Multivitamin supplements are widely recommended and used. They combine vitamins and minerals which is the first step in starting a supplement regime. Anyone who wants to do so can find a variety of options at any drugstore. Multivitamins help make up for any missing nutritious elements in our diet. There are also individual vitamins available that can cater to a specific deficiency. You could say that individual supplements are more targeted, leaving us confused about whether to opt for multivitamins or individual vitamins. We compare the pros and cons of these options for nutritional supplements to help you make an informed choice.
Multivitamin Pros
The major advantage of using multivitamins is that they provide you with multiple benefits in one supplement. Any average multivitamin will have anywhere from 10 to 20 different vitamins. These usually include Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K, and more. Taking one single multivitamin will relay so many different benefits to you, much more than an individual vitamin would. You will get a dose of all the nutritious elements that you need for sound health.
Multivitamins prove to be more economical than buying individual vitamins. Research shows that most adults fail to take their daily requirement of vitamins. In light of this, you probably need many dietary supplements to make up for this. Instead of buying each vitamin separately, which would definitely cost you more, you can get all the nutrition you need from one multivitamin.
Given how unhealthy our diets are today, we can all use dietary supplements to stay healthy. You might get individual vitamins, but it would be so hard to keep track of all the different vitamins you have to consume in a day. You can ditch that hassle and simply take one multivitamin with all the benefits that’s easy to use.
Multivitamin Cons
If you want to make up for a specific vitamin deficiency, you might not find a multivitamin with that specific nutrient. Multivitamins limit your options, and you may not find exactly what you’re looking for. Multivitamins are not very effective at targeting a specific vitamin deficiency that you’re facing. Most people with high vitamin deficiencies need higher doses of the relevant vitamin. Multivitamins aren’t personalized enough to help make up for that deficit.
Individual Vitamins Pros
Individual vitamins are better than multivitamins for people diagnosed with vitamin deficiencies to target problem areas. If your medical report tells you that you need folic acid, you can get that individual tablet rather than getting a small portion of it from a multivitamin. Individual vitamins are tailored to your condition, allowing you to get the exact dose you need. Individual vitamins consumed at different times of the day can be better absorbed and used by the body as compared to multivitamins, where zinc could compete with iron for optimal absorption.
Individual Vitamins Cons
When you’re taking individual vitamins, you are consuming a higher dose as compared to what you’ll get with a multivitamin. This holds especially true if you don’t have a drastic deficiency. You may consume a vitamin more than your body’s requirements, which could result in toxicity, especially with Vitamin A, E, or K. Taking several different vitamins throughout the day can be complicated and a bigger hassle than it’s worth. You might forget if you’ve taken the vitamin already and may end up consuming more than your daily dose. Another consideration is buying several individual vitamins may cost you more than buying a single multivitamin.
Final Thoughts
There is no one-size-fits-all approach when deciding between multivitamins and individual vitamins. If you have a specific deficiency, you might do better with a more targeted approach, i.e., with individual vitamins. If you want to boost your overall nutrition and don’t want much hassle, you can simply opt for multivitamins, which will give you the benefits of several vitamins at the same time.