body needs, instead of taking two or three of them, she adds.
Premenopausal women need to take a multivitamin that includes iron.
Men need a multi vitamin without Iron, like Centrum Silver. Taking Iron is not recommended for men since it can mask a hidden bleeding problem. Dr. Weil, director of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine says that men shouldn't take iron unless they've been diagnosed by a physician as having iron deficiency anemia.
In addition to the multi-vitamin with iron, women may need folic acid for the fetus if they are pregnant.
Other recommended dietary supplements for both men and women include: Fish Oil / Omega 3 (two or more capsules), Calcium (1,000 – 1,200 mg) and Vitamin D (1,000 – 2,000 IU/day).
Vitamin D is currently not included in sufficient quantity in multi-vitamin tablets.
Fish Oil can help lower triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure, and help depression, among other uses.
Calcium helps prevent osteoporosis, a problem in particular for older women. Men don't require too much additional Calcium since they have testosterone, which helps them build a greater bone mass to begin with, explains Dr. Savard.
Vitamin D helps maintain normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus. It helps form and maintain strong bones. Recent research also suggests vitamin D may provide protection from osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cancer, and several autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Vitamin D is found in many dietary sources such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. Ironically, as little as 10 minutes of exposure to sunlight every day is enough to prevent deficiencies. But this is one vitamin which is as good in supplement form.
While multi-vitamins, fish oil, calcium and vitamin D are recommended to compensate for dietary deficiencies they are not a guarantee to good health. Doctors continue to emphasize the need to watch your diet and exercise.
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