Are multivitamins beneficial to your health, or do they only give you expensive urine? According to health experts, most times, your multivitamin pill doesn't help at all. Why is this so?
The main problem is the body's failure to absorb nutrients from the pills. In this article, we focus on 5 of the most common absorption issues and how they prevent the delivery of the multivitamins' benefits.
1 DISINTEGRATION ISSUES
For your body to utilize minerals and vitamins, they must be released into the body promptly—that is, the pills must disintegrate quickly.
A recent study examined forty-nine popular commercially available multivitamins in either pill or capsule form. The aim was to determine if the multivitamins could release their micronutrients within twenty minutes (the time necessary for absorption). Results showed that twenty-five out of the forty-nine multivitamins studied failed to disintegrate.
2 PRESENCE OF WAX
Have you noticed a sheen on some multivitamin tablets? Some companies coat their pills with wax, shellac, and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose. These chemicals keep the moisture out, ensuring longer shelf life.
These coatings can decrease the ability of a multivitamin tablet to disintegrate readily.
3 BULKING
Many supplements contain binders, fillers, excipients, and flow agents, which either bulk products up to a convenient size, make the ingredients stick together, or allow formulas to pass smoothly through machines in the factory.
4 USER PROBLEMS
A study by Harris poll reported that 40% of the US population has a hard time swallowing pills. These individuals find swallowing pills so problematic that they skip, delay, or stop taking the multivitamins.
Also, people with conditions such as diverticulitis, hiatal hernias, irritable bowel syndrome, and those who have undergone bariatric surgery have problems taking supplements in pill or capsule form.
5 SUGAR AND CORN SYRUP
Some manufacturers add sweeteners to make pills taste better. The chewable, gummy, and liquid vitamins are even worse. They often contain genetically modified sweeteners that cause insulin spikes leading to weight gain and also block micronutrients from being absorbed into the body.
Corn syrup that's high in fructose causes deficiencies in magnesium, zinc, chromium, and copper, while sugar blocks the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C.
Solutions
STEP ONE— USE LIQUIDS AND POWDERS INSTEAD OF TABLETS
The American Pharmaceutical Association textbook states that a drug dissolved in a liquid solution is in the most absorbable form. It needs no dissolution [disintegration] before the body absorbs it. However, some micronutrients can degrade when kept in a liquid state. Therefore a powdered formula is better.
STEP TWO—READ THE INGREDIENT LIST
Avoid multivitamins that contain corn syrup, sugar, binders, fillers, excipients, artificial preservatives (like BHA/BHT), and colors.
STEP THREE—INVESTIGATE MORE
We believe that taking multivitamins is the best way to fill the gap left by your diet. However, most products have absorption problems. Do more research to find out more before settling on a brand to use.
With love,
The Sole Toscana Beauty Team
