What Do the Vitamins in My Multivitamin Do for Me?

Starting off your day with a multivitamin in the morning may help you to reach your health goals by supplementing the nutrients you need.

Multivitamins can help with stress, sleep or lack of exercise, but how? 

What are the benefits of the vitamins I’m taking?

Most multivitamins pack a similar assortment of vitamins in them. Some common vitamins you might be taking in include: 

Vitamin D

Although sunlight can give you vitamin D as well, sometimes our time in the sun is not enough. Vitamin D is important to keep our bones healthy and strong by helping the body to absorb calcium. It can also help with preventing autoimmune diseases, as vitamin D deficiency is related to the development of conditions like diabetes and asthma. 

Vitamin C

With the ability to boost your immunity and strengthen your body’s natural defenses against disease, vitamin C is an important nutrient in your diet. Vitamin C has great positive impacts on your heart, such as lowering your risk of heart disease and helping manage high blood pressure levels. As a strong antioxidant, it can also boost brain functions such as memory and thinking skills. 

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps to preserve and enhance your eyesight. It can help to slow down age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, and protect people from vision loss as they age. The first sign of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness, or the inability to see in low-lit or dark settings.  

Vitamin B complex

The vitamin B complex is made up of eight B vitamins that work together to perform a number of important necessary functions: 

• Hair, skin and nail health
• Appetite and digestion
• Normal functioning of the brain and nervous system
• Healthy blood
• Proper cell function 
• Producing red blood cells, DNA, and genetic material
• Lower cholesterol

Vitamin K

Bone, brain and heart health are the three main targets of vitamin K. The vitamin correlates to stronger bones and a lowered risk of osteoporosis. Some studies have found that older adults with higher levels of vitamin K have a better memory of their own past and present. It also helps to lower your blood pressure by preventing a buildup of minerals in the arteries. Vitamin K lowers your risk of heart disease, blood clots and stroke. 

Vitamin E

Vitamin E refers to a group of vitamins that are fat-soluble and have antioxidant effects and benefits. The antioxidant efforts of vitamin E can help protect you from cell damage. Vitamin E plays a major role in vision and reproduction. It also works to improve your heart, bone and skin health. 

Is it safe to take multivitamins?

Make sure to pay attention to the dosage listed on your multivitamin bottle. It is important to follow the guidelines as directed to prevent any negative effects that come from taking too much of a vitamin. 

Before starting any new supplement routine, consult with your health care provider to ensure that taking a multivitamin is the best thing for you and your diet. Taking excessive amounts of a vitamin can cause more harm than good. It can be hard to know if you are taking excessive amounts if you don’t know where the vitamin occurs in your regular diet as well.  

Talk to your health care provider if you don’t feel at your full health potential, you might be deficient in a certain vitamin, or taking too much of it, and need to change your supplement strategy. 

Next Steps & Resources:

• Meet our source: Marina Rabkin, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, CDCES
• To make an appointment with a doctor near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.