do multivitamins work?

My mother is a strong believer in “You are what you eat” and “You take a vitamin when you overwork”. Every family member is an easy target of her practice, among whom my 16-year-old brother is included, who weighs more than a small elephant and often stays the night playing games on the Internet. When he shows up at the breakfast table with an exhausted look, my caring mother makes a face and goes for a multivitamin even though he looks like a basement-dwelling creature to my eyes that only emerges from his room for food. It is the time when I snatch the vitamin pill from my mother, saying “The monster does not deserve one.” Wishing a multivitamin could change my brother’s brain, I have decided to search what it is and how it affects the body. This research will be used to let my mother realize a multivitamin is not a cure-it-all.

Not only do most of us fail to eat a varied and well-balanced diet on a regular basis, at certain times in their lives, many people may require more of certain nutrients than their diets can provide. Also, there are some nutrients that may be difficult to get in food in adequate amounts. For such problems, multivitamins are used. A multivitamin is a preparation intended to supplement a human diet with vitamins, dietary minerals and other nutritional elements. Such preparations are available in the form of tablets, capsules, pastilles, powders, liquids and injectable formulations. Besides, multivitamin supplements are commonly provided in combination with minerals. By supplementing the diet with additional vitamins and minerals, multivitamins can be a valuable tool for those with dietary imbalances or different nutritional needs. People with dietary imbalances may include those on restrictive diets and those who can't or won't eat a nutritious diet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multivitamin

Long-term regular consumption of a multivitamin may reduce the risk of dying from heart disease by 16% and many people report a feeling of general well being when they are taking their daily multivitamins regularly. The individual vitamins and nutrients in a quality daily multivitamin dose delivers to you their specific benefits of each individual vitamin. Vitamin E, for example, a fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin helps to neutralize potentially damaging free radicals in the body and it is particularly important for the protection of cell membranes as well as maintaining healthy skin, heart and circulation, nerves, muscles, and red blood cells. Vitamin C on the other hand is water soluble, but like Vitamin E, it is an antioxidant. It helps white blood cells combat infection, is essential for wound healing, for the formation of collagen, for healthy skin, and for the formation of other important structural materials in bones, teeth and capillaries. It also helps with the absorption of iron from plant sources. Vitamins D, K, A, and other nutrients in a multivitamin supplement all have specific beneficial effects on our bodies ranging from minimizing the risks of heart problems to helping to ward off Alzeheimer's disease.

http://www.stopagingnow.com/liveinthenow/article/multivitamins-lower-risk-of-death-from-heart-disease
http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/daily-multivitamin.html

While multivitamins can be a valuable tool to correct dietary imbalances, it is worth exercising basic caution before taking them, especially if any medical conditions exist. Some analyses have suggested that long-term use of beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E supplements may shorten life rather than extend it, with the additional risk being particularly large in smokers. Moreover, if a person overuses vitamins by taking too many dietary supplements, his body will be strained as it tries to filter out the excess. Eventually, if vitamin overuse continues for long periods of time, an individual can suffer from serious health problems. For the several serious side effects, taking excessive amount of metals like zinc may cause, gastric bleeding, cardiac rhythm abnormalities, muscle weakness, staining of the teeth, increased urinary frequency. Excess intake of vitamin Calcium can lead kidney stones or gall stones. Besides, when vitamin C is taken in excess, it can cause the same problem of stone formation which in turn can lead to renal failure. Along with the potential for overdosing, other precautions people need to be aware of as they take vitamins include the potential for allergies to supplements, health problems due to vitamins' negative effects on existing conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and interaction with other medications.


http://natural-supplements-tips.com/index.php/2010/08/24/multivitamin-dangerous-effects-3-side-effects-to-avoid-when-you-need-to-choose-a-multivitamin-product/

http://www.healthtree.com/articles/supplements/multivitamin-precautions/


Generally speaking, I found that a good daily multivitamin or mineral supplement improves our overall bodily functioning and boosts both our physical and mental health and well-being. Multivitamins are used to provide vitamins that are not taken in through the diet, offering us adequate nutrients. If we use them properly under the recommended dose of a multivitamin, they are beneficial tools in maintaining our health. However, when people take or overdose them without consideration of their own body conditions, there may be side effects which can seriously damage health. It will be beneficial when we take a natural multivitamin, which has a fewer side effects even with excessive intakes, instead of typical synthetic multivitamin sold at drug stores. Overall, obtaining enough nutrients from consuming various food is the best way to maintain our well-being rather than relying on nutrients made of pills.