This has been asked before.
here:
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/supplements/156175-multivitamins-really-necessary.html
I said:
Necessary? No.
Cheap insurance? Yes.
How much selenium was in your foods? Iodine? Zinc? Phosphorus? What about all the other micronutrients that aren't generally listed on food labels?
I take a multivitamin because that way I don't have to worry about most vitamins and minerals. A mild oversupply of vitamins is generally well-tolerated by the body, so a multi will not do you any harm, unless you have an odd metabolic disorder. Plus, even though your food might contain 100% of a vitamin, it doesn't mean it's 100% bioavailable.
So I take a multi so I don't have to think about whether or not I got enough of a particular vitamin. I think I paid 16 or 17 bucks for a year's worth of tablets at a Walgreens. One (or several) less things to think about.
and here:
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/supplements/147093-multi-vitamin-why.html
I said:
Vitamins support lots of body processes. A deficiency in one could mean your body isn't able to do perform whatever metabolic processes it needs to at the highest levels and efficiency. Most vitamins are water soluble, so the body tolerates excess amounts quite well. If you follow the 'better safe than sorry' way of thinking, then a multivitamin is a cheap addition to your supplement stack to make sure you have enough of everything. 16 bucks bought me a year's worth of multivitamins.
Now, if your diet is great, then a multivitamin will probably not be of much benefit. But the big question is.. are you *sure* you're getting everything you need in your diet in sufficient quantity? Did you get enough riboflavin and thiamin today? Iodine? Trace minerals like boron, molybdenum and vanadium? Is your mTOR metabolic pathway inhibited because of a lack of micrograms of a particular mineral?
I take a multivitamin so I don't have to worry about any of the above. It's just cheap insurance.
Check out the previous two threads on the subject.
