Providing your body with all the vitamins, nutrients, and minerals it needs to function properly is a crucial part of staying healthy. However, while there are many nutritious superfoods out there that you can work into a range of meals, your diet may still be left with some nutrient gaps. Many people turn to supplements when this is the case—but unfortunately, this isn’t always an effective way to go. Although taking the right supplements can certainly be a good addition to your daily routine, health experts warn that certain varieties may end up being useless in the long run.
To unveil some of the least effective types of supplements out there, we spoke to holistic physician Sony Sherpa, MD. She told us that gummy multivitamins are generally a poor choice and will likely render ineffective for your health. Read on to learn why!
Why gummy multivitamins may be ineffective
Wouldn't it be easy if we could all just take one simple, tasty vitamin to get all of our essential nutrients each day? While this is certainly a nice concept, Dr. Sherpa warns that it's not really possible—which is why we should be wary of multivitamins.
One of the main reasons that it's important not to rely on multivitamins is the fact that they offer small amounts of the nutrients you need. "Essentially, the vitamin contents of multivitamin tablets are greatly reduced because these supplements are manufactured in very large quantities," she says. "This allows for the inclusion of a small amount of each vitamin, rather than producing tablets with larger concentrations of only one or two vitamins. Consequently, multivitamins often do not contain nearly enough of any given vitamin to have a noticeable effect on our health." Say it ain't so!
When you add a gummy formula into the equation, multivitamins become even less likely to be effective. Although gummies may taste great, therefore motivating you to take your vitamins every day, what you gain in flavor and fun you usually lose in quality.
The low dosage, for example, becomes an especially big issue with gummies. "One major factor is that [gummy] vitamins typically contain lower quantities of vitamins and minerals since they are designed for children or young adults who typically require smaller doses of these nutrients," Dr. Sherpa notes.
However, there are a few other reasons you may want to steer clear of this type of vitamin, too: they're typically packed with sugar. We all know that an excessive sugar intake can lead to a range of health issues, but sugar in vitamins can also make them difficult for your body to absorb. "Gummy vitamins often have poor absorption rates due to their high sugar content, which can interfere with the body's ability to absorb and utilize these nutrients," Dr. Sherpa tells us. "As a result, gummy vitamins may not be as effective at meeting our vitamin and mineral needs as other supplements," she tells us. But they taste so good!
Ultimately, Dr. Sherpa reminds us that, gummy or not, you shouldn't rely on supplements for your health. "The best way to ensure that we get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals is to focus on a healthy, well-balanced diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains," she says. "Supplements are there to fill any gaps in our diet and help us to stay healthy, but they should not be the sole source of these nutrients," she concludes. And remember to choose high-quality, effective supplements as much as possible—which likely means staying away from gummy multivitamins!
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