13 essential vitamins and 15 essential minerals play an essential role in our health, from reproduction to immune function. Achieve adequate levels through food can be a challenge.

Multivitamins offer an easy, hassle-free solution to help bridge any nutritional gaps. When selecting one, look for those that provide vitamins in their highest-grade forms – for instance methylated B vitamins and chelated minerals are two effective examples.

Vitamin A

Vitamins and minerals play an essential role in your health, from supporting bone development to providing energy. While eating healthily should provide most of the required vitamins and minerals, if your diet doesn’t supply enough or you have other medical issues which inhibit absorption then taking a multivitamin can fill in any gaps that exist in terms of supplementation.

Multivitamins that include folic acid (commonly referred to as folate) are especially essential for pregnant women. Folate helps prevent certain birth defects of the brain and spine, and some foods like cereals, pastas, rice and some meats are fortified with it to make it easier to get through diet alone. Vitamin A plays an essential role in healthy vision, immune function, communication between cells and cell communication; according to FDA’s Recommended Daily Value or Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE), vitamin A can come either through supplements or food; including breakfast cereals which fortified with it!

Vitamin C

Water-soluble vitamin C helps your immune system remain strong and defend against illness, and is present in citrus fruits and other vegetables. According to multiple large studies, taking vitamin C supplements reduces stroke risks while improving eye health.

Prioritize a varied, healthy diet to meet nutritional needs before resorting to multivitamin supplements; however, multivitamins may still prove helpful for individuals who don’t consume enough specific food groups or have conditions which impede absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.

Multivitamins containing folic acid, calcium and vitamin D may help protect against osteoporosis. But to be on the safe side and ensure maximum effectiveness it’s important to find ones without iron (which is hard to come by in multivitamins) since high amounts can damage liver and kidney health. Speak to your physician first when starting any nutritional supplement such as multivitamins in order to ensure they won’t interact with medications you take or cause allergies.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption through intestinal absorption and maintains adequate serum phosphate levels to enable normal bone mineralization, while also playing an integral part in gene regulation and immune system functions. If deficiency in children occurs, it leads to soft bones and deformities as rickets; similarly in adults it causes osteomalacia, with weak bones and decreased bone density [1-3].

Multivitamin use can help people meet recommended micronutrient intakes such as iron, folate, calcium, vitamin D and iodine. Multivitamin use may be especially helpful to pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and those on restrictive diets that lack essential micronutrients; additionally it may aid those taking medications that inhibit absorption of certain vitamins or minerals [3]

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant that works to defend cells against free radicals that damage DNA and cause cell aging, helping protect against heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers. Additionally, it may reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Although large, well-designed trials have demonstrated the benefits of vitamin E supplements for cardiovascular health, more research must be conducted in this area. More people from diverse backgrounds should participate in these trials over an extended period of time and they should continue being followed over time.

Vitamin E can be found in numerous food products, including nuts (almonds and hazelnuts), vegetable oils, fruits and green vegetables. Humans primarily rely on alpha-tocopherol; long-term deficiency may lead to liver damage. High doses of vitamin E appear to increase glutathione peroxidase activity; this enzyme reduces oxidative stress while improving cell functionality.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K, commonly found in its plant form phylloquinone, plays an integral part in blood clotting and bone health, as well as managing glucose metabolism.

Dietary vitamin K consumption is low among many individuals. A recent cross-sectional study, however, discovered that higher intakes of phylloquinone-rich diets are linked with lower knee osteoarthritis – but not hand osteoarthritis (117).

Supplementation may help fill gaps in diets that restrict nutrients like vegan and vegetarian diets that have nutritional gaps such as folic acid, calcium and iron deficiencies. A consultation with your healthcare provider regarding which multivitamin would best fit you is recommended before supplementation is started; pregnant and breastfeeding mothers should avoid excessive vitamin K doses while people taking warfarin should refrain from using supplements with this vitamin K content.

Calcium

Multivitamin proponents argue that multivitamins serve as an insurance policy against nutritional deficiencies through diet alone. Studies have confirmed this notion; multivitamin use has been found to prevent deficiencies of essential vitamins like A and D which can have lasting consequences for our health.

But because the FDA doesn’t strictly regulate dietary supplements as closely as prescription drugs, supplement aisles can be confusing places with many brands offering various combinations of vitamins and minerals. Look for products marked “United States Pharmacopeia seal of approval.” Select multivitamins that include water-soluble vitamins rather than those high in fat-soluble ones like beta-carotene or vitamin A which has been linked with lung cancer among smokers.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential nutrient, with multiple roles within the body. It helps regulate nerve and muscle function, blood sugar levels, hydration and heart rhythm; and even has been found to reduce depression for those deficient.

Magnesium can be found in food sources like legumes, whole grains, seeds (particularly pumpkin seeds), dark green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals or yogurt. Magnesium supplements generally do not cause nausea and diarrhea unless taken in high dosage amounts; consult your healthcare provider if taking proton pump inhibitor medications (PPIs).

The Recommended Dietary Allowance for magnesium per day is 420 mg. To make sure that you meet this goal, consume foods which provide 20% or more of their Daily Value of that particular nutrient; these high sources are considered “super sources.”

Iron

Many people struggle to meet their vitamin and mineral (micronutrient) requirements even with healthy diets, even with supplements like multivitamins helping. Multivitamins should only serve as supplements rather than being seen as replacements.

Nutrition professionals advocate consuming whole-food sources of nutrition as the primary way to meet vitamin and mineral requirements; unfortunately, most Americans don’t consume enough of this kind of food to fulfill this dietary advice.

Women who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant require additional folic acid, iron and calcium in their diet. People on restrictive diets–including vegans and vegetarians–often struggle to access enough micronutrients from food alone; such groups could benefit from taking specially designed prenatal or weight loss multivitamins; drinking plenty of water also plays an integral role in increasing absorption rates for most nutrients including multivitamins.

Vitamin B12

Thirteen vitamins and 15 minerals help produce enzymes, boost your immunity, and keep all your organs running optimally. Multivitamins are among the most widely available dietary supplements on the market; you’ll likely find them in most supermarkets, drugstores, and large discount stores.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a water-soluble vitamin your body needs for producing red blood cells and DNA synthesis, and can be found in meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, eggs and fortified breakfast cereals – or you can purchase it as a separate dietary supplement.

Plant-based diets may put those eating vegan-centric meals at a greater risk of deficiency due to not consuming animal products containing vitamin B12. A multivitamin containing calcium, vitamin D, iron, and zinc could provide much-needed support in helping avoid bone fractures or osteoporosis as they age.

Vitamin B6

Health experts often suggest prioritizing a diverse, nutritious diet in order to meet nutritional requirements; however, supplements and fortified foods can often fill any nutritional gaps that exist in our daily lives.

Studies suggest that B6 may help alleviate symptoms associated with PMS and anxiety. Furthermore, this vitamin aids the formation of red blood cells as well as supporting brain and nerve health.

Certain individuals may require extra vitamin B6 to protect themselves against deficiency, such as those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) which causes chronic inflammation that lowers B6 levels. Dialysis patients and transplant recipients who need dialysis could also benefit from supplementing with B6. Furthermore, taking certain prescription drugs that interfere with absorption could benefit. Finally, B6 supplementation has also been found to boost memory function while decreasing dementia risk with age.