What Vitamin and Mineral Supplements Do Healthy People Need?

Why healthy people take vitamin and mineral supplements?

Many people who eat the typical American diet do not get adequate amounts of all the necessary vitamins and nutrients their bodies need. Complementing the larger amount of nutrients may offer protection from certain diseases.

Most Americans are not getting enough calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc in their diet. People who diet to lose weight are at risk of vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Another group of people who are particularly at risk are the elderly dietary deficiencies. Older adults often have a deficiency of vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, calcium, zinc, and vitamins B1 and B2.

What is the importance of taking ...

Vitamin A - essential for the functioning of the immune system?

Vitamin D - do not get enough of this vitamin is associated with bone loss and fractures in older adults and postmenopausal women.

Vitamin E - is associated with lower risk of heart disease.

Calcium - most people earn less than the desired amount of calcium in their diet. Calcium is essential to prevent bone loss.

Magnesium - also helps prevent bone loss.

Zinc - has been shown to enhance immune function in healthy people.

Supplementing with folic acid is very important, about 11% of healthy people in the U.S. Another deficiency of folic acid. A diet low in folic acid have been associated with a higher risk than normal pre-cancerous polyps in the colon. A woman who are pregnant and who take a multivitamin with folic acid in it to reduce the risk of having a baby has birth defects and other congenital defects.