Feb 10
23
Should Diabetics, Type 1 and Type 2, Take Multivitamin Supplements?
When it comes to nutrition, there’s never a one-size-fits-all type of supplement. Supplement manufacturers will lead people to believe that everyone should take a one-a-day vitamin and when they do, they will get all the vitamins and minerals they need. This couldn’t be farther from the truth!
Babies have different requirements for vitamins and minerals than do teenagers. Teenagers have different needs than adults. You may have already noticed that teenagers can eat constantly without gaining an ounce of weight while most adults breathe in the fumes of foods and seem to gain pounds or kilograms. The metabolic rate of teens is higher than that of an adult.
When you compare two adults to each other, there still is a difference in the amount of vitamins and minerals that each one needs. One adult may have recently had surgery and needs more protein and vitamins and minerals that repair the skin such as vitamin A, C, E, zinc, and omega-3. The other adult may have osteoporosis and needs more calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, phosphorus, boron, vitamin C, manganese and strontium. So one size doesn’t ever fit all.
But the fact is that these multi-vitamins/minerals can at least provide a basic foundation for you to get the bottom line nutrients that you need. A multiple won’t make up for deficiencies of vitamins and minerals that you may have, but sometimes just providing the basic needs will be enough to make a person feel better.
The best type of multivitamin/mineral is never one that is taken once a day. There’s a reason for this. Nutrients need to be taken during the daytime in divided dosages to absorb the proper amount. Your intestinal tract cells can only absorb a few hundred milligrams of calcium at one time, so taking 1000 mg all in one dosage will never help you overcome osteoporosis! A manganese deficiency that leaves your joints aching all day long will respond quicker to two dosages of 30 mg manganese chelate than one dosage.
The best type of multivitamin is one that you must take three times a day. Depending on the company that manufactured it, you may need to take two or three capsules three times daily. So get used to it! Taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement is a great habit for diabetics to get into.
