Your body needs vitamins and minerals for all functions and processes. These nutrients are a vital element in your growth, healing, repair and maintenance of the body’s skeleton, systems, organs and cells. Minerals and vitamins are required in different quantities and some constitute the main parts of structures like bones and red blood cells. Lack of vitamins can lead to illness, disease and fatigue. Maintaining a daily balanced diet will ensure that you get all the necessary multivitamins. And your doctor can recommend vitamin supplements to enrich your daily diet. But how do multivitamins benefit us exactly? Here we give you all the details.

Benefits of Multivitamins

After knowing all multivitamins benefits listed here, I'm sure you will love these vitamins:

1. Prevent Vitamin Deficiency

There are 13 vital vitamins that the body requires for normal functioning. They include vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, 7B complex and B12. Most vitamins are not stored in the body meaning they have to be replaced often. Shortage of these vitamins in the body could lead to health complications and illness. Consuming vitamin rich foods and taking multivitamin supplements daily can prevent mineral or vitamin deficiency and reduce your risk of getting sick.

2. Accelerate Body Recovery

When sick, the body may be so malfunctioning that it can't use or get all the vitamins it needs to aid body recovery. In this case, multivitamin supplements can provide your body with the needed vitamins to help you recover quickly.

3. Get Nutrition Balance

Another one of benefits of multivitamins is providing proper nutrition for people who are on strict diets. Some vegetarians may lack certain types of B vitamins that only come from animal products. And people on diet who take 1600 calories or less might not get enough vitamins from their foods. At this time, targeting for multivitamin rich foods or taking multivitamin supplements is very important.

4. Benefit Pregnancy

An expectant mother needs more multivitamins to maintain healthy than a regular woman because she is supporting another life. So, pregnant women not only have to choose vitamin rich foods but also need to take prenatal multivitamins, which also helps to reduce their babies' risks of congenital anomalies.

5. Boost Cognitive Responses

As you grow older, your cognitive functioning decreases. A 2007 medical research published in Nutritional Journal included 910 people aging 65 or older. This research found that multivitamins helped decrease risk of micronutrient deficiencies and was good for boosting your responses, which even worked for people ages 75 or older.

6. Improve Immune System

Children have a tendency of getting affected by germs and bacteria because their immune system is still developing and it has less experience in combatting pathogens. You can boost your child’s immunity by giving them multivitamins rich in zinc and vitamin C. This will also enhance their healing process.

7. Boost Energy Levels

Multivitamins have a number of vitamins like vitamin C and B vitamins that can improve your body’s energy. It is advisable to take a multivitamin daily to increase your energy levels.

8. Build Strong Bones

Multivitamins contain vitamin D and calcium which are important for healthy, strong teeth and bones. You should make sure that your children have adequate calcium in their childhood and adolescent years to grow healthy strong bones.

9. Help Brain Development

Among all the benefits of multivitamins, this one can never be missed. Specific vitamins and nutrients improve your kid’s ability to process information and think clearly. For example, iodine is known to assist normal functioning of the brain and learning capability in children. The proper multivitamin supplements can give your child the right amount of iodine to promote brain development.

10. Guarantee Better Vision

A balanced diet is good for your eye health. Vitamins A, C and E ensure your eyes stay healthy and promote good eyesight. Good multivitamins contain these vitamins that keep away eye problems and maintain healthy eyes.

Precautions when Taking Multivitamins Supplements

Knowing all the benefits of multivitamins is not enough. Everything has two sides and you should know the precautions below to take multivitamin supplements safely.

1. Overdose

When taking multivitamins, use a full glass of water to swallow. If the tablet is chewable, chew it before swallowing. If it is in liquid form, use a medicine cap or spoon designed to measure medicine.

You should not take more than one type of multivitamin supplement at a time unless instructed otherwise by a doctor. Taking more than one vitamin products can lead to serious side effects or an overdose. Most multivitamins contain minerals like zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium. Minerals, when taken in large amounts, can cause side effects like limp feeling or muscle weakness, confusion, uneven heart rate, stomach bleeding, increased urination and tooth staining. Before taking multivitamins, read the label to confirm the minerals it contains.

2. Interactions

You should also avoid taking multivitamins with milk or any other dairy products, antacids that have calcium as well as calcium supplements. These might make it hard for your body to absorb some components of the multivitamins.

3. Your Own Conditions

Before you start taking multivitamins inform your doctor about any past ailments and medical condition, allergies and pregnancy or if you are planning to be pregnant. Dosage should be changed when you are pregnant because some minerals and vitamins can harm your baby if taken in large quantities. It is advisable to use prenatal vitamins since they are customized for pregnant women.

If you are breastfeeding, do tell your doctor before you start taking multivitamins. Some components of your multivitamin might be passed to the baby through breast milk and it might be harmful to the baby.

Side Effects of Taking Multivitamin Supplements

We have learned many benefits of multivitamins and the precautions when taking its supplements. And here come the side effects of taking these supplements.

Get immediate help if you get the following signs of allergic reactions:

• Swelling of throat, tongue, lips or face
• Difficulty in breathing
• Hives

Less serious side effects include:

• Unpleasant or unusual taste in the mouth
• Headache
• Stomach upset
• In case you get any other reaction contact your doctor