It depends on age and diet
- Adults get most of needed vitamins from diet – leafy greens, fruits, vegetables
- If you have concerns or questions, check with your doctor or nurse practitioner
Infants
- Breast fed infants need Vitamin D and iron
- Formula fed infants may not need supplementation. Check the label.
Children
- Depends on diet. If concerned, a children’s multivitamin is appropriate
Adults
- No, if you eat adequate fruit and vegetables
- Pregnant women need 400 mcg folic acid
- Most adults need extra Calcium (500-1000 mg/day) and Vitamin D (400 IU).
- Calcium – Many get 250 mg from diet. Milk has 150 -300 mg per cup
- Milk has about 100 IU Vitamin D per cup
- Generally need Vitamin D (800 IU), Calcium (500-1200 mg) and Vitamin B-12 (2.4 ng)
- May benefit from a multivitamin product
Seniors
- Over 50 need B-12 (2.4 mcg)
- Over 70 need Calcium (600-1200 mg/day) and Vitamin D
Multivitamins
- Multivitamins may slightly reduce risk of cancer
- Multivitamins may slow brain aging
- Multivitamins cannot fix an unhealthy diet
- Avoid gummies – made with sweeteners, most lack iron and minerals and may have inadequate doses of vitamins
- Most claims like heart health, energy boost, eye health, muscle function, skin health and immune health are exaggerations!
- More may not be harmful – large doses have been shown to increase risks including cancer, kidney stones, birth defects, dangerously high calcium levels, diarrhea, abdominal cramps
For more advice check with your doctor/nurse practitioner
