If you’ve ever sat in a drug store staring at rows of multivitamins trying to figure out which one you should get, you aren’t alone. Many people choose multivitamins for a little added health insurance or the promise of more energy. Find out more...
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Article Summary:
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- To increase absorption, take smaller doses of certain nutrients, multiple times throughout the day.
- Use sunscreen that contains either zinc or Mexoryl as one of the main active ingredients.
- Choose a Vitamin E supplement that contains mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols.
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How Multivitamins Can Enhance Your Looks
If you've ever sat in a drug store staring at rows of multivitamins trying to figure out which one you should get, you aren't alone. Many people choose multivitamins for a little added health insurance or the promise of more energy. And, a multi can potentially help your energy levels and make up for dietary shortfalls. The nutrients in a good multivitamin might also enhance your looks.
What Is A Multivitamin?
The term multivitamin refers to a multivitamin mineral supplement (sometimes abbreviated MVMM). A multivitamin should contain all of the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy (especially those we typically don't get in our diet). However, each multivitamin may be quite different.
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A Multivitamin Should Contain All Of The Vitamins
And Minerals You Need To Stay Healthy.
Some contain added antioxidants or other compounds or mega doses of certain vitamins. Others are formulated specifically for certain age (or age and sex) or life stage category such as children, seniors or pregnant women.
The % Daily Value (DV) listed for each vitamin and mineral is based on established standards of how much the average person (in a particular life category) needs each day. Percent Daily Values also make it easy to compare different food and supplement products based on their macronutrients and micronutrients.
What's Up With Multipacks?
Turn over any single tablet multivitamin and you'll find that it doesn't contain 100% of every vitamin and mineral listed (yet some contain a few thousand percent of other nutrients). Why? Some of the minerals are bulky. Add 100% DV for both calcium and magnesium to one tablet and you'll end up with a horse pill. Aside from these two minerals, one-tablet multivitamins often fall short on the vitamin biotin as well.
Multipacks, the supplements that have you take a little packet of pills at specific times of the day, can help you meet 100% DV of all vitamins and minerals because the bulky minerals come in their own tablets and the minerals are spaced out to maximize absorption. For instance, multipacks will space calcium throughout the day since our body can maximally absorb about 500 mg at a time (take more and your absorption past that initial 500 mg will decrease).
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Turn Over Any Single Tablet Multivitamin And You'll Find That It Doesn't Contain 100% Of Every Vitamin And Mineral Listed.
Pick The Best Multivitamin For You
The multipacks are great, yet I personally opt for one single tablet and supplement as needed with other nutrients. If you are like me and just want one main tablet to take daily, choose one that contains 100% of the following:
Skip the ones with mega doses of antioxidants or compounds that you aren't sure how they benefit your health. Though antioxidants are good, get them from your food (colorful fruits and vegetables). Large quantities of certain antioxidants in pill form could end up acting as pro-oxidants in your body (wreaking their own havoc versus mopping up the havoc caused by environmental and other assaults on your cells).
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Large Quantities Of Certain Antioxidants In Pill Form
Could End Up Acting As Pro-Oxidants In Your Body.
The Multivitamin Can Enhance Your Looks Because It Contains:
Vitamin A: Promotes cell and tissue growth and protects skin from infection. Multivitamins should contain vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body (and is less toxic than vitamin A).
B Vitamins: Play a critical role in the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat and protein and help convert food into energy your body can use. The B vitamins are a great team. They work together well and therefore, it is best to take them together (versus individually supplementing with specific B vitamins).
Vitamin C: Helps produce collagen, the protein found in connective tissue (skin, cartilage, tendons etc.). Vitamin C keeps capillary and blood vessel walls firm (hello, no spider veins!), helps prevent bruising and keeps gum and skin tissue healthy.
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Vitamin C Helps Produce Collagen, The Protein Found In Connective Tissue.
Biotin: Biotin is one of the vitamins commonly found in skin, hair and nail supplements. Deficiencies are considered rare (your body produces it from intestinal bacteria). However, deficiencies can lead to dry skin and seborrheic dermatitis in adults.
Biotin may also play a role in the treatment or prevention of hair loss. When it comes to biotin, eggs might be one of the most interesting foods. The yolks are rich in biotin but raw egg whites contain a protein that binds biotin preventing its absorption. The moral of the story - don't eat raw egg whites.
Vitamin E: Is an antioxidant, protecting cells from damage. Vitamin E is actually a group of eight (possibly nine according to one study from Italy) compounds, all with different potencies.
It is nearly impossible to meet the Recommended Dietary Intake for vitamin E through food intake alone (unless that food is fortified with vitamin E), so supplementation is a viable option. If possible, choose a supplement that contains "mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols" versus only alpha tocopherol.
Calcium: Keeps teeth strong (bones too).
Iron: Does more than make hemoglobin (the oxygen carrying protein in your blood). It also plays a role in collagen synthesis.
Zinc: Zinc is essential for cell reproduction, immune functioning, tissue growth and repair. It is essential for growth and helps the body use carbohydrate, protein, and fat.
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Egg Yolks Are Rich In Biotin But Raw Egg Whites Contain A
Protein That Binds Biotin Preventing Its Absorption.
Additional Tips To Enhance Your Looks
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Use sunscreen that contains either zinc or Mexoryl as one of the main active ingredients. If you want a tan, opt for a spray tan. UVA and UVB rays from the sun or tanning booths increase your risk of skin cancer and skin that resembles old shoe leather.
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Get plenty of rest.
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Drink plenty of water every day (or brewed black, green, white or oolong tea).
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De-stress.
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Go to a good dermatologist and ask how you can look better - dermatologists can weed through the best products for your skin or procedures that may help.
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Buy new in style clothes; get your hair cut (and get rid of the outdated style and dull color). You never know who you are going to meet when you walk out of your house.
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Drink Plenty Of Water Every Day.
Most people do not meet their vitamin and mineral needs through food alone. Some nutrients, like copper and vitamin D, aren't in many foods and people tend to eat the same 20-30 foods each week versus going for variety (and therefore a variety of nutrients). A multivitamin can help you meet your nutrient needs. And, several nutrients play an important role in how you look. If you don't like tablets, opt for a chewable or liquid multivitamin or choose a protein powder that contains the nutrients you need.
About the Author:
Marie Spano, MS, RD, CSCS is one of the country's top sports nutritionists. She helps Olympic, professional and recreational athletes implement a nutrition game plan that will maximize their athletic performance. Marie has appeared on NBC, ABC, Fox and CBS affiliates on the east coast, written hundreds of magazine articles, trade publication articles, book chapters, e-zines and marketing materials. Her website is www.mariespano.com
References:
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http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11537.html
Hathcock JN. Vitamin and Mineral Safety. Council on Responsible Nutrition 1997.
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Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999. Available at: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309063507/html/index.html
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Duyff RL. The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. The American Dietetic Association 1998.
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Handelman GJ, et al. Oral alpha-tocopherol supplements decrease plasma gamma-tocopherol levels in humans. J Nutr 1985;115:807-13.
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Huang HY, Appel LJ. Supplementation of diets with [alpha]-tocopherol reduces serum concentrations of [gamma]- and [delta]-tocopherol in Humans. J Nutr 2003;133:3137-40.
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NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplement Fact Sheets.
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Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2001.
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