It seems that the back & forth between so-called "health gurus" about multivitamins will never end. Personally, I find the whole situation to be quite asinine, as there is nothing complicated about it. First of all, the major debates, when concerning this subject, needs to be about the Megavitamins. Taking large doses of synthetic vitamins never sounded like a good idea to me, and the evidence is mounting against megavitamins and it seems that common sense won, yet again.

Anyway, this post is about multivitamins. They are generally fairly balanced and contain a good source of synthetic vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Dang, I remember writing about this subject over 4 years ago on some health & fitness blog, and things haven't changed a bit, since. At any supplemental rate, you should know that getting your nutrients from real food is the best way. By consuming vitamins and minerals in their natural state, you will also get the phytochemicals and antioxidants, etc., that come with a lot of these whole foods like fruits and vegetables, for example.

Now, due to mass production companies and a straining demand for a constant food supply, many of the soils have become somewhat depleted. True, the use of synthetic fertilizers are there to compensate, but we don't want to get too synthetic, now do we? With that being said, certain mineral deficiencies are common in these humanoid creatures, like magnesium, for example. Multivitamins generally have a fair amount of minerals albeit they are nothing to write home about. Well, except for Iron, which is something you don't need in excess since it can cause liver damage and/or heavy metal toxicity.

Plus, when taking multivitamins, your body can only absorb so much at one time, and the end result often ends up being expensive urine. Without going on and on about this, I will say that vitamin and mineral supplements are really good for some people. This is especially true if you have a poor diet, drug & alcohol abuse issues, smoke, or have certain nutrient deficiencies and whatnot. Speaking of that, if you smoke, it might not be a good idea to take supplements with a lot of synthetic beta-carotene (form of Vitamin A) in them, since many studies have shown that it can actually increase your risk of lung cancer in smokers. On the flip side, foods that naturally contain this doesn't seem to pose that same risk. Yeah, one is natural and the other is made in a lab; go figure...

Anyway, I just use multivitamins as a supplement, and a small one at that. I just take half a tablet every couple of days or, if I'm eating good, I don't take any at all. A few multivitamins during the week are not harmful and they can actually help if your diet is lacking, but don't depend on them, as that isn't a healthy way to live either. This is so simple, yet they act like there is some new study out every year that either praises them or brings them down. The multivitamins don't deserve to be praised or insulted, as they are just a freakin' supplement. They are not a MEGA-vitamin with fictitiously bold claims, not a miracle cure, just a multi-vitamin and multi-mineral supplement! Thanks for reading; cheers!

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---End of Post "My thoughts about Multivitamins"