Do you really need a multi-vitamin?

A better question is “do you need a multi-mineral?” Not only are mineral deficiencies more common than vitamin deficiencies, but you need minerals for your vitamins to even work.

 

A standardized daily allowance has created a skewed perception of our individual requirements and what is provided by the soil our food was grown in. Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel Prizes once said, “You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.”

 

The Worlds Congress in the 1930s and again in the 1970s warned us that the presence of minerals in our soils and foods were already decreased by 70% and declared that 99% of humans and animals were deficient in minerals. Currently, Magnesium is the number 1 deficient nutrient in the US and is also a major mineral lacking in our water and soil.

 

What about vitamins? Water-soluble vitamins like all of the B-vitamins and vitamin C need minerals to be activated. Another major problem that contributes to lack of nutrients is due to the lack of access to freshly picked organic foods. Both of these vitamins deplete quickly post-harvest. Majority of testing results in my clinic support and show these deficiencies (even if people are taking these so-called vitamins).

 

On the other side, people may need to avoid folic acid (synthetic form) in fortified foods and in multivitamins because it blocks folate receptors if they have a slow DHFR enzyme and/or have a homozygous MTHFR gene. However, be careful with methylfolate dosage and don’t assume that more is always better. With MTHFR mutations often patients feel better with mineral supplementation BEFORE folate replacement. With most vitamins, minerals are needed for them to work in the first place. If you are taking methylfolate or folinic acid consider adding a mineral supplement to your regimen to increase efficacy.