These days we are all looking to save a little cash – because of the holidays, because of the uncertainty of our economy, and simply because everything out there seems to demand our money. One great way to keep your cash in your pocket (or headed towards things you really want to spend on) is staying healthy, which plays a big role in saving you thousands in healthcare costs over a lifetime. Getting adequate sleep, eating well, exercising regularly and managing stress are all vital components to a healthy lifestyle. Nutrients and Vitamins are also a key part of staying healthy. Unfortunately, our diets just do not provide everything that we need and, according to experts, some supplementation is necessary for most of us. But purchasing several different vitamin and mineral supplements is overwhelming – and pricey! While a multivitamin can reduce costs vs. several different individual supplements, an all-in-one vitamin does even more for your wallet, providing a total supplement solution for most nutrient needs.
A recent study by the Lewin Group showed vitamins and supplements can significantly impact your wallet. Regular use of supplements was found to cause a measurable change in health status and could result in a $24 billion savings over 5 years. A report released in 2002 by the Council for Responsible Nutrition found that the regular use of a good quality multivitamin significantly positively impacted immune function and reduced the risk of diseases related to vitamin deficiencies, like spina bifida. The data just keeps growing in support of the regular use of a multivitamin. The great thing is that a good multivitamin can cost less than $1 per day but actually save you thousands!
Vitamins found to be especially important that should be included in an all-in-one vitamin are: Vitamin D, omega 3s, and antioxidants such as vitamin A, C, and E. Adequate intake of vitamin D can reduce the risk of hip fractures resulting in a potential savings of $2 billion per year. Regular use of omega 3s can significantly reduce cardiovascular disease rates. Reducing the rates of heart attacks could save $2.4 billion in the US in just 5 years. Antioxidants play a role in the prevention of heart disease but also help keep the immune system healthy during cold and flu season.
How do you know that your multivitamin is giving you the health benefits you expect? If you are looking for a basic multivitamin to stay healthy, try to keep it simple. A vitamin with a ton of additives or herbs is probably not necessary, may be harmful, or may interact with medications. Avoid any supplement that has more than 100% of the daily value for fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, E, and K. This is less of a concern with vitamin D, another fat-soluble vitamin, which has been shown to be non-toxic until reaching very large doses (the RDI of Vitamin D for an adult is 600 IU doses start to get toxic around 10,00o IU, according to safety research). If your multivitamin is a gummy, or tasty chewable, it would be wise to avoid one that contains iron – iron poisoning is a leading cause of death by poisoning in children under 6. One way to know if the supplement is of high quality and contains the ingredients it says it does is to look for the label to say that it is approved by the US Pharmacopeia (USP) which measures quality of nutritional supplements. The USP sets standards for several aspects of supplements, such as how quickly they dissolve.
But if you are looking to save even more money, look for an all-in-one vitamin, a supplement that not only combines the cornucopia of nutrients found in a multivitamin, but that also carries a higher dose of vitamin D than most multivitamins, and contains omega 3s. Most multivitamins do not contain these other nutrients, and so, though you may hope to have your supplemental needs met by a single multivitamin, you may find yourself purchasing another 2 or 3 supplements just to meet your doctor’s recommendations. An all-in-one vitamin brings you not only the savings of a multivitamin, but also spares you the cost – and counter space – of 3 different supplements.
Certain groups of people need different nutrients than others. For example, pregnant women need more iron and folic acid than non-pregnant women. Older adults may particularly benefit from a vitamin that is high in vitamin D. A tailored multivitamin may be best for groups that have specific nutrient needs that are different from the general population. Vitamins and supplements also have to be able to make it through the acidic stomach environment, making the delivery system or coating around the vitamin very important. The form of the nutrients in the supplement is also very important: vitamin D3, for example, is the active and most beneficial form of vitamin D, so a supplement with D2 will not be as effective.
Overall, spending a few extra dollars on a high quality all-in-one vitamin will help keep you healthy year-round. Look for your all-in-one to contain highly bioavailable vitamins, and make sure it’s approved by the US Pharmacopeia. This will set you on the right track to good health, helping you avoid rising healthcare costs and put some extra cash in your pocket.
